SL 100-400 f/5.6-6 Rebrand But Not the Same Lens

[pf4eva]

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Hi guys,

Could someone explain me what is the point of this new rebadged lens? I had sigma 100-400mm and it wasn't a great lens.

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[opera207]

Profit. same story as sigma 24-70mm, panasonic 35 mm f1.8, 50mm f1.8.

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[Photoworks]

so that the zoom turn all the same direction? oh wait 😒

[MediaFotografie]

vor einer Stunde schrieb pf4eva:

Hi guys,

Could someone explain me what is the point of this new rebadged lens? I had sigma 100-400mm and it wasn't a great lens.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

oh, where you found this image? only know rumors...

[pf4eva]

12 minutes ago, MediaFotografie said:

oh, where you found this image? only know rumors...

Mirrorlessrumors 

[pf4eva]

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

so that the zoom turn all the same direction? oh wait 😒

It looks exactly the same to me:

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[pf4eva]

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1 hour ago, opera207 said:

Profit. same story as sigma 24-70mm, panasonic 35 mm f1.8, 50mm f1.8.

i get it, but they should at least re-do the body in metal for that price.

[BernardC]

22 minutes ago, pf4eva said:

t looks exactly the same to me:

I'm not too fussed about how a lens looks (unless it's one of those rare Leitz NY telephotos that looks like a gun, I wouldn't want to carry one of those around). The important thing is "have they changed the optical formula?" Telephotos are very sensitive to glass selection, so there's a lot that Leica could do.

[Virob]

I think it shows that Leica is committed to the L mount system and wants it to succeed. They recognize that not everyone wants or needs the absolute best zooms and prime lenses and that if they limit themselves like that, the L mount will become unprofitable for them. That there is no way they can design and build all the lenses in Germany ( look how long it’s taking to release previously announced APO prime lenses). That lots of people are buying Sigma, Panasonic and other lenses for their SL cameras,  are very happy with the performance of these lenses,  but would prefer they “feel” like a Leica lens and have Leica written on them. That they are trying to cater to what the market wants and make Leica more attractive to new buyers to expand the system.

I was recently considering a used 24-70 SL lens, little used, about 2x the price of a new Sigma. I kept asking myself, why spend the extra for the SL lens? On the other had this used lens was considerably less expensive than a new canon/Sony/Panasonic 24-70, and lots of people buy those because of the brand name and maybe better construction, but no one is going to really notice an optical performance difference between any of them in practical use. In that sense the lens would have been a great buy ( I didn’t but it). I forget which online store I checked, but they had 16 used 24-90 lenses for sale, 16! While everyone raves about the optical performance of this lens, that many used one in one place is telling.

The slowish 100-400  has become a popular lens and hits a sweet spot for many people. I can see why leica would want to add one.

 

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, pf4eva said:

It looks exactly the same to me:

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Rumored Leica version looks much better, it is more in the style of 90-280.

[BernardC]

24 minutes ago, Virob said:

That lots of people are buying Sigma, Panasonic and other lenses for their SL cameras,  are very happy with the performance of these lenses,  but would prefer they “feel” like a Leica lens and have Leica written on them. That they are trying to cater to what the market wants and make Leica more attractive to new buyers to expand the system.

There are some additional factors at play. Lots of people would rather purchase from a single vendor, even if it's not the lowest-cost option. You can save a lot of time that way, and get better support. It's the "one throat to choke" principle!

[Simone_DF]

41 minutes ago, Virob said:

I forget which online store I checked, but they had 16 used 24-90 lenses for sale, 16! While everyone raves about the optical performance of this lens, that many used one in one place is telling.

My two cents: the 24-90 is one of the first lenses available for the SL, and therefore many have purchased one either as a kit or because there was no other lens available. Now the L mount, thanks to Sigma and Panasonic, has an overabundance of zooms and primes, and people are substituting the 24-90 with lenses that better serve them for one reason or another. 

[BernardC]

10 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

My two cents: the 24-90 is one of the first lenses available for the SL, and therefore many have purchased one either as a kit or because there was no other lens available.

That's an important point. The 24-90 came out in late 2015. It's no surprise that they are easier to find on the used market.

