Angus C Posted March 25, 2024 Share #1 Posted March 25, 2024 Advertisement (gone after registration) This is my very first post in Leica forum. I got this lens the day before setting for a Tokyo photo shooting trip, since there are not many portrait samples available online for this lens, I am about to post a few here. In general, the lens is sharp from centre to corner as expected, micro contrast is amazing too. But for portrait use, I need to reduce the contrast of skin to satisfy my taste. I guess what concerns any portrait photographer is the level of distortion. TBH Leica still has no magic to make a nil distortion ultra wide angle lens at a affordable price, but at least the 21mm APO is good enough not to an extent that it can't be fixed in Adobe Camera Raw, it is better than most other competitors I believe. Please note that I cropped some of the photos as required and also got colour graded. And yes, this is never to be a scientific lens test post. I just want to share to those who are interested to acquire this lens how this lens performed in a real portrait shooting session. To conclude, I am really happy with the 21mm APO for portrait use, I like the angle, the extra information for story telling purpose. I hope this may help your gear purchase decision. Follow my twitter for more photos. 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! 15 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/391619-sl-21mm-f2-apo-portrait-samples/?do=findComment&comment=5132385'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 25, 2024 Posted March 25, 2024 Hi Angus C, Take a look here SL 21mm f/2 APO Portrait samples. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Dr. G Posted March 25, 2024 Share #2 Posted March 25, 2024 I'm waiting for mine to be delivered. One of the things I plan to use it for is environmental portraits. I really like that it isn't quite as bad as other 20/21mm lenses when it comes to stretching the edges of the images. I have a general question, though. I've never shot portraits with such a wide angle. I 'm assuming I'm going to be shooting from lower position to keep the camera more at mid-body and level with my subject, rather than just tilting the camera down to avoid any body distortion? When I use a 50 or 75 I can get away with not being perfectly level, but I imagine that becomes really important with the 21mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 25, 2024 Share #3 Posted March 25, 2024 Wel, it become a more important at shorter distances, not the focal length. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. G Posted March 25, 2024 Share #4 Posted March 25, 2024 7 minutes ago, jaapv said: Wel, it become a more important at shorter distances, not the focal length. That's what I figured, but with the 21mm I'm definitely closer than if I'm using the same framing with a 75mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff C. Bassett Posted March 25, 2024 Share #5 Posted March 25, 2024 Absolutely stunning. Going to be purchasing. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted March 25, 2024 Share #6 Posted March 25, 2024 Very nice work. The last image is by far my favorite of the four. You are absolutely right with your assumption about the distortion when shooting higher and lower angles. I'm sure you'll find that out on your own as you use the lens more. Welcome to the forum! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus C Posted March 26, 2024 Author Share #7 Posted March 26, 2024 Advertisement (gone after registration) Absolutely, I am enjoying it so far. You can’t avoid distortion, so I need to figure out the sweet spot for the subject in frame to avoid too much stretching, and to what extent I can correct with ACR, to make the subject looks natural, not mentioning the importance of proper angle to start with. Nonetheless, distortion can be the effect u want, like stretching the legs, slim the body, exaggerating expression, so there is a learning curve for me to pick up this lens for portrait purpose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus C Posted March 26, 2024 Author Share #8 Posted March 26, 2024 12 hours ago, fotografr said: Very nice work. The last image is by far my favorite of the four. You are absolutely right with your assumption about the distortion when shooting higher and lower angles. I'm sure you'll find that out on your own as you use the lens more. Welcome to the forum! Appreciated that! I am learning a lot from here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus C Posted March 26, 2024 Author Share #9 Posted March 26, 2024 17 hours ago, jaapv said: Wel, it become a more important at shorter distances, not the focal length. I will say at normal portrait shooting distance with sufficient background information captured, at proper shooting angle, distortion can be seen but quite acceptable to my eyes. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted March 26, 2024 Share #10 Posted March 26, 2024 Lovely, especially #4 and #2. I hadn't thought about "mid-body" level with wide angle portraits. Thank you for awakening me to it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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