I bought the SL2-S!

[JMPerona]

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I took the change and exchanged the Lumix S5IIX for a Leica SL2-S. There were a few surprises here:

- The opening of the box was incredible boring. Yes, it's not the most important thing here, but... come on! Camera, Charger battery and strap? Well Well.

- On the other hand, when I took the SL2-S in my hands... WOW! What a feeling! Robust and perfect ergonomics. It's not as heavy as I thought. I like the stability with my Lumix 24-70 lenses. 

- It's a beautiful camera. I haven seen a lot of photos and videos, but nothing like the real thing. I like it very much.

- The menus are Leica menus: simple and easy to understand. I was using the camera just 2 minutes after unboxing it. That wasn't the case with the Lumix or the Sony I had before. 

- The rendition of the images, though using the same lenses with both the Lumix and Leica, is more pleasant than the Lumix. This is a complete subjective opinion here. I can get nearly a similar color with the Lumix, but I will need to tweak in post and that's a step added to the process. I like that the images are more similar in a way to my M10 that to my Q2.

- The process of taking photos feels an incredible. I don't know why. Maybe is the weight of the camera, the ergonomics and the beautiful sound of the shutter that makes all the experience worth it. But that is the case. I like it very much.

- The evf is big and wonderful.

- The video features are nothing special, but they worked better that I thought . Specially the autofocus. I was afraid that I couldn't use the camera to film my talking heads and my painting sessions for my YouTube channel with the camera, but this is absolute not the case. It worked very well under controlled circumstances. For a more wild recording session I could see problems. But for me, it works perfectly, specially in the November darkness of my house here in Sweden. 

- The noise is minimal with high ISO and the camera work well in dark conditions. Better than the Lumix.

In resume: Im very happy. I always wanted a modern Leica Digital Camera that worked good with video and photo for my needs. I think this one is more balance (for my sole case) that the Lumix, specially because I love photography more than video, but I still need to film simpler videos with the camera. 

 

[jaapv]

I agree up to a point but it depends on the use of of the camera. When on a long lens in rather harsh conditions the S5ii is my camera of choice., if only for the animal eye recognition AF. Especially if it flies off the seat onto the floor of a Lsndcruiser in rough terrain. With only minor damage I may add  .  As for the colour, I see your point, but as I managed to profile the camera to the 601, I have no worries about the S2S in that respect. 

[JMPerona]

7 hours ago, jaapv said:

I agree up to a point but it depends on the use of of the camera. When on a long lens in rather harsh conditions the S5ii is my camera of choice., if only for the animal eye recognition AF. Especially if it flies off the seat onto the floor of a Lsndcruiser in rough terrain. With only minor damage I may add  .  As for the colour, I see your point, but as I managed to profile the camera to the 601, I have no worries about the S2S in that respect. 

Oh! No Landcruiser and no animal eye needed here. I will use a sony for that kind of work, or the Lumix. About the colors, yes, it's a subjective thing and it's not so difficult to achieve with other cameras. Is the whole package that I love (the quality, the minimalistic aesthetic, the easy to use, the colors, the ergonomics, etc.

 

[jaapv]

As I said before, I  appreciate functionality and  results of the whole package of the S5ii as a workhorse but the sleekness and feeling of the Leica will make it my first choice as a daily user despite the minimalist -albeit elegant-user interface and somewhat forced menu system (a more direct physical  access with clearly marked and directly accessible control wheels and buttons which don’t need the LCD and leave the camera at my eye works better for an old analog shooter like me in the heat of the battle) And of course the subtle files out of the camera and Leica ( and best Sigma 😉) lenses are highly satisfying to work on -despise nobody of my photographic audience admits to seeing much difference in the end results 🤩.  Not even on this forum judging by likes and favorite images. 

[JohnSantaF4]

On 11/8/2024 at 2:18 PM, JMPerona said:

I took the change and exchanged the Lumix S5IIX for a Leica SL2-S. There were a few surprises here:

- The opening of the box was incredible boring. Yes, it's not the most important thing here, but... come on! Camera, Charger battery and strap? Well Well.

- On the other hand, when I took the SL2-S in my hands... WOW! What a feeling! Robust and perfect ergonomics. It's not as heavy as I thought. I like the stability with my Lumix 24-70 lenses. 

- It's a beautiful camera. I haven seen a lot of photos and videos, but nothing like the real thing. I like it very much.

- The menus are Leica menus: simple and easy to understand. I was using the camera just 2 minutes after unboxing it. That wasn't the case with the Lumix or the Sony I had before. 

- The rendition of the images, though using the same lenses with both the Lumix and Leica, is more pleasant than the Lumix. This is a complete subjective opinion here. I can get nearly a similar color with the Lumix, but I will need to tweak in post and that's a step added to the process. I like that the images are more similar in a way to my M10 that to my Q2.

- The process of taking photos feels an incredible. I don't know why. Maybe is the weight of the camera, the ergonomics and the beautiful sound of the shutter that makes all the experience worth it. But that is the case. I like it very much.

- The evf is big and wonderful.

- The video features are nothing special, but they worked better that I thought . Specially the autofocus. I was afraid that I couldn't use the camera to film my talking heads and my painting sessions for my YouTube channel with the camera, but this is absolute not the case. It worked very well under controlled circumstances. For a more wild recording session I could see problems. But for me, it works perfectly, specially in the November darkness of my house here in Sweden. 

- The noise is minimal with high ISO and the camera work well in dark conditions. Better than the Lumix.

In resume: Im very happy. I always wanted a modern Leica Digital Camera that worked good with video and photo for my needs. I think this one is more balance (for my sole case) that the Lumix, specially because I love photography more than video, but I still need to film simpler videos with the camera. 

