Do I Need an SL2-S?

[BernardC]

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11 hours ago, Photoworks said:

the 601 only has 8bit video. the 10bit video on the SL2s is a big upgrade if you are serious about video. plus IBIS and the rest...

The 601 has 10-bit video via HDMI, but only 8-bit internal. You can only do 4K in Super-35 mode, which is somewhat of a limitation. Just about every major motion picture is shot in that format, so it's not a show-stopper!

The main advantages of the SL2-S are better low-light performance, IBIS, full-frame 4K, and usable internal video recording. The SL is no slouch in low-light, so it's up-to individual photographers to decide if those advantages are worth the money.

I haven't done back-to-back comparisons between the SL and SL2-S for video. Leica tells us that they use the same version of L-Log, but they also tell us that the 601 is Rec-709 and the later models are Rec-2020. Anybody have a link to a serious comparison, using the latest firmware?

 

[BernardC]

1 minute ago, BernardC said:

(duplicate, removed)

Edited August 26, 2022 by BernardC
duplicate

[hdmesa]

On 8/25/2022 at 6:27 AM, Photoworks said:

one more bit of information.

The Leica M to L adapter can focus past infinity when setting the M lens to infinity.

This is by design to take in account temperature changes that can affect the material of the adapter.

Wanted to come back and address this since I just received my second SL2-S and second M-Adapter-L (silver this time). With these, the M lenses are hitting infinity right before the hard stop but not at the hard stop – just like you said. I guess my first copy of the SL2-S and first copy of the M-Adapter-L was just lucky in that my M lenses were hitting perfect infinity at the hard stop with that combination.

I'm going to return the new M-Adapter-L and only use my Hawk's Factory macro adapter with the adjustable infinity hard stop fro now on. Why? I really need to have infinity at the hard stop on my SL2-S to use my 28 Summaron with the infinity lock – it's really a pain to try and stop at infinity if infinity is before the hard stop because that is physically happening while the infinity lock has started to lock but is not completely locked – an unstable position on the lens that easily moves one way or the other due to the pressure on it to lock or unlock.

I apologize for contradicting your post.

Edited August 26, 2022 by hdmesa

[Laharrier]

Guys I’ve decided to pick up at SL2S and the 24-70 2.8 ASPH. I labored over this decision, but think it will keep me busy for awhile. 

[Jeff S]

Enjoy… very fine gear.

Jeff

[Laharrier]

here’s a question. I want to use my M lenses on the SL2S. None of my lenses are of the coded variety. In this instance is the Leica adapter still best or can I just buy a Novaflex or other cheaper adapter and manually tell the camera which m lens is mounted?

[david strachan]

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1 hour ago, Laharrier said:

here’s a question. I want to use my M lenses on the SL2S. None of my lenses are of the coded variety. In this instance is the Leica adapter still best or can I just buy a Novaflex or other cheaper adapter and manually tell the camera which m lens is mounted?

I'm a user of older lenses, but like to keep track of their use.

I take a picture of paper with lens details written, every time i change lenses.  Then i put this into the Exif info in LR, when i download the images.

This way i can do searches through all my pics for any images taken with a specific lens.

...

[Bikie John]

5 hours ago, Laharrier said:

here’s a question. I want to use my M lenses on the SL2S. None of my lenses are of the coded variety. In this instance is the Leica adapter still best or can I just buy a Novaflex or other cheaper adapter and manually tell the camera which m lens is mounted?

I am not sure about this, but....

... with the Leica M to L adapter, the camera recognizes the adapter and if the lens is not coded, it allows you to choose it (or a near match) manually from a list. With a "dumb" adapter it does not allow this. I don't know whether the Novoflex or other adapters can trick the camera into thinking it has the Leica adapter on. If the adapter is simply a tube with a male L mount at the back and a female M mount at the front, it almost certainly won't, so you will not be able to make any selection of lens of focal length. I have the Olympus OM to L adapter and it is a bit of a pet peeve that I can't tell it the focal length and thereby enable IS.

John

[BernardC]

8 hours ago, Laharrier said:

here’s a question. I want to use my M lenses on the SL2S. None of my lenses are of the coded variety. In this instance is the Leica adapter still best or can I just buy a Novaflex or other cheaper adapter and manually tell the camera which m lens is mounted?

As you probably suspect, Leica's adapter is still the best-made adapter, but the Novoflex is also very good. High-end Asian adapters (e.g.: Kipon) are also good, but I've run into issues with "suspiciously cheap" adapters. They rarely fit properly at either end, and who knows if they are truly parallel? One adapter that I own, purchased 5 years ago, won't mount on newer cameras.

[Photoworks]

I have both Leica and some other brand adapter.

