SL 24-90 - still a good option today?

[Tirpitz666]

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Perspective admittedly will not change if you keep the same camera to subject distance, but I don't see how a pic taken with a 28 F1.7 and deeply cropped could end up looking identical to the same pic taken with a, say, 75 F2. They cannot be perfect substitutes, DoF (and everything related to this) will be materially different.

Edited July 11 by Tirpitz666

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[Jeff S]

39 minutes ago, Tirpitz666 said:

Perspective admittedly will not change if you keep the same camera to subject distance, but I don't see how a pic taken with a 28 F1.7 and deeply cropped could end up looking identical to the same pic taken with a, say, 75 F2. They cannot be perfect substitutes, DoF (and everything related to this) will be materially different.

Yes, but you included perspective in your list of variables.  Focal length will change DOF from same camera/subject position, but perspective (and “compression,” which you also listed) remain identical, regardless of focal length (or cropping). 

[BernardC]

2 hours ago, Tirpitz666 said:

Perspective admittedly will not change if you keep the same camera to subject distance, but I don't see how a pic taken with a 28 F1.7 and deeply cropped could end up looking identical to the same pic taken with a, say, 75 F2. They cannot be perfect substitutes, DoF (and everything related to this) will be materially different.

That's a common misconception which comes-up often in video, because there's a wide range of shooting formats. You can match depth of field and perspective if you keep the same camera position and change the aperture. Obviously, that's limited by your available apertures. You would need a 28/0.7 lens to match a 75/2.0 wide open, but the 28/1.7 can be made to match a 75 that is stopped-down to f:4.5. You'll still see difference that are related to format, such as noise and resolution, but these would be small with a well-exposed 60MP sensor and smaller enlargements.

Here's a page that explores this very thoroughly: https://manuelluebbers.com/large-format-look-alexa-65-vs-alexa-mini/

[Tirpitz666]

Sure, my point was simply that you can’t “leave home” your 75  F2, if you want to do everything with a 23 F1.7 and just crop your way in. “Perspective” of course was not the right thing to refer to assuming same distance, while with “compression” I intended to actually refer of different DOF at the same aperture and resulting subject isolation, which of course would be quite different.

As someone else referred to, it’s more a matter of look rather than anything else, that could still make worth for someone to haul around some heavy long fast lenses instead of cropping. 

[S Maclean]

I actually think the SL is fun to use.  It may not be as fun a carry on as a Q, although with the right lens it is not far from it. It may not be as introspective as an M, Although you can actually maximnize the performance of M lenses on it.  And it delivers an incredible image, every time.

As it has been stated, the Apo's lineup is without par.....but there are also other lenses that are quite fun.

I did have the 24-90 and cannot state wnough how amazing the images are....but the shooting expereince was not for me, i rather have the 24-70 (I chose the sigma v2 over the Leica or sigma V1).  The 70-200 is really much more useflul than I ever thought it would be, even for portraits.

The 50 Lux is really magical, although the 50 M plus delivers as well. Nokton, noctilux etc is really at home on the SL.  The SL 50 cron Non apo is actually nicer in rendering to me taste than the 50 apo. (35 and 75 APO though....you can't beat that.

On the hasselblad options I have to admit the IQ is often better than Leica's. MF, plus 100 MP....you feel you can walk into those images. But I sold both the x2d and 907x and lenses because I always grabbed an M, a Q or an SL before them. And I can't really justify having 30G of equipment sitting on a shelf, as much as I love the results the one time I use it.  Also, becasue I kept fantasizing of the right project to use the Hassy on to it's full potential, but it never really came consinstently.

In the end, I liked the idea of living on one-brand compatible systems. I can interchange batteries, filters, lenses, use the same flash drives and they all share similar menu systems, so it all becomes very organic.  When Leiva comes up with the new MF system I'll probaboy expand on that direction, as I expect (hope) the L apo lenses will be well suited for it.

 

[thelivingyears]

Camera (right hand side) waiting for the arrival of the SL24-90 (and Summicron 90 2.0 (pre-asph))

 

 

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[thelivingyears]

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[Olaf_ZG]

5 hours ago, thelivingyears said:

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Uf, that terrible hood, which I replaced with the metal one. So much nicer in the bag.

