SL 24-90 - still a good option today?

[IkarusJohn]

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I’m sure you’ll love your SL2-S and 24-90mm zoom.

I bought the SL(601) and 24-90 on launch, primarily for M lenses, but the zoom was included out of interest.  I still have it and use it.

Buying into new sysyems (particularly from Leica) is a strange affliction.  I added the 90-280 zoom, the 16-35 zoom, the 50 Summilux-SL and the APO 75 Summicron-SL, then gradually sold them all but the 24-90 zoom as I realised the telephoto zoom was just too big and too heavy, I had the other focal lengthens in M mount and, once I started selling, the wide zoom went too.  Now I use the SL, 24-90 zoom and APO Elmarit-R 180/2.8 (and extender) when I’m tramping or otherwise need a telephoto, and I use it for film scanning with a Sigma 105 macro lens.

To be honest, while I have traveled with the SL & 24-90 zoom (New York and other places), it is a beast.  Walk into a café or bar and thump it on the table, and it’s a nuisance (putting it mildly), in a way that an M camera, or event the X2D isn’t.  

Currently, in my bag, I have an X2D with 38V lens and Monochrom with 50 Summilux ASPH.  It’s a useful and perfect combination.

But, on the table in front of me, I have my black paint M-A and APO 50 Summicron (black chrome) - having ISO set for 36 exposures, and just aperture, shutter speed and focus to adjust is seductive, and it looks fabulous.  Have fun, but beware of the next best thing!

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[thelivingyears]

vor 12 Stunden schrieb BillCB:

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!)

 

I agree. I was really a bit in fear about how heavy this combo would be but I find it still okay. But I will know more after some “heavy use“ (no pun intended ;)). 

[LocalHero1953]

On 7/17/2025 at 9:42 PM, thelivingyears said:

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

I would not use either the 24-90 or 90-280 without a hood or, as a minimum, a protective filter - and I'd still prefer the hood. The front element of both lenses is almost at the front of the barrel and vulnerable to sticky fingers and hard objects. Leica's lens caps fall off as soon as you look at them, especially in the bag, so the front element is vulnerable to scrapes in the bag as well. Since I reverse the hoods on both lenses for carrying in the bag, they are at risk even though the hood protects them in use in the hand. Both my zooms have a protective filter. (I used to have the 16-35SL, but can't remember if it had the same front element vulnerability).

One of my g/c knocked over the SL + 24-90 when I had it on a tripod (set low, with no leg extensions). The hood took the force of the fall and cracked, but there was no other damage. I keep it, cracked, as a warning to myself. 

13 hours ago, BillCB said:

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.

I have just checked my 24-90 on the SL2-S and there is no sign of hard vignetting at 24mm. I suspect the reason you are seeing it is because you are using Capture One with digital corrections switched off, or an incorrect correction. Leica designed the lens to work with digital correction, which is why it is not seen in JPGs nor in Lightroom that automatically applies the correction embedded in the raw file.

[Jeff S]

Also no hard vignetting at 24mm for me, using LR.

I only use the hood on the 24-90 in rain/snow, primarily to keep the front glass dry; otherwise a protective filter suffices.  And, yes, the lens cap attachment is poor, but I still use one when shooting is complete, bag or shelf.

[LD_50]

I also have no hard vignetting with the 24-90 and supplied lens hood. I use C1. 

[beewee]

The 24-90 excels when you are shooting more stopped down, want the coverage of an entire bag of M primes, but don’t want to carry it all and don’t want to change lenses constantly, whether it is because of the weather, environment, or the scene changing.

The shooting experience is quite pleasant but the carrying experience is not. Being someone that prefers to be low key, it’s not something I want to carry around for fun or to shot in busy settings like street photography. But for a dedicated all purpose landscape lens in inclement weather, it’s probably unmatched by any other lenses available on the market regardless of lens mount.

For myself, I find myself slowly gravitating towards a couple different setups for different shooting scenarios, centered around the SL3 but augmented by Q3 and M10.

•  Dedicated photography trip shooting near a vehicle and in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions (eg Iceland, Antarctica, Norway, Yellowstone, etc)
  • SL 16-35
  • SL 24-90
  • SL 90-280
  • Sigma 300-600 or 500 - don’t have these yet but it’s on the list of I go on a trip that warrants such lens
  • Sigma 14/1.4 if there are opportunities for astro
• Photography focused outing for landscapes with 10-20km of hiking where I know what focal lengths I’ll use
  • SL 21 or 28 APO
  • M 35 FLE or 50 APO or maybe SL 28-70 (still on the fence but tempting for landscapes)
  • M 90/2.8 on occasion if there might be wildlife
• Fast and light landscape setup to cover long distances on foot with 20-30km and or a lot of elevation gain
  • Q3
• Walk around travel with M body
  • M 18/3.8 if I think I’ll need an ultra wide
  • M 24/3.8
  • M 35 FLE
  • M 50 APO
  • M 90/2.8
  • Thypoch 21/1.4 - could be interesting for some situations but I haven’t tried this yet
• Out for dinner/lunch casual setup
  • Q3

Edited August 3 by beewee

[Filip Baraka]

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On 8/3/2025 at 12:03 AM, BillCB said:

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.

You need to check your default settings in C1 for this lens and apply corrections or assign proper lens profile, I also use Capture one but for me I can see the vignetting only in crop mode. Sometimes I found it useful because non-corrected FOV its a bit wider than corrected, so for wide or x-pan like crops its great.

[Leicaboy Norway]

I have both the leica 24-70 and the 24-90 and they're both great. I should probably sell one of them but not sure which one.

 

The 24-70 is just of a more convenient size and the 24-90 has that extra reach plus rendering. But tbh the 24-70 has a very good rendering too.

