50mm Summilux-SL performance with SL3

[Kreeshp]

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Are there any users who have the above lens and the SL2 who can comment on the focus performance with the SL3?

 

Is it noticeably quicker to achieve focus with the SL3 versus the SL2 or SL2-S?

[Dr. G]

I'll be able to tell you Monday or Tuesday.  I have my SL2-S and the 50 Lux SL here and will give it a try.

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[albireo_double]

I tried the SL3 with the SL50 during the launch presentation. It was Pat's camera that he used to shoot the campaign - i.e. pre-production. Autofocus was super fast - I was shooting with a model for about 15 minutes, with and without strobe (in relatively low light). Focus acquisition was instantaneous and there was no hunting. Rudimentary review on the back screen showed that all images were correctly focused on the eyes. I was shooting with the aperture fully opened, all the time. Impressive and a different world from the SL2.

[Dr. G]

On 3/10/2024 at 2:42 PM, albireo_double said:

I tried the SL3 with the SL50 during the launch presentation. It was Pat's camera that he used to shoot the campaign - i.e. pre-production. Autofocus was super fast - I was shooting with a model for about 15 minutes, with and without strobe (in relatively low light). Focus acquisition was instantaneous and there was no hunting. Rudimentary review on the back screen showed that all images were correctly focused on the eyes. I was shooting with the aperture fully opened, all the time. Impressive and a different world from the SL2.

Were you in iAF with face/body detect?

[Kreeshp]

On 3/10/2024 at 11:42 AM, albireo_double said:

I tried the SL3 with the SL50 during the launch presentation. It was Pat's camera that he used to shoot the campaign - i.e. pre-production. Autofocus was super fast - I was shooting with a model for about 15 minutes, with and without strobe (in relatively low light). Focus acquisition was instantaneous and there was no hunting. Rudimentary review on the back screen showed that all images were correctly focused on the eyes. I was shooting with the aperture fully opened, all the time. Impressive and a different world from the SL2.

Thanks for your contribution.   Hoping to get feedback on the Summilux-SL.  

The other SL versions are not known to exhibit performance deficiencies on the SL2, unlike the Summilux-SL.

Edited March 11 by Kreeshp

[albireo_double]

6 hours ago, Dr. G said:

Were you in iAF with face/body detect?

I think I was in AFc with face/body detect. 

[TheGodParticle/Hari]

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On 3/8/2024 at 8:19 PM, Kreeshp said:

Are there any users who have the above lens and the SL2 who can comment on the focus performance with the SL3?

 

Is it noticeably quicker to achieve focus with the SL3 versus the SL2 or SL2-S?

Hi there,

Here are some impressions using the SL-50/1.4 on the SL3:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/9JhcJZ6rHa2R5458/?

[Vu Bui]

On 3/8/2024 at 8:19 PM, Kreeshp said:

Are there any users who have the above lens and the SL2 who can comment on the focus performance with the SL3?

 

Is it noticeably quicker to achieve focus with the SL3 versus the SL2 or SL2-S?

I unfortunately don’t have an SL2 with me but your question made me curious so I tried it back and forth a bunch of times on different subjects between the SL3 and the SL2-S and although it’s hard to replicate exactly what I’m doing on each without spending a lot of time, it does seem like the SL2-S is just a fraction faster in some conditions in acquiring focus. I only did it with AF-S. Seems like in lower light the SL2-S might be a tiny bit faster to acquire focus.

That’s not to say that the lens elements move any faster, just the acquisition of focus itself feels faster to me from my 10 minutes of testing in the house just now. It seemed to me that the SL3 did a tiny bit more hunting sometimes, and when it didn’t then they felt exactly the same. 

Overall I’d say the performance is very similar for AF-S. I’m not really bothered by the speed of the 50 Lux-SL though, it’s slow for sure but not painfully so. And I recently owned a modern Canon system which was WORLDS faster. I guess I just am not on that much of a rush for the types of things I photograph. Someone else might be more sensitive to the speed and feel differently about the difference.

[RoySmith]

11 hours ago, Vu Bui said:

I unfortunately don’t have an SL2 with me but your question made me curious so I tried it back and forth a bunch of times on different subjects between the SL3 and the SL2-S and although it’s hard to replicate exactly what I’m doing on each without spending a lot of time, it does seem like the SL2-S is just a fraction faster in some conditions in acquiring focus. I only did it with AF-S. Seems like in lower light the SL2-S might be a tiny bit faster to acquire focus.

That’s not to say that the lens elements move any faster, just the acquisition of focus itself feels faster to me from my 10 minutes of testing in the house just now. It seemed to me that the SL3 did a tiny bit more hunting sometimes, and when it didn’t then they felt exactly the same. 

Overall I’d say the performance is very similar for AF-S. I’m not really bothered by the speed of the 50 Lux-SL though, it’s slow for sure but not painfully so. And I recently owned a modern Canon system which was WORLDS faster. I guess I just am not on that much of a rush for the types of things I photograph. Someone else might be more sensitive to the speed and feel differently about the difference.

Has the firmware for the lens been updated ? I suspect to get the best/ fastest focus on the PSAF of the SL3 that the latest firmware is needed.

[helged]

On 4/1/2024 at 6:16 AM, RoySmith said:

Has the firmware for the lens been updated ? I suspect to get the best/ fastest focus on the PSAF of the SL3 that the latest firmware is needed.

All of my Leica L-lenses got a FW-update when they was mounted on SL3 for the first time, SL50Lux included. The AF of the latter (as well as the SL-APO-Crons, I have the 21, 35 and 90) is a little faster and somewhat more reliable than before. This is at least my experience.