[Tirpitz666]

Congrats for the purchase! Great envy over here! 🙂

[Markey]

On 7/11/2025 at 8:57 PM, S Maclean said:

I did have the 24-90 and cannot state wnough how amazing the images are....but the shooting expereince was not for me, i rather have the 24-70 (I chose the sigma v2 over the Leica or sigma V1).  

 

Would you care to elaborate .

I have the Leica 24-70 but wonder if I should have a look at the Leica 24 to 90 if only for that extra reach so I`m interested on your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks 

[S Maclean]

36 minutes ago, Markey said:

Would you care to elaborate .

I have the Leica 24-70 but wonder if I should have a look at the Leica 24 to 90 if only for that extra reach so I`m interested on your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks 

Of course,

 

First though: @Olaf_ZG  That 90 pre aspherical is pure magic.  I can't get enought on it on the M and "specially" on the SL3.  Enjoy!!

 

@Markey: This is less a super technical opinion and more a really personal one.  

 

I got the SL3 Originally with a 50 cron non apo and the leica 24-70. I loved both, Specially the 24-70. The very first "test pictures I took with the 24-70 sold me....but then I have FOMO, and GAS and kept reading about the 24-90 being the true "Leica" mid zoom. The one with the character, the special one...the ONE.  So I thought, "I have to have the one". I have an M system for portability I may as well ahve big fat unique lenses with the SL...And I got the 24-90 (sold the 24-70)  And Boy! does it deliver. It is spectacular.  There is a lot written about its "dimensionality" both good and bad. And I saw both sides. I took it to festivals and took picture after picture. Great character....great IQ....Bu then I kept going back to the much more simple rendering or the 24-70.  More"m" like. More simple and direct to my eye (Specially in B&W)Less "stated".  Also, I started to skip the lens in outings becasue somewhere in my mind I was like....I don't feel like dragging it today.  It would be worth to drag it....but I'm taking this other instead.

So it came to: Do I keep the lens that takes one of a kind, perfect in their imperfection, images...even though it forces one to commit to it's form factor for the day....or do I take the one that takes most of the pictures that I actually end up liking more....(and it's far easier to carry around). Do I buy the best, most unique....or the nost usable to me.  I am old enough to learn that the best is not always the best for me....but young enough to always want the best and obsess over it.  This ends up costing me a lot of money in exchanges. Be it cameras or watches etc.

Once I decided to get the 24-70 back I wanted the Leica because of the red dot.....(being honest here)....but I tested it against the sigma version 2 that a friend had and I really though the Sigma was superior.  Image was pretty much the same, a little crisper on the Sigma. Focus faster, slightly closer MFD...So, in an amazing show of "no brand bias" from me I ended up getting the 24-70.  I have the APO primes, and I have the 70-200 Leica....but I am VERY happy I kept the 24-70 which is, actually , my most used lens on the SL aside from a couple of M lenses (90 pre Asph, 50 Nokton 1., 135  Macro elmar)

Some say the Leica 24-70 has some Leica secret sauce added to it that makes it a little more Leica-ish than Sigma.....I don't know if that is true; It may be, but for my money the Sigma works better in this lens. I have all the character I need on all the other lenses and I havent missed any on the 24-70.  The 24-90? yeah, that has a whole menu full of secret sauces that make it stand on it's own. every time.  It's just that "it's own" is not "my own"

Edited July 15 by S Maclean

[Markey]

9 hours ago, S Maclean said:

Of course,

 

First though: @Olaf_ZG  That 90 pre aspherical is pure magic.  I can't get enought on it on the M and "specially" on the SL3.  Enjoy!!

 

@Markey: This is less a super technical opinion and more a really personal one.  

 

I got the SL3 Originally with a 50 cron non apo and the leica 24-70. I loved both, Specially the 24-70. The very first "test pictures I took with the 24-70 sold me....but then I have FOMO, and GAS and kept reading about the 24-90 being the true "Leica" mid zoom. The one with the character, the special one...the ONE.  So I thought, "I have to have the one". I have an M system for portability I may as well ahve big fat unique lenses with the SL...And I got the 24-90 (sold the 24-70)  And Boy! does it deliver. It is spectacular.  There is a lot written about its "dimensionality" both good and bad. And I saw both sides. I took it to festivals and took picture after picture. Great character....great IQ....Bu then I kept going back to the much more simple rendering or the 24-70.  More"m" like. More simple and direct to my eye (Specially in B&W)Less "stated".  Also, I started to skip the lens in outings becasue somewhere in my mind I was like....I don't feel like dragging it today.  It would be worth to drag it....but I'm taking this other instead.

