Sigma and Panasonic L Mount Lenses for SL2

[Oxfordian]

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After 6 weeks of joyous Leica ownership with my Q3 and have succumbed to 'Leica Affliction' and ordered a s/h SL2 and 50mm f2 ASPH lens in what the retailer states is in a 'Like New' condition. I very much hope to have these in my hands in the next 7-10 days once my trade-in gear has been assessed.

Now I am very much a newbie in terms of Leica and have a lot to learn, one of the initial questions I am going to have to address is lenses. Whilst I intend to buy Leica lenses when possible I am aware that there may be some mileage in adding lenses from both Panasonic and Sigma, what are people's views on the L mount lenses from these companies, how do they perform compared to Leica lenses.

For example if I wanted to add a standard zoom how do the Panasonic or Sigma 24/28-105's perform compared to the Leica 24-90, I'm not too keen on 24-70 zooms as the are a bit short at the tele end so the 90 or 105 range would be a first choice. And what about going further, 200mm and beyond? The Leica 100-400 or an offering from the other brands in the L Mount partnerships.

My photography is 99% personal with an occasional foray into doing something for someone else.

If some insight and guidance on what to look out for, what to seek and what to avoid can be provided from those who have experience of Panasonic or Sigma on a SL camera it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Martin

Edited March 23 by Oxfordian
Grammar

[PhotoCruiser]

Congratulations, i did the same two months ago.

There are many treads (including mine) regarding Panasonic and Sigma lenses on the SL series.
Basically the Panasonic are more plastic what makes them lighter but optical quality is good, probably a tad below the Sigma ART series.
I had the Panasonic 100mm Macro in my hands and found it had a bit a "cheap" haptic, my Sigma 105mm Macro ART is beefier.
Some claim that the difference between the Sigma Contemporary and ART series is difficult to spot and influence mostly the wallet.
I have: Sigma 14mm 1.8 ART, 28mm ART and the 105mm Macro ART and i believe that they are very near to similar Leica lenses.

My buddy here in Sardinia has a Panasonic GH5 with several L-Mount lenses and i have in program to test them on my SL2, but what i know is that they are cheaper and feel cheaper than my Sigma ART lenses.
Chris
 

[jaapv]

I have no complaints about Sigma and Panasonic. The Sigma long lenses rival anything on the market and Leica regularly  “ borrows” the optical design. Especially the 70-200 is spectacular. The same for Panasonic vs  the Summicron SL. Personally I prefer a composite finish; it is lighter and wears better than Leica's metal. And I prefer the added functionality. Leica tends to omit useful switches. 

 

Don't forget: Leica and Sigma, and Leica and Panasonic, have a long-standing cooperation in lens design and production. Sigma designed and built some Leica R lenses as long as forty years ago and Leica assisted Panasonic in building up optical expertise for decades. 

Presently the situation is as follows: Leica stands alone in the area of top-of-the market lenses. Think APO lenses and Noctilux etc. Panasonic, Sigma and Leica are about on the same level with their "normal" high - quality lenses and exchange design technology.  Leica sets itself apart in the design and production of the mechanical -and metal-  part of their lenses. 

Sigma and Panasonic have a  pragmatic approach. They will use metal where needed, but specially chosen composite material elsewhere This will bring down the weight, enable more targeted specifications in for instance mechanical strength or resilience etc., and (through a simpler production process) less expensive*

 

*). A good place to push back on the pejorative use of "plastic lens" which probably stems from ignorance of  materials science.  
These materials have nothing to to do with the public perception of plastic as used in Barbie Dolls, soft drink bottles and virtually everything sold on AliExpress. There are thousands of composites to choose from for engineers to tailor their designs.

Let's have the definition first::

1. Any engineered material composed of two radically different materials in a tightly bonded matrix and having properties significantly different from either constituent. 
2. Strong lightweight material developed in the laboratory; fibers of more than one kind are bonded together chemically.

Composites,  are used in many applications, from formula 1 racing cars to aircraft and spacecraft, from the fillings in your teeth to bone replacement implants, even concrete in its many forms is a composite.

Now back to lenses - by the judicious use of composites and metals Sigma and Panasonic make lighter lenses at a lower price but the same mechanical resilience - depending on the level they are sold on - for instance Contemporary lenses have less weathersealing. A Sports lens may have dual AF motors for speed and accuracy, An Art lens will have superior build, but more slanted to optical excellence compared to Contemporary. They are able to incorporate some more controls as moulding is more versatile than machining. The optical performance will be similar to Leica, bar minor refinements, especially when using identical optical designs. External wear will be minimalized.

