I Tried To Quit the CL but............ I Couldn't Do It.

[DenverSteve]

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Like the title says - I decided I had too many Leica cameras and opted to sell my CL kit.  I have the Sony A7C with a full complement of lenses which gave me a full-frame 24MP camera that duplicates what the CL gives me - in a full-frame camera.  However, I really loved the size, weight, imagery, feel..... of the CL.  So after a few weeks passed, I purchased found another mint CL and 18-56 lens.  There have been those who have asked about whether the CL is still a good choice since its discontinuation, for me, the answer is heck yes.  The CL has great... pretty much everything it does, it does well.  There are countless great cameras out there but I've not found another that gives me the shooting fun that the CL does.  

[tommonego@gmail.com]

It would be really tough for me to give the CL up. Some day I'll have to😒

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[Le Chef]

Some pieces of kit feel right from the get go. My 10 year old MacBook Air is an example as is my CL. There are newer examples with better technical specs but nothing has moved me sufficiently strongly to get rid of either.

The CL and lenses will keep being used until they can’t be repaired or I find something new to fall in love with.

[JayBird]

I have no intention of getting rid of my CL. As long as it keeps going, I will keep using it. 

[Rick in CO]

I'm in the process of building up my CL outfit (all bought used) and trimming down on M.  I find the camera excellent for lenses wider than 28mm and longer than 75mm.

Will not sell my M10R however, may get down to one really good 35mm or 50mm fast lens.

[Steven Lane]

I will never part with my CL, T or TL bodies as they were the the core of a system that, for the first time in many years, ‘spoke’ to me. Along with the 11-23, 55-135 and 35 1.4 lenses, they are my go to system when I am too lazy to tote my SL system about.

[DenverSteve]

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I guess I'm not the only one............😊

[gotium]

I don’t think there’s another system like it on the market, unfortunately. It was the one Leica product line I was most intersted in for the future.

 

Oh well.

Edited February 13, 2023 by gotium

[MJB]

On 2/10/2023 at 2:59 PM, DenverSteve said:

Like the title says - I decided I had too many Leica cameras and opted to sell my CL kit.  I have the Sony A7C with a full complement of lenses which gave me a full-frame 24MP camera that duplicates what the CL gives me - in a full-frame camera.  However, I really loved the size, weight, imagery, feel..... of the CL.  So after a few weeks passed, I purchased found another mint CL and 18-56 lens.  There have been those who have asked about whether the CL is still a good choice since its discontinuation, for me, the answer is heck yes.  The CL has great... pretty much everything it does, it does well.  There are countless great cameras out there but I've not found another that gives me the shooting fun that the CL does.  

What was your opinion on the a7C?  The appeal is obvious, combining a full-frame sensor in such a compact body, with pretty decent styling (especially for Sony), plus modern AF and IBIS systems...I've seriously considered it a number of times, but I just can't get past the tiny 0.59x EVF.  I've only briefly tried it in a store, and it seemed very tunnel-like - I'd be curious to try it out in real life for a while.  But it seems like every review I've seen, the reviewer says something about the EVF being not very useable and just relying on the LCD instead, which makes it an immediate no-go for me.

I do have even smaller EVFs (0.46x), on a Leica C (Typ 112) and Lumix GM5, so I know I could use the a7C's - but it's one thing for occasional use, and quite another for your primary camera, you know?

[gotium]

1 hour ago, MJB said:

What was your opinion on the a7C?  The appeal is obvious, combining a full-frame sensor in such a compact body, with pretty decent styling (especially for Sony), plus modern AF and IBIS systems...I've seriously considered it a number of times, but I just can't get past the tiny 0.59x EVF.  I've only briefly tried it in a store, and it seemed very tunnel-like - I'd be curious to try it out in real life for a while.  But it seems like every review I've seen, the reviewer says something about the EVF being not very useable and just relying on the LCD instead, which makes it an immediate no-go for me.

I do have even smaller EVFs (0.46x), on a Leica C (Typ 112) and Lumix GM5, so I know I could use the a7C's - but it's one thing for occasional use, and quite another for your primary camera, you know?