So it came to: Do I keep the lens that takes one of a kind, perfect in their imperfection, images...even though it forces one to commit to it's form factor for the day....or do I take the one that takes most of the pictures that I actually end up liking more....(and it's far easier to carry around). Do I buy the best, most unique....or the nost usable to me.  I am old enough to learn that the best is not always the best for me....but young enough to always want the best and obsess over it.  This ends up costing me a lot of money in exchanges. Be it cameras or watches etc.

Once I decided to get the 24-70 back I wanted the Leica because of the red dot.....(being honest here)....but I tested it against the sigma version 2 that a friend had and I really though the Sigma was superior.  Image was pretty much the same, a little crisper on the Sigma. Focus faster, slightly closer MFD...So, in an amazing show of "no brand bias" from me I ended up getting the 24-70.  I have the APO primes, and I have the 70-200 Leica....but I am VERY happy I kept the 24-70 which is, actually , my most used lens on the SL aside from a couple of M lenses (90 pre Asph, 50 Nokton 1., 135  Macro elmar)

Some say the Leica 24-70 has some Leica secret sauce added to it that makes it a little more Leica-ish than Sigma.....I don't know if that is true; It may be, but for my money the Sigma works better in this lens. I have all the character I need on all the other lenses and I havent missed any on the 24-70.  The 24-90? yeah, that has a whole menu full of secret sauces that make it stand on it's own. every time.  It's just that "it's own" is not "my own"

Goodness .Thank you for such a forthright honest assessment.

It mirrors my initial thinking in terms of ... am I missing something.

I`ve avoided the primes because of the bulk and weight.

I do have the 90 /280 but that stays home , mostly , because of bulk and weight so I  can see history repeating itself. 

I was endeavouring to assess to what extent  I was  sacrificing picture quality by using the 24/70 rather than the 24/90 and you`ve more than adequately answered that for me .

Thank you.

[Tirpitz666]

That 90 pre-ASPH I fully agree it's really an exceptional lens, especially considering how old the design is. I had the occasion to use it side by side with the M 90 APO and at the end I couldn't justify myself to keep the latter at 3x the price, the difference wasn't really there most of the times, especially if the final use is mostly portrait, so at least to me it wasn't worth it.

[thelivingyears]

I haven't had much time to try out the 24-90mm yet. I've only taken a few quick test shots (portraits) wide open at various focal lengths. But I think I can already see why people say this lens has something no other standard zoom has.

[thelivingyears]

Ah, btw. which alternativ (maybe smaller?) lens hood is available for the 24-90mm? Or do you use it without lens hood?

[Olaf_ZG]

The lenshood from the leica sl 24-70/2.8 (no. 12309) will fit. The sigma hood will not fit, so it must be the Leica.

[thelivingyears]

Thank you very much!

[thelivingyears]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Olaf_ZG:

The lenshood from the leica sl 24-70/2.8 (no. 12309) will fit. The sigma hood will not fit, so it must be the Leica.

Edit: Okay, I‘ve ordered the lenshood from the Leica SL 24-70 now thank you again for the hint! 

Edited July 18 by thelivingyears

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[BillCB]

I have just acquired the 24-90mm and have used it extensively in the last week - meaning several hundred shots.

I generally prefer to use primes and I have the APOs 21,35 and 90. I prefer them if I'm specifically going out to take pictures but I often simply want to have "universal" camera for other occasions. Yes, the SL3 and 24-90 is a weighty combo but I don't find it too heavy. (I come from Phase One MF - now  that's heavy!)

The image quality is superb and the only complaint I have is the hard vignetting at 24mm. (Looks almost like the lans shade is too small but it's the same without the hood.) The vignetting doesn't show on camera-processed JPGs but it does on the DNGs - which is what I shoot. I use Capture One and hoped their profile would provide the correction but it only does so with manual correction. Perhaps Lightroom does a better job.

All in all, I'm delighted with the lens.

[thelivingyears]

Great to hear! Thank you for your feedback.