The Leica adapter is best for 6bit coded lenses as it activates the lens corrections in camera.

Lens Adapter built-in Helicoid are useful too when you want to get just a touch closer then .70 - 1m and set proper infinity stop.
whit this adapters lens correction are required in post.

If you don't use 6bit coding I would buy the Adapter built-in Helicoid. there are few brands that makes them, they are all similar. I would just watch out for the oil in the helicoid. My unit had way to much and it was going into the camera.

[Luke_Miller]

1 hour ago, Artin said:

Not tru.  You can manually choose any M lens or any R lens regardless of which adaptor you put on the front of your Camera, in fact you can even pick only the lenses you have and not waste time going thru the entire list. And you can use one of your function buttons to have quick access to your selected list of lenses you frequently use.

Correct. But with third-party adapters your lens selection will not be recorded in the image EXIF.  So if that is important it, will need to be added during postprocessing.  

[hdmesa]

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

I have both Leica and some other brand adapter.

The Leica adapter is best for 6bit coded lenses as it activates the lens corrections in camera.

Lens Adapter built-in Helicoid are useful too when you want to get just a touch closer then .70 - 1m and set proper infinity stop.
whit this adapters lens correction are required in post.

If you don't use 6bit coding I would buy the Adapter built-in Helicoid. there are few brands that makes them, they are all similar. I would just watch out for the oil in the helicoid. My unit had way to much and it was going into the camera.

They all use the wrong lubricant type on the macro helicoid. I’m going to send mine to DAG to have it re-lubed. 

[Laharrier]

5 hours ago, Luke_Miller said:

Correct. But with third-party adapters your lens selection will not be recorded in the image EXIF.  So if that is important it, will need to be added during postprocessing.  

If lens is set manually in camera wouldn't this record in the exif data? 

[hdmesa]

2 hours ago, Laharrier said:

If lens is set manually in camera wouldn't this record in the exif data? 

Even when setting manually, it only records the lens data to EXIF with the M-Adapter-L and not with a third party adapter.

Edited August 29, 2022 by hdmesa

[huwm]

9 hours ago, hdmesa said:

Even when setting manually, it only records the lens data to EXIF with the M-Adapter-L and not with a third party adapter.

which is frustrating and my M-L is also unreliable so making a note somewhere as previously suggested is a good idea, I forget to do that of course

[Bikie John]

On 8/29/2022 at 12:36 PM, Artin said:

Not tru.  You can manually choose any M lens or any R lens regardless of which adaptor you put on the front of your Camera, in fact you can even pick only the lenses you have and not waste time going thru the entire list. And you can use one of your function buttons to have quick access to your selected list of lenses you frequently use.

I was wrong about this. Sorry for any confusion and thank you @Artin for pointing it out. If you go into Menu tab 5 then Camera Settings and scroll down to the second page, there is option "Lens profile". This is where you can choose from a list of M or R lenses. And it will then set IS accordingly (I haven't checked whether it records your choice in the EXIF).

Thanks again ... John

[Luke_Miller]

1 hour ago, Artin said:

Sadly it will not record your EXIF data , only with the Leica converter and coded lenses you will get the Exif data recorded. 

Coded lenses are not necessary. With my Leica M to L converter when I mount an uncoded lens my manual selection is recorded in the EXIF data.  The lack of lens data in the EXIF seems to only be an issue with third party adapters.

[Bikie John]

Some good news. Firmware 4.0 has just been released for the SL2-S. The headline goodie is support for perspective control, which first appeared a little while back for the M10-P/-R/ Monochrom and can be quite useful. More relevant to this thread are a couple of other points concerning the use  of non-Leica adapters - fixing the bug where details of M lenses were sometimes not recorded in the EXIF data, and allowing us to specify the focal length of the lens.

I haven't tried it yet (will wait for a few others to install and test it first!) but if it all works I will be pretty impressed.

John

[Laharrier]

Thanks all, again. I’ve received my SL2-S and I am absolutely in love with the camera. If it weren’t for its size I’d see not a lot of reason to continue shooting my M body camera 🫠 the rendering is spectacular and I’ve really been enjoying playing with my older lenses on this body. My Version 1 Summilux 50mm is notoriously hard to focus at 1.4 but on the SL2S it’s a breeze. This camera really is as good as they say. Attached photo was shot in raw with my 1960 Type 1 50mm Summilux at f/2.8 and extremely minimal editing to the photo in Lightroom. 

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[hansvons]

5 hours ago, Laharrier said:

My Version 1 Summilux 50mm is notoriously hard to focus at 1.4 but on the SL2S it’s a breeze.

You already figured out the SL2-S' significant advantage (probably the first thing you did): a wonderful lens for a wonderful sensor and an EVF that allows for the most critical focusing. Congratulations!