IvanC Posted March 25, 2023 Share #21  Posted March 25, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) Does anyone have experience using the 90-280 for sport. Specifically I am interested in taking softball pictures and I am wondering if with the approaching SL3 with hopefully better/faster autofocus and more MP more people will take this Len as more suitable and responsible for action such as this. Knowing that this len with the SL2 but in APS-C mode is then a 135-420mm, but only with 20.8 MP. I am thinking/guessing that this range should be enough to cover all positions from infield to outfield, using it in asp-c, but I am not sure the performance/speed to freeze action will be there, also not sure if this lens will be capable during a game at night. I appreciate any comments. Thanks . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 25, 2023 Posted March 25, 2023 Hi IvanC, Take a look here Leica 90-280 musings (with images). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LD_50 Posted March 25, 2023 Share #22  Posted March 25, 2023 I’ve tried the 90-280 for sports. It works fine with AFs and if you prefocus. High shutter speed freezes the action. It doesn’t work well at all with AFc or tracking for me. I know someone will show BIF or sports shots and explain they used MF cameras for years to shoot sports but ultimately the SL, SL2 and SL2-S are not competitive with PDAF systems (including the Nikon gear I shot 10+ years ago) when shooting fast moving sports. I don’t bother anymore but that could change if the SL3 includes PDAF, assuming the lenses can keep up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobra Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share #23  Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, IvanC said: Does anyone have experience using the 90-280 for sport. Specifically I am interested in taking softball pictures and I am wondering if with the approaching SL3 with hopefully better/faster autofocus and more MP more people will take this Len as more suitable and responsible for action such as this. Knowing that this len with the SL2 but in APS-C mode is then a 135-420mm, but only with 20.8 MP. I am thinking/guessing that this range should be enough to cover all positions from infield to outfield, using it in asp-c, but I am not sure the performance/speed to freeze action will be there, also not sure if this lens will be capable during a game at night. I appreciate any comments. Thanks . I went to a spring training game in Tempe a couple weeks ago, but they do not allow lenses as big as the 90-280. So I took the SL2 and the 24-70. That said, here are some comments: -I have used the 90-280 indoors in low light and it focused fine using AFs. -For outdoor sports I use AFs mode and prefocus, as @LD_50 recommended -I used the 90-280 at a Nascar event and really enjoyed it. I would try to prefocus where possible and that always worked well. Even if not, I would get keepers when doing a few burst shots; but I did not flip back and forth from AFs to AFc. To me, the key is if your style is AFc and 15fps+ wanting to shoot hundreds of shots will tracking the events, then I can imagine this would be disappointing; but that's not my style. And, I'm not dismissing those who choose that, just making sure that my good results are also impacted by my shooting style. -using the 24-70 on AFs, and sitting a few rows up, it was easy to prefocus on the batter and do some medium speed bursts of a few frames at a time. I don't expect the 90-280 to be any worse than that. Here a couple of shots from the Angels / Mariners pre-season game. Wong, with a lead off single. You can see the sharpness of the ump and batter and note the ball on the way to the plate. Shallow DOF due to f2.8 has softened the focus on the other players... which was an intentional look I was going for. SL2 + 24-70 (@70), f2.8, ISO100  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! Edited March 25, 2023 by kobra spelling Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/373403-leica-90-280-musings-with-images/?do=findComment&comment=4736202'>More sharing options...
kobra Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share #24  Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) part 2... (same camera/lens). Ball has just been struck and is in the air to the right of the pitcher. Are these in the style of images you would be trying to capture? Again, due to restrictions, I was working with the tools that I had, and all photos were at 70mm. I did try APS-C mode, but where I was positioned everything was framed too tight. So as an example I wasn't trying to track the ball, then zoom to 400mm+ to catch the moment the outfielder jumped to the fence to snag the ball. If the latter is important, I suspect the limitation would fall to the SL2 focus system; not known for best in class AFc tracking. I hope that helps, but ask away if there is anything else I can share. Brad 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! Edited March 25, 2023 by kobra spelling Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/373403-leica-90-280-musings-with-images/?do=findComment&comment=4736206'>More sharing options...