Leica tends to go for all-metal lenses (although internally there may be some non-metal parts), in the sleek Leica-look design and with a premium feel, slightly smoother rings (although is not a given on all lenses). Although anodized or chromed those finishes will show some inconsequential wear over time. This manufacturing process is more expensive and the lenses are heavier.  But they bear the Leica brand.

So it is basically customers choice.

 

 

[Jeff S]

With the SL2 I bought the SL 24-90, SL 90-280 and SL 75 APO.  I sold the SL 75 and probably will do the same for the 90-280.  The 24-90, however, pretty much stays glued to the SL2.  It’s that good, for my needs, which are as a complement to my M cameras.  
 

I print all worthy pics, and frankly all this modern gear provides sufficient IQ (for less than enormous print sizes), if the user does her/her job well. A lot comes down to other aspects, like handling, ergonomics and controls, etc. Viewers don’t know or care about the gear.

[CptSlevin]

Sigma 50mm 1.2 is the he best in class

sigma 85mm 1.4 is one the highest praised portrait lenses

sigma 28-105 is the most versatile zoom lens I need for reportage.

 

i have like all sigma lenses and waiting for 35mm mini 1.2

af is reliable, blazing fast

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[satijntje]

 I am very satisfied with the performance of the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 DG DN II and consider selling my SL75 as I do not see a difference in the rendering  at 70mm and f2.8.
Did not do a serious 1to1 comparison but the images speak for themselves.
IMO, the 24-90mm is the king of the SL zooms but that weight…….
But if you carry 2 or 3 lenses to cover the 24-90 range the zoom might even be less weight 🙂

[colonel]

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16 hours ago, Oxfordian said:

After 6 weeks of joyous Leica ownership with my Q3 and have succumbed to 'Leica Affliction' and ordered a s/h SL2 and 50mm f2 ASPH lens in what the retailer states is in a 'Like New' condition. I very much hope to have these in my hands in the next 7-10 days once my trade-in gear has been assessed.

Now I am very much a newbie in terms of Leica and have a lot to learn, one of the initial questions I am going to have to address is lenses. Whilst I intend to buy Leica lenses when possible I am aware that there may be some mileage in adding lenses from both Panasonic and Sigma, what are people's views on the L mount lenses from these companies, how do they perform compared to Leica lenses.

For example if I wanted to add a standard zoom how do the Panasonic or Sigma 24/28-105's perform compared to the Leica 24-90, I'm not too keen on 24-70 zooms as the are a bit short at the tele end so the 90 or 105 range would be a first choice. And what about going further, 200mm and beyond? The Leica 100-400 or an offering from the other brands in the L Mount partnerships.

My photography is 99% personal with an occasional foray into doing something for someone else.

If some insight and guidance on what to look out for, what to seek and what to avoid can be provided from those who have experience of Panasonic or Sigma on a SL camera it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Martin

If you want long 24-90 then the Leica is the only game in town. The other 24-105s and similar are not optically the equivalent.

Its a shame you dont like 24-70, as the Sigma f2.8 ii is an awesome lens. 

The 90-280mm is the benchmark for telephoto, but of course very expensive. Any Sigma at this range would be 90% of the quality though ..

Panasonic lenses are very good btw, their 24-70 is optically superb. The 24-105 f4 is nice but as said, is not at the same level of the Leica 24-90

It all depends  on your budget and propensity to weight.

[davidmknoble]

@Oxfordian, first welcome to the forum!  Glad you took the plunge with the SL system.  

In the end, it will be what you want to shoot most.  All of the Leica APO SL Prmes (21,28,35,50,75,90) have a 67mm filter size and are true APO lenses - this means that wide open and stopped down they really are sharp corner to corner, down to the really fine details.  There is a price to this.  In all the APO primes, the APO 35mm is a reference lens and incredible.  While the lenses max at f/2, the design was created with such contrast and quick falloff, that they images appear closer to a f/1.4 depth of field.  The light needed, however, is still f/2.

The Leica 24-90 and 90-280 lenses are heavy and more expensive than Sigma lenses, with very exotic glass, which means really great color and corrections.  Some do not like all the out of focus areas in the 90-280, but it always depends on the range you shoot.  The 90-280 is internal focusing and zooming, which means it is fully weather and dusts sealed because it never changes length.  I used the 90-280 for 75% of my shots in Antarctica and they came out incredibly sharp and no chromatic aberrations.  I also used the 24-90mm in Haiti for 2 weeks with great success in 2018, but there were less choices then. Both lenses are 82mm in filter size.