 

Congrats on your new Leica. I love mine too, and wish you many years of healthy shooting with it. Congrats!

 

[OR120]

Congratulations on your new SL2-S. The first time I held mine - it reminded me of my Leicaflex SL2. And I loved that Leicaflex SL2.

[jonoslack]

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Congratulations on your new camera!

[Olaf_ZG]

Congrats. Just don’t buy any of the apo lenses. It will be a rabbit hole…

[JMPerona]

I have already taken a few pictures and Im impressed by the low light capabilities of this camera. I like it very much!  I have already posted a few pictures in the SL2-S image thread,

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[jaapv]

Of course it is mandatory on this forum to publish a "first cat shot" 😜 Summicron 50 SL, Yes, poor Leo is half-blind in one eye, but it doesn't hold him back in any way. <click>

 

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[jaapv]

And yes, a great low-light camera: Sigma 28-70. <click>

 

 

 

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[LocalHero1953]

One never sees that saturation of yellow or that depth of blue with the naked eye! Adjusting white balance doesn't help. My only solution has been to reduce saturation in post.

[jaapv]

Interestingly that is the result of converting Adobe RGB to sRGB. In the case of the cat the same thing happened, the yellows intensified. Any blue would have as well I suppose. I decided to let it stand, I think the intensified colours enhance the scene. 

[LocalHero1953]

5 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Interestingly that is the result of converting Adobe RGB to sRGB.

Something I must explore further in that case. 

[jaapv]

I know. I have to struggle through a couple of tomes by Dan Margulis again to find the reason - not really looking forward to that chore. However, my suspicion is that Leica uses an extraordinary high-specified Bayer filter that covers the whole spectrum of the Adobe RGB colourspace, maybe even more. I might not have noticed if I had not used a full Adobe RGB monitor. 

[grahamc]

Congratulations on the new camera - I love my SL2-S 

[hdmesa]

On 11/12/2024 at 4:54 PM, jaapv said:

I know. I have to struggle through a couple of tomes by Dan Margulis again to find the reason - not really looking forward to that chore. However, my suspicion is that Leica uses an extraordinary high-specified Bayer filter that covers the whole spectrum of the Adobe RGB colourspace, maybe even more. I might not have noticed if I had not used a full Adobe RGB monitor. 

Don't convert Adobe RGB images to sRGB. Leave them as Adobe RGB and use the Display P3 profile (with PS, assign profile before saving / with LRC/C1, select profile during export). All modern browsers support the wider Display P3 color space as do the Facebook and Instagram mobile apps. 

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It's unfortunate that Leica stopped giving us the option for Adobe RGB JPEGs directly in camera with the newer models. If you're a JPEG shooter, you get a wider range of colors that way, which can be preserved fairly well for online/mobile use by using Display P3.

Of course the widest online color range for JPEGs intended for online or mobile use comes from editing the DNGs/RAWs then exporting to JPEGs with the Display P3 profile assigned.

Edited December 8, 2024 by hdmesa

[jaapv]

Actually I use Prophoto and L*A*B* for editing. And only dumb down  for export to Adobe RGB for printing and sRGB for web use   In-camera JPGs don’t need wider spaces as they are only meant for fast, non-edited use If they were a wider space it would only lead to export errors. If so desired one could make an action to correct the shift

. 
Online you are displaying to unknown, uncalibrated monitors using browsers that may not be Adobe RGB enabled. A fair percentage of viewers will get washed-out and shifted colours from  wider colour spaces. With Leica Looks encouraging such use I think it was wise to use the optimal space only. 

[hdmesa]

7 hours ago, jaapv said:

Actually I use Prophoto and L*A*B* for editing. And only dumb down  for export to Adobe RGB for printing and sRGB for web use   In-camera JPGs don’t need wider spaces as they are only meant for fast, non-edited use If they were a wider space it would only lead to export errors. If so desired one could make an action to correct the shift

. 
Online you are displaying to unknown, uncalibrated monitors using browsers that may not be Adobe RGB enabled. A fair percentage of viewers will get washed-out and shifted colours from  wider colour spaces. With Leica Looks encouraging such use I think it was wise to use the optimal space only. 

Yes, I said use Display P3 for export to JPEG, meaning the final lower res file you share online. Of course if editing TIFF/PSD, then use the appropriate wider color space. Display P3 is not for that unless you need to profile specifically for online use (for example, you're a web designer).

For sharing images online, you still want to use Display P3 over generic sRGB. Regardless of the monitor the viewer has, their browser still supports Display P3, so it still is a big step  above no color profile at all or a generic sRGB profile. As for support, all recent Apple and Android mobile devices support Display P3. All MacBook displays support P3.

As for Adobe RGB, if you assign the Display P3 profile to it, it will be displayed fine on the end user's monitor regardless of whether it is Display P3-compliant or not as long as they are viewing the image in a Display P3-compliant browser or application (Facebook/Instragram on mobile). For the colors to be washed out, they would have to be using a computer and browser from at least a decade ago. 

In any case Adobe RGB JPEGs are largely a moot point since Leica has not allowed them in new cameras for a few years now.

If you have one takeaway, just remember to always use the Display P3 profile when exporting your DNGs, TIFFs, PSDs, etc. for web display. Do not export using sRGB profile unless you're ok with wasting the extra available color space provided by Display P3 in fear that someone running Windows 95 will not be able to view it correctly.

Edited December 8, 2024 by hdmesa

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[jaapv]

I doubt whether Windows-based systems support P3 and users on older systems will not be able to go past sRGB… if you know where you are sending your images it is another matter, of course.