SL-2S finally arrived...

[miatadan]

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IMG_3805.HEIC

Unpacked the SL-2S and the 50mm lense. Impressed with the build quality. Just charging the battery now. Purchased the Angelbird SD-V60 MK2 128gb.

Never seen this camera in person before. Larger than the Vario X , I used to have. Surprised some people say it is too large and heavy. My Nikon dSLR D300 , D610 were larger.

Any suggestions for a new SL owner.

Thanks

Dan

[OR120]

Congratulations! I love my SL2-S - I would stick with your 50 for a while and really master that camera body with one lens. The only thing I would add is an extra battery. When I go out shooting I just take one lens, no bag and an extra battery and card. I have many old M and R lenses and a few others but -- each time - just one body, one lens. When I travel far it would be two bodies and two lenses, extra batteries and cards, no bag.  I like to keep it simple - focus on the moments, not changing lenses. I agree with you on SL2-S size, all my old Canon and Nikon gear was much more bulky/heavier. Have fun with your new SL2-S and 50!

Edited September 8, 2024 by OR120

[miatadan]

45 minutes ago, OR120 said:

Congratulations! I love my SL2-S - I would stick with your 50 for a while and really master that camera body with one lens. The only thing I would add is an extra battery. When I go out shooting I just take one lens, no bag and an extra battery and card. I have many old M and R lenses and a few others but -- each time - just one body, one lens. When I travel far it would be two bodies and two lenses, extra batteries and cards, no bag.  I like to keep it simple - focus on the moments, not changing lenses. I agree with you on SL2-S size, all my old Canon and Nikon gear was much more bulky/heavier. Have fun with your new SL2-S and 50!

The bundle came with extra battery, screen protector for lcd screen. Will continue to use camera bag I used in past with Leica X Vario. I like the idea of keeping it simple one bodyy, one lense which I did in the past with film slr's. Thinking of second lense to be Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH or take chance on Voigtlander 28mm F1.5 Type II Nokon Vintage Line VM. But second lens be next year.

Edited September 8, 2024 by miatadan
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[OR120]

Yours came with an extra battery - perfect. I have an old 28mm Elmarit-R lens. Have no experience with Voigt 28mm F1.5 but do have Voigt 21mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.2 V3 lenses that are quite good. It's nice to be able to try so many different lenses on the SL's. That's what got me hooked on that SL2-S. My eyes just could not focus my M - while trying to use 1.4 Summilux lenses. Once I put the EVF on my M - it was not the same - compact M body.  I do prefer Summilux lenses. When I do travel - and that's coming soon - I usually take my Leica QP with the SL2-S w/50 Summilux R E60. I just don't want to be changing lenses when I'm out and about.

[miatadan]

Now the battery is charged to 80%... Can not believe how good the EVF is ! When I purchased the Leica X Vario, the cameras I seen with EVF were awful. Never thought the EVF would be as good as optical viewfinder. Love the menu system. I thought the Nikon menu system not bad, but Leica so much better.

[LocalHero1953]

You asked for suggestions: as a SL2-S owner (and former SL and SL2 owner) I would say:

1. use it
2. when you find something you don't understand, look through the menus fully
3. if you still don't understand, read the manual
4. if you still don't understand, ask here - there's lots of experience
5. repeat steps 1-5

Coming from a digital M, I found there was very little I needed the SL manual for, though the SL2 & SL2-S have considerably more options.

[LeicaR10]

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Miatadan,  I see you have a number of good posts offering sage advice.  My advice before going out to shoot, take your time and read the manual.  It will answer a lot of your questions.  The SL2-S is a most excellent camera and does a great many functions.  Most photographers get frustrated when something doesn't go right for them mainly because they didn't take time to read the manual and work the features.  Like anything new, it takes time to read and understand the functions and capabilities....your new SL2-S is no exception.  I also suggest you check the firmware version in the menu under Camera Information.  If you want to use M lenses using the joy stick (button on top back) for magnificaiton, keep firmware version at 5.2.  If you upgrade to 6.0 you lose the capability and it moves to the thumbwheel.  Maybe no big deal for you, but for many was a shocker and Leica is suppose to move it back in an forth coming firmware update supposedly in December.  With 5.2 you can use the new extended capacity BP-SCL6 batteries.  Enjoy your new camera.  r/ Mark

[hansvons]

The SL2-S is a particularly well-matured camera and likely the last FF AF camera I own. If I were doing sports and birds in flight, that’d be different. However, it’s hard to imagine that a future DSLR will offer a visibly better FF sensor, indeed not in the next five, probably ten years.

The only reason I might upgrade in the future was the idea of printing larger-than-life (44” long edge) portraits that would depend on granular detail. For that, I could see myself looking into a future S4.

That said, the SL2-S has an optimised sensor for M lenses, or so Leica advertises. It’s not, at least not compared with M sensors. Most wide-angle M lenses will vignette and show smeary corners visibly more on SL cameras than on their M counterparts. That's particularly true for some Voigtländer lenses, such as the 35mm Color Skopar and the 35mm Noktons and shorter. However, to Leica’s credit, on any other mirrorless, that’s much worse.

If weight and size matter, Sigma’s Contemporary Line is well suited for the SL-S. The APO 35mm is a singular experience with no contenders at this focal length. 

A short note for handling: don't use AF-C. It's not working. AF-S on faces is as good as anywhere else. ISO 400-800 is the sensor’s sweet spot if middle grey/skin tones are the exposure targets. Highlight-weighted exposure will save you from those blown-out skies. At ISO 400, you’ll find tons of detail in the shadows without increased noise. Above ISO 6400, signal amplification kicks in and the noise/the texture looks different. I find the sensor’s texture quite pleasing, BTW. And lastly, the IBIS is as good as it gets. 