[MediaFotografie]

here are more pics:

https://leicarumors.com/2023/03/08/first-leaked-images-of-the-leica-vario-elmar-sl-100-400mm-f-5-6-3-lens.aspx/

 

[Virob]

1 hour ago, Simone_DF said:

My two cents: the 24-90 is one of the first lenses available for the SL, and therefore many have purchased one either as a kit or because there was no other lens available. Now the L mount, thanks to Sigma and Panasonic, has an overabundance of zooms and primes, and people are substituting the 24-90 with lenses that better serve them for one reason or another. 

True, but that just supports the idea that there are folks who place some of the benefits of the Sigma/Panasonic lenses over the ultimate quality of the 24-90. I didn't mean to put down the 24-90, I was just using it as an example of 'build-the-ultimate-lens-and-they-will-come" doesn't necessarily apply. I am very glad that Leica builds these lenses and hope they will offer more.....21APO anyone.......?  Having a range of choices is always good.

[TeleElmar135mm]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb opera207:

Profit. same story as sigma 24-70mm, panasonic 35 mm f1.8, 50mm f1.8.

Profit? No in Wetzlar live no Ferengi nor the Great Nagus

 

[pf4eva]

3 hours ago, Virob said:

I think it shows that Leica is committed to the L mount system and wants it to succeed. They recognize that not everyone wants or needs the absolute best zooms and prime lenses and that if they limit themselves like that, the L mount will become unprofitable for them. That there is no way they can design and build all the lenses in Germany ( look how long it’s taking to release previously announced APO prime lenses). That lots of people are buying Sigma, Panasonic and other lenses for their SL cameras,  are very happy with the performance of these lenses,  but would prefer they “feel” like a Leica lens and have Leica written on them. That they are trying to cater to what the market wants and make Leica more attractive to new buyers to expand the system.

I was recently considering a used 24-70 SL lens, little used, about 2x the price of a new Sigma. I kept asking myself, why spend the extra for the SL lens? On the other had this used lens was considerably less expensive than a new canon/Sony/Panasonic 24-70, and lots of people buy those because of the brand name and maybe better construction, but no one is going to really notice an optical performance difference between any of them in practical use. In that sense the lens would have been a great buy ( I didn’t but it). I forget which online store I checked, but they had 16 used 24-90 lenses for sale, 16! While everyone raves about the optical performance of this lens, that many used one in one place is telling.

The slowish 100-400  has become a popular lens and hits a sweet spot for many people. I can see why leica would want to add one.

 

That's ok if they want to rebrand stuff, but there should be some added value to it, like significantly better build quality for example. With current re-badged lenses I can't see much of that.

I don't expect them to release tele apo primes like they had for R series, although IMO they should, if they really want it to L-mount succeed. Even if they'll be build by Sigma/Panasonic, but will have Leica QC and different optical design.

PS. I don't see how used 24-90mm is an indication of anything. It is a large and heavy lens, I'm not surprised that it is not everyones liking. I was quite tempted to buy 24-70 at first, but after trying it - apart from size/weight and price it has no advantages (which can be more than enough to some people).

 

 

[kobra]

This has been discussed on other threads with other rebadged lenses... with those it takes very little time to find information regarding differences in coatings, construction and final QA. Before we make any judgement calls on this lens it might be nice to actually see them in person, or at least get first hand reports. It seems that the Leica branded lenses outperform their counterparts, and this one may as well. 

I have the Sigma 100-400 currently and while it's a good lens, it is not great. I am demoing a 90-280 now and obviously there is a huge difference in IQ and price. If Leica can come out with a 100-400 that sits somewhere in the middle, I would be very tempted to buy that. 

My 2 cents and worth the price paid for it ;-) 

Brad

[pf4eva]

7 minutes ago, kobra said:

This has been discussed on other threads with other rebadged lenses... with those it takes very little time to find information regarding differences in coatings, construction and final QA. Before we make any judgement calls on this lens it might be nice to actually see them in person, or at least get first hand reports. It seems that the Leica branded lenses outperform their counterparts, and this one may as well. 

I have the Sigma 100-400 currently and while it's a good lens, it is not great. I am demoing a 90-280 now and obviously there is a huge difference in IQ and price. If Leica can come out with a 100-400 that sits somewhere in the middle, I would be very tempted to buy that. 

My 2 cents and worth the price paid for it 😉

Brad

Of course, but did someone actually properly tested and compared those rebadged lenses? 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[dynaerik]

Or get the 90-280 with the 1,4 converter