IvanC Posted March 25, 2023 Share #25  Posted March 25, 2023 Thank you very much LD_50 and Kobra for your feedback and pictures I found it very valuable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eclectic Man Posted March 25, 2023 Share #26  Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) SL2 with 90-280 at about 224mm, wide open.  ISO 6400, hand held but braced against a door frame.  The Moon and a couple of stars are easily seen, but the three very faint stars below the middle star you need to enlarge the image to see.  Not only am I very impressed with the quality of the SL2 sensor, but the Image Stabilisation is awesome.  I was trying for a picture of Uranus last night as it was near the Moon, but is too faint even in this image.  (Uranus should be within three full Moon diameters of Venus on the evening of 30th March, check with Astronomy web sites for precise location.)  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! Edited March 25, 2023 by Eclectic Man Caption correction 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/373403-leica-90-280-musings-with-images/?do=findComment&comment=4736372'>More sharing options...
Photoworks Posted March 25, 2023 Share #27  Posted March 25, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) 12 hours ago, IvanC said: Does anyone have experience using the 90-280 for sport. Specifically I am interested in taking softball pictures and I am wondering if with the approaching SL3 with hopefully better/faster autofocus and more MP more people will take this Len as more suitable and responsible for action such as this. Knowing that this len with the SL2 but in APS-C mode is then a 135-420mm, but only with 20.8 MP. I am thinking/guessing that this range should be enough to cover all positions from infield to outfield, using it in asp-c, but I am not sure the performance/speed to freeze action will be there, also not sure if this lens will be capable during a game at night. I appreciate any comments. Thanks . the challenge is the camera to focus in low light, not the lens. contrast focus is what it is. But in outdoor light, focusing AFc with face body detection works very well on runners, it is more difficult when there are lots of people 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!      2 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!      ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/373403-leica-90-280-musings-with-images/?do=findComment&comment=4736414'>More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted March 25, 2023 Share #28  Posted March 25, 2023 On 3/21/2023 at 5:24 AM, chris_tribble said: ... and my 25 year old A&A bag can take the SL2 + 24-90 on the body + 90-280 alongside. Best though is a Lowpro backpack - it's kinder to the human's body! For same gear, I use either Billingham Hadley One or, for a small backpack, the Billingham Rucksack 25. Jeff 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobra Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share #29  Posted March 25, 2023 6 hours ago, Jeff S said: For same gear, I use either Billingham Hadley One or, for a small backpack, the Billingham Rucksack 25. Jeff I have a Hadley One also and use it for a lot of things, including camera gear and as a travel bag. For backpack, I have a Peak Design 20L backpack and while I can squeeze the above gear in, it is really not quite large enough. So, I'm still searching for a backpack solution... although I'm going down the road of how to use a proper hiking backpack (ie Osprey, Gregory, Deuter, Decathlon, etc), along with a camera ICU. Currently I have an older Osprey 18L with a Shimodo small ICU... it works ok for the SL2 and a couple of small to medium lenses, but not if I want to take along the 90-280. It seems my GAS and desire to really dive into the deep end of the SL system is causing a ripple effect... I've outgrown my camera carry systems! Brad  Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Richardson Posted March 26, 2023 Share #30  Posted March 26, 2023 (edited) I find the 90-280mm a very good and versatile lens. I agree that I would not go for long walks with it, but if you are near a shooting base like a car or a building, it is a great lens to have around. I have found that it is sharp and contrasty with good color. Better at the long end than at the near end, but zooms always have to compromise, and it is better to be better at the long range with telephoto zooms, as that is typically where they are used more (when you need reach, you often need as much as possible). I have found that it also crops quite well, especially when combined with the enhanced DNG and super resolution modes and proper sharpening. The raven photo is a pretty strong crop in, and the offset of the color landscape is what it looks like in the lower left corner at f3.7, which is a feat! All in all, for the work that I do, the extra performance is more compelling than the extra reach, but I do wish that Leica would go back to making some telephoto primes. I have noticed that my 90mm APO Summicron M is quite a bit sharper than the 90-280mm at 90mm, at least in my casual observation. That said, I am not a particular fan of zooms, but I think they are most useful in the telephoto range, where you have less flexibility to frame the photo via zooming with your feet. Sometimes that photo has to be taken at 215mm, not 280 or 180... 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!   Edited March 26, 2023 by Stuart Richardson 3 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!   ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/373403-leica-90-280-musings-with-images/?do=findComment&comment=4736864'>More sharing options...
snooper Posted March 26, 2023 Share #31  Posted March 26, 2023 Love this 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! 2 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/373403-leica-90-280-musings-with-images/?do=findComment&comment=4736885'>More sharing options...
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