As a proud European though in these times when our so called friends hang us out to dry, I do love that it's made in Germany 😆 the 24-90 that is

[harbelot]

Hello there, I'll receive my brand new second hand 24-90 soon, any advice for a protective filter model?

And maybe a different lens hood? As the standard one is huge and ugly (in my opinion)

 

Merci!

[vdeneke]

Hi, i use the hood from my 24-70 mm…

[harbelot]

Just now, vdeneke said:

Hi, i use the hood from my 24-70 mm…

Thanks for your reply, I'll check it!

[thelivingyears]

Yes, it works. I bought one too. 

[Big John]

Bought the SL 601 and 24-90 when they came out.  Used the lens a little but quickly moved to M mount (zm). Sold the 24-90 this month due to not using it - just too big and heavy as a travel/one only lens. 

[harbelot]

1 hour ago, Big John said:

Bought the SL 601 and 24-90 when they came out.  Used the lens a little but quickly moved to M mount (zm). Sold the 24-90 this month due to not using it - just too big and heavy as a travel/one only lens. 

That's my fear too, but I'll go to the gym to practice

I'll plan to use it on a trip to Japan, I love the versatility of the zoom in travel.

[thelivingyears]

vor 15 Minuten schrieb harbelot:

That's my fear too, but I'll go to the gym to practice

I'll plan to use it on a trip to Japan, I love the versatility of the zoom in travel.

Honestly, I can't understand it. I recently had the 24-90 lens on the SL2-S for a day. I'm by no means a very trained person. Jus normal. I had no problem with it at all. Only if you get a small table in a restaurant and there are four people eating there, like we did that day, and the camera also has to be on the table, then it might get a bit tight.

Believe it or not. That day, a ten-year-old girl insisted on taking photos for an hour. She carried this combo around for an hour. At one point, I laughed. She asked me why I was laughing. I told her that people keep saying in forums that the thing is so incredibly heavy. “You're a ten-year-old girl and you don't have a problem with it“.

So, carrying it itself isn't really a problem. It's logical that you handle a 200-gram prime lens differently and more easily than a 1-kg lens. Especially for a child. That can make a noticeable difference. But one shouldn't overdo things. Less is always more comfortable and I understand that one’s goal is to keep it light. But it probably only becomes really cumbersome with a 70-200mm or something similar.
The carrying strap was the Peak Design Slide.

[harbelot]

1 minute ago, thelivingyears said:

Honestly, I can't understand it. I recently had the 24-90 lens on the SL2-S for a day. I'm by no means a very trained person. Jus normal. I had no problem with it at all. Only if you get a small table in a restaurant and there are four people eating there, like we did that day, and the camera also has to be on the table, then it might get a bit tight.

Believe it or not. That day, a ten-year-old girl insisted on taking photos for an hour. She carried this combo around for an hour. At one point, I laughed. She asked me why I was laughing. I told her that people keep saying in forums that the thing is so incredibly heavy. “You're a ten-year-old girl and you don't have a problem with it“.

So, carrying it itself isn't really a problem. It's logical that you handle a 200-gram prime lens differently and more easily than a 1-kg lens. Especially for a child. That can make a noticeable difference. But one shouldn't overdo things. Less is always more comfortable and I understand that one’s goal is to keep it light. But it probably only becomes really cumbersome with a 70-200mm or something similar.
The carrying strap was the Peak Design Slide.

Thank you so much for reply and the 10 years old girl story!! 
I can't wait to try it.

[Markey]

10 hours ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

I have both the leica 24-70 and the 24-90 and they're both great. I should probably sell one of them but not sure which one.

 

The 24-70 is just of a more convenient size and the 24-90 has that extra reach plus rendering. But tbh the 24-70 has a very good rendering too.

As a proud European though in these times when our so called friends hang us out to dry, I do love that it's made in Germany 😆 the 24-90 that is

I`ve just sold my 2470 and bought a 2490.

Couldn`t be more pleased .

I too was bothered by the weight of the 2490 but I`ve been surprised how compact it is (without that hood) and its not really that heavy .

Its not an M or a CL but it isn`t that bad .

Edited August 24 by Markey

[Donald M]

18 hours ago, harbelot said:

Hello there, I'll receive my brand new second hand 24-90 soon, any advice for a protective filter model?

And maybe a different lens hood? As the standard one is huge and ugly (in my opinion)

 

Merci!

I have an Leica UV filter, but hardly use it. Only at surroundings with lots of dust or sand, like the beach. My (original) lens hood is my protective ‘filter’.

Have fun with your 24-90, it has been the most use lens on my SL601 and SL2. And the weight? Well, two Leica lenses weigh the same as the zoom. And the image quality? Wide open the APO’s are better, as you would expect, stopped down there is less of a difference. My lens has no signs of wear, no scratches on the lens nor glass, no dust in the lens, where people seem to be afraid of. It is very well constructed. I only had to replace the rubber zoom rings. Leica would have liked to send me the lens over and have the lens inspected, but I choose to replace the rubber rings myself. Total cost to me ca €40 instead of a multiple of that amount. 

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[Leicaboy Norway]

How is that new 28-70 compared to the 24-70 optically?

[LocalHero1953]

I do not normally use protective filters, relying on the hood or an inset front element. But the front elements of both 24-90 and 90-280 are very close to the end of the lens body, and their lens caps easily fall off (not Leica's finest designs IMO). I can clean finger marks of the glass, but I put my lenses in a bag with the hood reversed; if the lens cap drops off, the glass is vulnerable to scuffs from the fabric of the bag (and any dust and grit that has got in). So I have Hoya Pro Digital UV(0) filters on each - uniquely for any of my M or L-mount lenses, or my Q3 43.