Shooting sports with the SL3 and zooms

[Photoworks]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

1 hour ago, Mikko Kankainen said:

There is some very strange going on with SL3 (SL2 was the same).

I think the SL2 is faster at this moment

[Flashgo]

I tried to shoot an indoor martial arts event with my SL3 + 24-70, and it was a disaster.  Focus searching for 2 seconds!  Really?  I think the problem is that the SL3 AF can't handle low light.  Having multiple, moving targets only makes it worse.  My question is, "Why can't the SL3 do this?"  My original Nikon Z6 + 24-70 handled the same scene just fine.

Otherwise, I love the SL3.  My solution for martial arts events for the moment is to use an R 19mm set to f/5.6.  No need to focus, and I can be close enough to the action that cropping still has plenty of detail.  It's all wonderfully fast, and the camera just gets out of the way.

[jaapv]

On 7/30/2024 at 1:52 PM, Photoworks said:

It won't have the easy capture of Sony, Nikon, and Canon.

And Panasonic 😉 The strange thing is that Leica is said to have borrowed the AF from the S5ii for the SL3, but the Panasonic is better by a mile 

[Photoworks]

7 hours ago, jaapv said:

And Panasonic 😉 The strange thing is that Leica is said to have borrowed the AF from the S5ii for the SL3, but the Panasonic is better by a mile 

yes the "O" version olympus/panasonic works, i got one for that and the Godox V1pro, in case I was getting a Panasonic, the only challenge is that the looking pin on the hotshoe does not lein up on the Leica, it could slide off.

[jonoslack]

On 10/19/2024 at 6:35 AM, jaapv said:

And Panasonic 😉 The strange thing is that Leica is said to have borrowed the AF from the S5ii for the SL3, but the Panasonic is better by a mile 

I think that the 24 mp sensor for the S5ii probably has more PDAF sensors, but I'm not certain .

[LBJ2]

8 hours ago, jonoslack said:

I think that the 24 mp sensor for the S5ii probably has more PDAF sensors, but I'm not certain .

According to DPReview, the number of focus points on the SL3 is only 315, but doesn't list details on how many PDAF or CDAF of the 315 focus points nor how much of the SL3 frame is covered with 315 focus points. 

https://www.dpreview.com/products/leica/slrs/leica_sl3/specifications

The Panasonic S5II has 779 phase detection AF points:

https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-expert-advice-learn/lumix-expert-advice/new-features-bring-phase-detection-af-and-active-is-to-lumix-s5ii.html

Edited October 21, 2024 by LBJ2

[Oak Bay Leica Guy]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

8 hours ago, jonoslack said:

I think that the 24 mp sensor for the S5ii probably has more PDAF sensors, but I'm not certain .

Hi Jono, I am regretting starting this thread. As much as I've tried, it is not suitable for sports, at least the ones I like to photograph. And to add insult to injury, since I acquired the Q3 43, the SL3 and 24-90 haven't even left the bag. Now, having the Q3 and Q3 43 in the same little bag, I don't need the SL3. I'm not sure what to do. I keep knocking around the idea of shedding all the modernity and getting an M11-D and a nice 50mm.  I read your review of it.  Any wisdom you can offer? I just want a digital version of the old days.

Cheers for any thoughts.

Mark

My Leica web page with blog posts and various Leica camera galleries at 

www.walkacrossitall.com

 

[Donald M]

1 hour ago, Oak Bay Leica Guy said:

Hi Jono, I am regretting starting this thread. As much as I've tried, it is not suitable for sports, at least the ones I like to photograph. And to add insult to injury, since I acquired the Q3 43, the SL3 and 24-90 haven't even left the bag. Now, having the Q3 and Q3 43 in the same little bag, I don't need the SL3. I'm not sure what to do. I keep knocking around the idea of shedding all the modernity and getting an M11-D and a nice 50mm.  I read your review of it.  Any wisdom you can offer? I just want a digital version of the old days.

Cheers for any thoughts.

Mark

My Leica web page with blog posts and various Leica camera galleries at 

www.walkacrossitall.com

 

Nice pictures on your site!
You seem to look at things in your travels the same way as i do. Some pictures are nearly identical with mine 😵‍💫. I carry my SL1 (and temporarily a S5iix) and 24-90 everywhere I go, currently in beautiful Elzas in the autumn. Although I own a M8, I mostly use the SL despite the weight. Before the 24-90 I never owned a zoom, but this thing is something else. On some occasions I carry an extra lens if I expect to use it, but even then the 24-90 is my most used lens. I couldn’t live with a single fixed focus lens, how good they might be. 2 APO lenses are as heavy as a single 24-90. The same goes for two Q cameras… I used to have a Rollei SLX and Leica R cameras, never the lightest… But whatever your choice: keep on making those nice pictures!

[redrocksjoe]

I guess I have a different result from most, I take mountain bike and dog pictures all the time and they are 90% keepers. That being said I came from the OMD - EM1 MKII which was supposed to have one of the best AF and my SL3 is nearly identical if not better. I don't use face AF for sports, just multi-field. 

I do shoot mostly with the 24-70 or 14-24. 

You can check out the pics here: https://www.instagram.com/redrocksjoe/ . 

YMMV  good luck!

-Joe

 

 

Edited October 22, 2024 by redrocksjoe

[Oak Bay Leica Guy]

9 hours ago, Donald M said:

Nice pictures on your site!
You seem to look at things in your travels the same way as i do. Some pictures are nearly identical with mine 😵‍💫. I carry my SL1 (and temporarily a S5iix) and 24-90 everywhere I go, currently in beautiful Elzas in the autumn. Although I own a M8, I mostly use the SL despite the weight. Before the 24-90 I never owned a zoom, but this thing is something else. On some occasions I carry an extra lens if I expect to use it, but even then the 24-90 is my most used lens. I couldn’t live with a single fixed focus lens, how good they might be. 2 APO lenses are as heavy as a single 24-90. The same goes for two Q cameras… I used to have a Rollei SLX and Leica R cameras, never the lightest… But whatever your choice: keep on making those nice pictures!

Donald,

Thank you for getting in touch. I take your point of view and appreciate your comment. At the end of the day, this is a hobby and still enjoy it every day. It is nice to hear from people who shoot the same themes or genres as me. 
enjoy your SL!!

cheers

Mark

[Planetwide]

The SL3 is constrained by its sensor read-out speed. Binning from 60mp to 18mp is done post read-out, so it will never be faster. 

[tom0511]

I have shot athletics with the SL3, wing foiling/surfing and handball (of course indoor).

My reference is my Canon R3 which is a fast beast.

I find the SL3 AF more usable than the SL2 in C-AF. I don't get a percentage like the R3 and the SL3 is only 5 fms/sec, but the success rate was better than expected.

My biggest problem is the viewfinder of the SL3 which shows just a mushy unsharp image as soon as you use C-AF. It's like a surprise how the images look like. The keeper rate wasn't that bad at the end. For handball I used the Sign 70200/2.8 and 24-90/2.8.