I think the Leica 16-35mm zoom (also internal focusing and zooming) is very good, great glass, but also higher f/stops than the Sigma brethren and you really need to want the 16-19mm range to get this lens, because the APO 21, 28 and 35 also cover the upper end of the zoom.

I have the sigma 500mm f/5.6 and there is not a current generation of lens like this from Leica and a separate thread here on that lens.  I really like that lens and I think the longest focal lengths are won by sigma for the SL.  THey also have a new long zoom at f/4 coming out - but these are expensive also.

I had the Leica 100-400 lens and it was ‘ok’ to me.  The contrast on the long end was not enough for me and I had a lot more work in post processing.  I had the Sigma 14-28 f/2.8 and it was ok, but too wide for me so I sold it.  I have no experience with Panasonic L lenses.

I shoot mostly landscape, travel photography and family shots.  If I could only have a few lenses they would be:

Leica APO 35mm SL
Leica APO 90-280mm SL

If I could add one more, it would be

Leica 24-90mm SL (because it is close to APO and the 90 focuses pretty close and it would be the same filter size as the 90-280)

Think hard about what you like to shoot most.  The Leica Q3 has the 28mm (assuming you didn’t get the Q3 43) so maybe you do well with the Q3 for wide, the 50mm for mid range and get 1 longer zoom?  

Let us know what you decide to do!

[Oxfordian]

3 hours ago, colonel said:

If you want long 24-90 then the Leica is the only game in town. The other 24-105s and similar are not optically the equivalent.

Its a shame you dont like 24-70, as the Sigma f2.8 ii is an awesome lens. 

The 90-280mm is the benchmark for telephoto, but of course very expensive. Any Sigma at this range would be 90% of the quality though ..

Panasonic lenses are very good btw, their 24-70 is optically superb. The 24-105 f4 is nice but as said, is not at the same level of the Leica 24-90

It all depends  on your budget and propensity to weight.

I don't dislike 24-70 it is just that a 24/28-105/120 offers me more options without having to swap lenses to a 70 to something zoom, I find the 70mm end of a standard zoom just a bit limiting. My old Nikon 24-70 lens was a cracker and I found it difficult to move on but it had to go.

[Oxfordian]

1 hour ago, davidmknoble said:

@Oxfordian, first welcome to the forum!  Glad you took the plunge with the SL system.  

In the end, it will be what you want to shoot most.  All of the Leica APO SL Prmes (21,28,35,50,75,90) have a 67mm filter size and are true APO lenses - this means that wide open and stopped down they really are sharp corner to corner, down to the really fine details.  There is a price to this.  In all the APO primes, the APO 35mm is a reference lens and incredible.  While the lenses max at f/2, the design was created with such contrast and quick falloff, that they images appear closer to a f/1.4 depth of field.  The light needed, however, is still f/2.

The Leica 24-90 and 90-280 lenses are heavy and more expensive than Sigma lenses, with very exotic glass, which means really great color and corrections.  Some do not like all the out of focus areas in the 90-280, but it always depends on the range you shoot.  The 90-280 is internal focusing and zooming, which means it is fully weather and dusts sealed because it never changes length.  I used the 90-280 for 75% of my shots in Antarctica and they came out incredibly sharp and no chromatic aberrations.  I also used the 24-90mm in Haiti for 2 weeks with great success in 2018, but there were less choices then. Both lenses are 82mm in filter size.

I think the Leica 16-35mm zoom (also internal focusing and zooming) is very good, great glass, but also higher f/stops than the Sigma brethren and you really need to want the 16-19mm range to get this lens, because the APO 21, 28 and 35 also cover the upper end of the zoom.

I have the sigma 500mm f/5.6 and there is not a current generation of lens like this from Leica and a separate thread here on that lens.  I really like that lens and I think the longest focal lengths are won by sigma for the SL.  THey also have a new long zoom at f/4 coming out - but these are expensive also.

I had the Leica 100-400 lens and it was ‘ok’ to me.  The contrast on the long end was not enough for me and I had a lot more work in post processing.  I had the Sigma 14-28 f/2.8 and it was ok, but too wide for me so I sold it.  I have no experience with Panasonic L lenses.