Could NEVER get the colors to look right, no matter how many hours I put into it - might be just me, but much much much prefer the look of the CL files. Plus the menu system, haptics not comparable to the CL. No auto-aperture for manual focusing. EVF nowhere near as good as the CL. And the lenses I would have wanted were unwieldy and weird-looking. 

[DenverSteve]

2 hours ago, MJB said:

What was your opinion on the a7C?  

I do have even smaller EVFs (0.46x), on a Leica C (Typ 112) and Lumix GM5, so I know I could use the a7C's - but it's one thing for occasional use, and quite another for your primary camera, you know?

I still have it and love it.  It is a fantastic performing camera with no faults - for me.  I would like a slightly larger eye relief but it works fine like it is.  

 

[Ko.Fe.]

On 2/13/2023 at 7:04 PM, MJB said:

What was your opinion on the a7C?  The appeal is obvious, combining a full-frame sensor in such a compact body, with pretty decent styling (especially for Sony), plus modern AF and IBIS systems...I've seriously considered it a number of times, but I just can't get past the tiny 0.59x EVF.  I've only briefly tried it in a store, and it seemed very tunnel-like - I'd be curious to try it out in real life for a while.  But it seems like every review I've seen, the reviewer says something about the EVF being not very useable and just relying on the LCD instead, which makes it an immediate no-go for me.

I do have even smaller EVFs (0.46x), on a Leica C (Typ 112) and Lumix GM5, so I know I could use the a7C's - but it's one thing for occasional use, and quite another for your primary camera, you know?

It just another Sony, ugly proportions and EVF is so small, it is almost useless. And usual Sony odd colors. 

[Ko.Fe.]

On 2/13/2023 at 5:05 PM, gotium said:

I don’t think there’s another system like it on the market, unfortunately. It was the one Leica product line I was most intersted in for the future.

 

Oh well.

So true. I was thinking, been "why so serious" photog I want something true Leica size and with VF. CL was the only one, without paying too much.

[hayrr]

On 2/13/2023 at 10:05 PM, gotium said:

I don’t think there’s another system like it on the market, unfortunately. It was the one Leica product line I was most intersted in for the future.

 

Oh well.

Agree entirely as a new Leica user.

I recently bought a used CL from eBay for less than I would pay for a used Fuji XPro3 (which was my other consideration). It was the form factor coupled with the leica lenses which originally sold me. I previously used a Canon 5D MIII with the beautiful 24-70 f2.8 L lens (mostly for street and urban shots) and a variety of film camera, my favourite being an Olympus OM1-N with an admittedly poor but reliable zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens. I sold my Canon in January 2022 to pay for vet bills as my cat died suddenly and started taking the Olympus around with me (after a period of being detached from photography due to mourning my poor cat). So when I finally recovered my mojo for pics I wanted a digital version of what the OM1-N was producing and part of that was the form, it fits in my pocket. So I looked at a few options and I wanted to avoid M43 and had been convinced that mirrorless was the future. During my research I started to get targeted ads for the Leica Q2 which although beautiful was way out of my affordability (apologies if that's a faux-pas word to use on the Leica forum). Since buying the CL (and a used 23mm summicron TL) I would describe it as simply a joy to use. It takes brilliant pictures with versatile range; I have used it for night shots, landscapes, portraits and daytime street shots), has a VF and it fits in my pocket. In comparison the Canon EOS 5D MIII is enormous (as are most full frame SLRs) and I can't imagine myself using one again (I

Using and loving my CL has led me to produce a wishlist of M lenses (the 35mm summilux being prime on my list , pun intended) bc they are tiny and I've tried the summilux in a Leica store and now I can't stop thinking about it. The problem is (and I'm not whining here I promise) I am not rich and definitely can't afford them (and I deserve derision for buying a Leica without thinking of this), I work in a hospital lab and I come from an immigrant family with very little wealth and no property or <insert markers of wealth>. and I was the first person in my whole family to get a university education. So I've been toying with the idea of selling it and buying something similar in form. And I have no options. The Fuji X-pro3 is nowhere near as compact as the CL! I keep thinking I should bite the bullet and sell but I love it too much so my only other option is to save as hard as i can for the summilux or a voigtlander/zeiss alternative.

thank you for reading this far if I haven't bored you to death, I just saw this wanted to vent lol. fully agree with anyone who tells me I was stupid for buying a Leica without thinking I'd want more lenses.