[Luke_Miller]

On 9/7/2024 at 8:33 PM, miatadan said:

Any suggestions for a new SL owner.

Thanks

Dan

Welcome to the SL Community.  I just received my SL2-S to pair with my SL2.  My advice (as others have suggested) is to learn the camera, particularly the autofocus system.  If your experience is with a different AF system, don't assume your SL2-S works the same way.  My initial difficulties were due to this.  AF performance is one of the more common discussions in the SL System part of the forum.  Some praise it while others curse it.  You can read lots of dos and don'ts here.  I suggest that you learn for yourself how it works in your shooting.  Enjoy!

[miatadan]

Took some first pictures but is has been awhile I have done some photography. Actually some portrait pictures I taken  today looked boring..

Have to relearn as in the film days with 50mm full frame were better.

 

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[costa43]

On 9/8/2024 at 2:33 AM, miatadan said:

IMG_3805.HEIC 930.65 kB · 19 downloads

Unpacked the SL-2S and the 50mm lense. Impressed with the build quality. Just charging the battery now. Purchased the Angelbird SD-V60 MK2 128gb.

Never seen this camera in person before. Larger than the Vario X , I used to have. Surprised some people say it is too large and heavy. My Nikon dSLR D300 , D610 were larger.

Any suggestions for a new SL owner.

Thanks

Dan

Congrats, adapt some vintage m glass is my suggestion. Works so well on this body. 

[hansvons]

On 9/15/2024 at 9:44 PM, Giacomo Busoni said:

Hello, 

I never loved a digital output more than the one of the SL2-S. Which digital M would match it the best ? 

None. That's why I won't be getting a digital M. IMO, an M11 with a 24MP sensor (call it M11-S) would sell like hot cakes. I certainly would buy one.

[costa43]

Just now, Giacomo Busoni said:

So sad to hear. The only digital camera that ever got me away from film was the SL2-S (not even the SL2), but I like the M form factor best, so I'll stick to film for now. 

The SL3-S which is coming out the first week of December is sticking with a 24mp sensor. I wonder if it will be the same as the SL2-S or if we will have to deal with a new colour output. For the rest, the SL2-S is essentially the same upgrade as the SL3, and there's none of these feature that I'd rather have over the SL2-S colours and rendering. 

I would think the sl3s will have the same sensor as the Panasonic s5ii and incorporate the phase detect, AF speed will surely be the main marketing point with this one, colour wise my guess will be that they will be very similar but not quite identical, maybe a slight colour balance difference etc.

The SL2s is my favourite digital camera for it's output. 

[hansvons]

47 minutes ago, Giacomo Busoni said:

So sad to hear. The only digital camera that ever got me away from film was the SL2-S (not even the SL2), but I like the M form factor best, so I'll stick to film for now. 

M = film is my formula as well. And it works marvellously. Until Leica understands that a range finder system and no IBIS is not the fitting technology for a high-resolving, high-MTF FF sensor because it's prone to soft images on both shake blur and hard-to-nail critical focus, I'm not in that game. (One could argue that downscaling the M-11 images will resolve that. But what about texture, etc...?)

The SL2-S is a brilliant hybrid camera with superb colour due to the relatively large pixel pitch of 'only' 24MP/6K in the FF format. I can only guess, but I'm convinced the SL3-S will provide similar or even better juice in the shadows and overall dynamic range if it retains the large pixel pitch. 

[hansvons]

1 hour ago, Giacomo Busoni said:

The only digital camera that ever got me away from film was the SL2-S (not even the SL2), but I like the M form factor best, so I'll stick to film for now. 

Yes, it's the nuances that drive one's preferences. I'm a film guy, washed in silver halide. And I have shot only one digital landscape photo that I printed in recent years. However, with portraiture, the SL2-S does the job for me for a specific style of photography because it deals with skin tones acceptably well and provides a not-too-digital acutancy (no OLPF). Below is an image I shot recently for my HerSocialLife series that I printed in 80x60cm on Photo Rag.

ISO 1600, 50mm Summicron V4 @ f/2.0. Click to enlarge (the original is not as soft as the form uploads).

 

"Selfie" HerSocialLife #5

 

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Edited September 17, 2024 by hansvons

[costa43]

Not interested in an upgrade personally. I much prefer this body shape to the sl3 and have zero need for faster AF as I mainly use mine with M lenses or for scanning film negatives.

[hansvons]

51 minutes ago, Giacomo Busoni said:

Will you be looking to upgrade to the SL3S then ?

Very likely not. Many other investments will improve my photography better than a 10% increase in performance that very likely even I can't appreciate. A short list: travels, a few more rolls of printing paper, another 3 litres of ink, frames, you name it. 

Besides its performance, the SL2-S is a motivating camera that makes me pick it up despite the fact I prefer my film Ms haptically. However, I couldn't have focused the eye on the picture above as reliably with an M. 

[hansvons]

1 minute ago, costa43 said:

I much prefer this body shape to the sl3 and have zero need for faster AF as I mainly use mine with M lenses or for scanning film negatives.

Costa beat me to it.

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[LocalHero1953]

I had to check back to this thread to see what I asked for there

 

All my hopes for the SL3-S are video related. I would probably upgrade if they came to pass.
Better low light performance and AF would be nice, but the SL2-S is good enough for me in those departments.