A dilemma on which camera for adapting M lenses

[costa43]

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11 hours ago, Simone_DF said:

It all depends on which M mount lenses you are going to adapt. 

Leica lenses wider than 35mm may have corner issues. On the other hand, Voigtlander lenses play well with all mirrorless.

On the wider than 35mm it will be the 24mm Elmar. Everything else I currently own is 35mm or longer. 

Edited March 19 by costa43

[2M6TTLs]

18 hours ago, costa43 said:

Thanks Flash, the weight of the sl2s is definitely the thing I'm most unsure of. I have the m10r as my daily carry though so I'm trying to talk myself into it 😀

I used to do a lot of my film photography with compact cameras and M cameras so moving up to the SL was a big increase in weight. However  If you carry it around in a backpack instead of a bag hanging off one shoulder you should find it very manageable.I hike with mine and it's honestly no problem so don't be put off by that.. Advantages are that amazing viewfinder for composition and focussing and the effective weatherproofing. It makes no sense I know if you just look at the numbers, but strangely enough I found my M6 to 'feel' heavier in practice because it is heavier than you expect for its size! An SL body with an M lens is a really nice combination. In fact, the extra weight of the body really balances the lenses nicely in practice.

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[hansvons]

15 hours ago, BernardC said:

I can understand buying a cheap M adapter for Canon/Nikon/Sony if you already own one of those bodies and have some M lenses, you'll have fun. However, if you want a mirrorless platform for your M lenses, the only choice is between an SL, SL2(s), or SL3.

What Bernard says. And it’s particularly true for lenses wider than 35mm. But even when using a Leica SL, a digital M still would be better in terms of corner sharpness. And that is trumped by film Ms, with the exception of Leica’s APO M glass.

Why not get an M for your M lenses?

[costa43]

Thank you for all the replies.

I've just bought an SL2s for a good price and it's on its way this week. 

[costa43]

Just now, hansvons said:

What Bernard says. And it’s particularly true for lenses wider than 35mm. But even when using a Leica SL, a digital M still would be better in terms of corner sharpness. And that is trumped by film Ms, with the exception of Leica’s APO M glass.

Why not get an M for your M lenses?

I have an m10r and an m8. I'm willing to accept a compromise on performance over the M cameras in exchange for the video and EVF experience. I'll also buy the Panasonic 16-35 and the Sigma 150-600 zoom I think.

 

[EJS73]

I've tried my M lenses (ranging from 21mm to 135mm) on a Sony A7RV and SL2S, as well as my trusty M11. There is a performance gap between the M and the other bodies on some lenses, but it's the manual focus experience with an EVF that I found an irritation considering the investment and alternatives - having to engage focus magnification and/or peaking manually is more cumbersome than a quick twist of the rangefinder. And as aperture is stopped down, the RF becomes more accurate than the EVF as well.

 

[Stuart Richardson]

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2 hours ago, costa43 said:

I have an m10r and an m8. I'm willing to accept a compromise on performance over the M cameras in exchange for the video and EVF experience. I'll also buy the Panasonic 16-35 and the Sigma 150-600 zoom I think.

 

The SL2S is going to outdo your M8 for image quality by a long shot...at least by any measurable metric. "Look" is just preference, and there is nothing wrong with that. But in terms of resolution, noise performance, dynamic range etc, the SL2S will handily outperform it. The M10R will beat it on resolution, but otherwise it will be close. I think you made the right move to get the SL2S for your M lenses. I have a Panasonic S1 in addition to my SL cameras, and the SL cameras are MUCH better with M lenses...at least anything other than lenses like the 135mm tele elmar or 90mm APO etc. Even the 50mm 1.4 ASPH does a lot better on the SL cameras in the edges than it does on the Panasonic, if I remember correctly.

 

[Photoworks]

I have just tested the SL3 and the M11 cameras with Sunnilux-M 28mm and Summilux-M 50mm

few considerations.

1.  there is no image loss in mounting the M lenses on SL3, there is the same sensor performance, no smearing.
2. The 2 cameras interpret the image differently. in all auto, the M11 colors are warmer and exposure is a little darker.
3. Lens Correction. SL3 looks cleaner on the vignetting side, you can adjust the fall-off in post with the M11.
4. SL3 cameras have noticeably more detail in the in-focus area with the same lens and f-stop, both at 1.4 and f8

 

to conclude, the color and exposure look a bit different, making the M11 images more moody. but the lenses perform the same on SL3

[hansvons]

5 minutes ago, Photoworks said:

but the lenses perform the same on SL3

If these lenses are from the film era that would be an improvement over the earlier SL models. Good to know.

[costa43]

2 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

The SL2S is going to outdo your M8 for image quality by a long shot...at least by any measurable metric. "Look" is just preference, and there is nothing wrong with that. But in terms of resolution, noise performance, dynamic range etc, the SL2S will handily outperform it. The M10R will beat it on resolution, but otherwise it will be close. I think you made the right move to get the SL2S for your M lenses. I have a Panasonic S1 in addition to my SL cameras, and the SL cameras are MUCH better with M lenses...at least anything other than lenses like the 135mm tele elmar or 90mm APO etc. Even the 50mm 1.4 ASPH does a lot better on the SL cameras in the edges than it does on the Panasonic, if I remember correctly.

 

Thanks Stuart. That is reassuring to hear. It feels like the right choice and for what I paid, it's a no risk trial. If it does not work out for whatever reason, I can sell and recoup. I'm ok with 24mp. I have never printed bigger than a3 before.

[Photoworks]

1 hour ago, hansvons said:

If these lenses are from the film era that would be an improvement over the earlier SL models. Good to know.

I don't think you get any in-camera correction on older film lenses since they don't have 6Bit coding, if the camera does not recognize the lens it will not apply the effect.

I used 28mm Summilux and 50mm, they are both new lenses

[tomasis7]

you can set a lens manually in the menu.

[Photoworks]

52 minutes ago, tomasis7 said:

you can set a lens manually in the menu.

you can and you gain IBIS and Mata data. But none of the lens corrections get applied unless the camera does not recognize the lens itself. 

[tomasis7]

3 hours ago, Photoworks said:

you can and you gain IBIS and Mata data. But none of the lens corrections get aapplied unless the camera does not recognize the lens itself. 

is that so? it'd be annoying to spend a few hundred quids to get corrections. Grr... A bad move from Leica. 

[algrove]

On 3/18/2024 at 8:03 AM, costa43 said:

Thanks Flash, the weight of the sl2s is definitely the thing I'm most unsure of. I have the m10r as my daily carry though so I'm trying to talk myself into it 😀

Seems like you might get a better feel for what you want by renting  each camera.

[costa43]

4 hours ago, algrove said:

Seems like you might get a better feel for what you want by renting  each camera.

You are right but it’s too late now. 

[algrove]

7 hours ago, costa43 said:

You are right but it’s too late now. 

I was starting at the top of your thread-sorry to be too late.

[costa43]

Just now, algrove said:

I was starting at the top of your thread-sorry to be too late.

No worries, I do it all the time! 

 

[algrove]

I have the SL2S  (more than one actually) and find it terrific. I also use the multi-shot mode for landscapes and find they are dynamite.

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[2M6TTLs]

On 3/20/2024 at 6:59 AM, tomasis7 said:

is that so? it'd be annoying to spend a few hundred quids to get corrections. Grr... A bad move from Leica. 

Huh? If it already has the data why can't the camera identify the lens and make corrections?