[jaapv]

Have a look at Voigtländer lenses.

[hayrr]

4 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Have a look at Voigtländer lenses.

thank you! i am doing so 😁

[Mr.Prime]

Yes, the CL was pretty good, not perfect but it was the closest to a digital camera that I would use. I sold mine to prepare for the CL2....... and now I am no longer going to be a customer of Leica because they have no CL2. I'm sticking with my iphone for digital and M for film.

[gotium]

43 minutes ago, hayrr said:

 

Using and loving my CL has led me to produce a wishlist of M lenses (the 35mm summilux being prime on my list , pun intended) bc they are tiny and I've tried the summilux in a Leica store and now I can't stop thinking about it. The problem is (and I'm not whining here I promise) I am not rich and definitely can't afford them (and I deserve derision for buying a Leica without thinking of this), I work in a hospital lab and I come from an immigrant family with very little wealth and no property or <insert markers of wealth>. and I was the first person in my whole family to get a university education. So I've been toying with the idea of selling it and buying something similar in form. And I have no options. The Fuji X-pro3 is nowhere near as compact as the CL! I keep thinking I should bite the bullet and sell but I love it too much so my only other option is to save as hard as i can for the summilux or a voigtlander/zeiss alternative.

thank you for reading this far if I haven't bored you to death, I just saw this wanted to vent lol. fully agree with anyone who tells me I was stupid for buying a Leica without thinking I'd want more lenses.

A used TL 35/1.4 might fit the bill too

[David Cantor]

2 hours ago, gotium said:

A used TL 35/1.4 might fit the bill too

The TL 35/1.4 is anything but tiny and a compromise might be something from the Sigma range?

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Hallo,

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[MJB]

5 hours ago, hayrr said:

 

thank you for reading this far if I haven't bored you to death, I just saw this wanted to vent lol. fully agree with anyone who tells me I was stupid for buying a Leica without thinking I'd want more lenses.

I don't think that anyone is going to call you stupid for that, although it is a hard fact that Leica lenses are priced at a premium.  There are deals to be had on the native TL lenses, compared to original MSRP, but I still wouldn't describe them as affordable, per se.  Sigma lenses are probably the best deal if you want to retain the autofocus ability of the camera.  If you want more of an old school vibe, then I think the Voigtländers are a great option.  There are also cheaper but still good quality M-mount lenses, such as the M-Hexanons produced for the Konica Hexar RF, or the M-Rokkors made for the Minolta CLE.

Bottom line, though, is that shooting a Leica will always be a premium-priced experience.  You can sort of bottom-feed and avoid the stratospherically-priced stuff, but even then, your money will go much further elsewhere.

I don't want to be that guy who beats a dead horse, and I promise this is the last time I'll bring it up, but if you prioritize compactness and affordability, you owe it to yourself to reconsider Micro Four Thirds.  I just picked up an E-M5 III for $700, it's a little smaller even than the CL with much better phase-detect autofocus and extraordinary IBIS, and then I picked up six (!) lenses for $1500.  The lenses are sized similarly to small M-mount lenses (obviously not most of the zooms or "PRO" lenses).

I think Fuji is another really good alternative - tons of options to choose from, many with very traditional styling and ergonomics, definitely a Leica-lite experience IMO.  Another thing I like about Fuji is that they're really committed to the APS-C format and just keep on doing their own thing, churning out cameras.  I really considered the new X-T5, but it just seems a little bigger than I wanted to go (I probably should've looked at one in the store, though, as it's impossible to really judge how a camera really handles otherwise).  But I do sometimes wonder why I haven't gone all-in with Fuji sometimes, it does seem like a very logical option, lol.  I guess some people have some heartache about the X-Trans sensors, but they never really bothered me.

But I do understand the allure of Leica, believe me.  I currently have my CL boxed up and ready to sell, but I can't quite bring myself to send it out just yet.  I'm definitely getting rid of most of my lenses, my T2, and my SL - but I MAY yet hold on to the CL and the 23/2 Summicron, and perhaps the M-Adapter L - it's really tough to decide!

Edited February 28, 2023 by MJB