I shoot mostly landscape, travel photography and family shots.  If I could only have a few lenses they would be:

Leica APO 35mm SL
Leica APO 90-280mm SL

If I could add one more, it would be

Leica 24-90mm SL (because it is close to APO and the 90 focuses pretty close and it would be the same filter size as the 90-280)

Think hard about what you like to shoot most.  The Leica Q3 has the 28mm (assuming you didn’t get the Q3 43) so maybe you do well with the Q3 for wide, the 50mm for mid range and get 1 longer zoom?  

Let us know what you decide to do!

Thanks for the input. I have the Q3/28 and this will work for the time being as my go to wide, with a 50mm/2 ASPH coming with the SL2 logic would suggest a tele zoom as the next purchase.

The Q3 has been the oh so wonderful catalyst for this move to Leica, I really am blown away with it, hopefully the SL2 will do the same.

[Photoworks]

This days my favorite lenses come from Sigma and Panasonic.

 

I already have:

APO 35 Leica
APO 50 Leica
APO 75 Leica
24-90 Leica
90-280 Leica
Noctilux-M 50 0.95
Summilux-M close focus 50
21 SEM
35 Lux-M
28 Lux-M
90 Sumarit-M
135 Elmarit
 

Panasonic
50 1.8
35 1.8
18 1.8
20-60mm

Sigma
14-24 2.8
24-70 2.8
50 1.2
35 1.4
45 2.8

Many more from canon IRIX and laowa, and voightlender for M

My Favorite lenses are from Sigma these days.

the 50 1.2 is fantastic and, in many cases replaces the Leica 50 APO and Noctilux for me.

24-70 DG ver II is quite good and it fixes the dust problem that sigma and leica had in the Ver I

14-24, is a great detail lens, ideal for architectural, landscape and astro.

A suggestion would be to use 2 lenses to start, a zoom and a lens for low light. I often travel with a 24-90 + 50mm
If the 24-105 would be better I would like one instead, the Panasonic one is of, but not great.

here is a sample of the Sigma 50 1.2, and dialing down the sharpness.

 

 

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[Oxfordian]

@Photoworks

Thanks for your input, Sigma does seem to be getting some praise for its latest lenses, to be honest I used them in the past without an issue so maybe I need to investigate further. The Sigma 28-105/2.8 gets good reviews other than size and apparently it produces bokeh that is not the greatest, perhaps the latest Sigma 24-70 and 70-200 lenses will fit my needs, I think that there is some research to do.

If the trade goes through I have mentioned that the SL2 will come with the SL 50mm/f2 ASPH, I'll probably add a Tele zoom first then decide which direction to take.

For reasons I am unaware of there are a number of Leica SL collections coming onto the market in a 'As New' condition so there are some savings to be made on Leica lenses if buying pre-loved, this is tempting if I wanted to pick up the Leica 24-90. However these 'As New' lenses are still above the cost of a new Sigma or Panasonic equivalent.

Nice picture to showcase the 50/1.2's capabilities.

[colonel]

On 3/24/2025 at 9:24 AM, colonel said:

If you want long 24-90 then the Leica is the only game in town. The other 24-105s and similar are not optically the equivalent.

Its a shame you dont like 24-70, as the Sigma f2.8 ii is an awesome lens. 

The 90-280mm is the benchmark for telephoto, but of course very expensive. Any Sigma at this range would be 90% of the quality though ..

Panasonic lenses are very good btw, their 24-70 is optically superb. The 24-105 f4 is nice but as said, is not at the same level of the Leica 24-90

It all depends  on your budget and propensity to weight.

Actually I made a mistake. I left out the new sigma 28-105mm f2.8. I have not tested this lens, but if sigmas recent releases are anything to go by then this will be an excellent lens

[Oxfordian]

11 hours ago, colonel said:

Actually I made a mistake. I left out the new sigma 28-105mm f2.8. I have not tested this lens, but if sigmas recent releases are anything to go by then this will be an excellent lens

Yes this is an interesting lens, I've been doing some research and this new Sigma lens is getting very good reviews apart from its Bokeh which apparently is pretty awful. I like the focal length range and the fast aperture but if you're going to use it wide open you need that silky smooth bokeh.

[Photoworks]

On 3/26/2025 at 8:39 AM, colonel said:

Actually I made a mistake. I left out the new sigma 28-105mm f2.8. I have not tested this lens, but if sigmas recent releases are anything to go by then this will be an excellent lens

I was going to get it for my studio portrait work. The issue is that the distortion is strong at 28mm, plus it is quite heavy