The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Fun with the Leica SL (digital)

Godfrey

Well-known member
Practically straight out of the camera:


Leica SL + Elmar-R 180mm f/4
ISO 200 @ f/4 @ 1/160

enjoy,

G
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Ashwin, you are making the camera look very good :)

Your friend, Steve is now more than smitten and has some nice samples where he makes the SL "Camera of the Year":

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2015/11/30/leica-sl-camera-review-my-camera-of-the-year-2015/
After the evolution his posts and reviews have taken over the last years, this does not tell anything IMHO - neither bad nor good.

He is just jumping around "mentally" like crazy and what was great one day is forgotten the other day. How long will it take before he has another darling camera? :angry:

Definitely the Leica SL deserves much much more than whatever review from him!
 
Last edited:

Paratom

Well-known member
After the evolution his posts and reviews have taken over the last year, this does not tell anything - neither bad nor good.

He is just jumping around "mentally" like an i.... and what was great one day is forgotten the other day. How long will it take before he has another darling camera? :angry:

Definitely the Leica SL deserves much much more than whatever review from him!
I wonder why he believes the SL beats the M with M lenses.
I just shot some side by sides with the 35FLE on the M and the SL and have to say the M 240 color comes out more natural and more alive, and for me 35mm M lens is easier to focus on the M.

I like the SL a lot so far but I believe there is some work due in regards of the color profiles.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I wonder why he believes the SL beats the M with M lenses.
I just shot some side by sides with the 35FLE on the M and the SL and have to say the M 240 color comes out more natural and more alive, and for me 35mm M lens is easier to focus on the M.

I like the SL a lot so far but I believe there is some work due in regards of the color profiles.
Interesting. I haven't done any in-depth comparison testing and I don't own a 35FLE, but overall I find the SL's in-camera produced colors to be excellent, more to my liking, than the M-P typ 240's (which are not at all bad...). What I'm truly amazed at is the match between the SL's in-camera JPEG rendering and what LR6.3 does rendering its DNG files ... the color and density match are excellent on the LR defaults. The M-P match between its in-camera JPEGs and DNGs processed in LR 6.3 is nowhere near as good.

I'll have to take both cameras out with the 24 and 75 mm lenses (limiting it to those two because they are modern, six bit lenses that I know the lens corrections should be about on par) and do a bit of comparison testing, I guess. :)

G
 

aDam007

New member
The S-system and the M-system still produce better IQ in my eyes. The colors are better, and the transitions are better. The M lenses and S lenses beat the pants of the zoom. The SL JPG files are whack.. This is something Leica needs to address. And the M to T adapter has a weird glitch.. Nothing detrimental but annoying none the less.

The zoom is a very high performance lens. But it lacks anything that makes me feel as if I'm using a Leica lens. No familiar signature. This bothers me, as I'd rather take a shittier performing lens with signature then a better preforming lens with no signature.

Battery life REALLY sucks. Seriously confused as to how they got it right in the Q, but wrong in the SL.


Some positive points about the SL:

1) Fastest AF I've used EVER in good light. And the most accurate at ALL distance (very important if you've ever used Canon lenses). Yet to shoot it indoors to fully test the AF.

2) Ergonomics and UI are a joy, but I am bias since I'm use to the M and S. And hate overly fussy cameras.

3) Weather sealing really works. I got caught in a Singapore flash flood, and kept shooting (even though I almost got swept away). Camera still works.

4) EVF is phenomenal. Making it easy to focus without the need for magnification (for me). Which is a good thing considering the stupid placement of the magnification button. And the fact that the spot metering circle isn't linked to where the magnification zooms.

5) I'm almost two weeks in and I don't want to sell the camera yet :D (perhaps because I'm hopeful for the S-adapter and 50LuxL)


Here are some shots (edited RAW files) with the zoom and 50APO: http://www.jupitersnake.com/walks/haw-par-villa/
(Note: I will be exploring why the 50APO doesn't seem familiar on this camera, could be colors, could be something else.)
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Hi There Tre
I think that smearing is a purely Sony phenomenon - certainly it's not visible on the SL with any of the lenses I've used (lots). Added to which, again, on the Sony it's not the extreme corners, with some lenses it's a significant part of the frame.

Whilst the M240 performs a little better than the SL (as Sean Reid has demonstrated), the SL is a whole quantum leap better than the A7 cameras - which is hardly surprising, not only does it have a much thinner cover glass, but it has firmware corrections and modified microlenses too.

I'm only saying this as you seem to be clumping together all mirrorless cameras, and I dont think that's right.

The A7s are fantastic with the native lenses, and of course with the Zeiss lenses designed to go with them.

I think it's a truism that you will get the best performance out of native lenses . . . . which in the case of the SL means T, M, R, S and SL lenses - all have proper lens corrections, and the sensor for the SL has been designed with these lenses in mind.
i was coming from a place of using Sony FE, E, and Micro 4/3 cameras. All can show smearing with some Leica M lenses as Godfrey and Vivek pointed out. The ones that smear on the Micro 4/3 are usually worse on a FF body naturally but it's very lens dependant. I didn't have any noticeable smearing from a Voigtlander 21/1.8 or 35/1.2 and most don't have any obvious smearing at all using a WATE on Sony FE bodies.

So not its not just a Sony problem but a design issue that requires extra engineering to overcome if that's the desire. I don't doubt that the SL is a better fit for many M lenses but some M lenses don't even work that well (for the corner junkies) on a M. I've noticed that many are using with SLR lenses as well and I didn't recall have smearing with most SLR lenses on any mirrorless body.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Battery life REALLY sucks. Seriously confused as to how they got it right in the Q, but wrong in the SL.
Hi there
I'm up with all your positive points - I actually like the character of the zoom lens . . . . but maybe I've had longer to learn it, or possibly my eyes have been affected by the lack of issues it presents.

Battery Life
is an interesting one. I agree that if you wander about with the camera switched on and the LCD on, then it seems to last about a day (without much reference to the number of shots you take).
However, on the couple of occasions I've been shooting events it's been great - more than 700 images on two occasions. I think it was Ming Thein who said he had got more than 1000 shots from it - So it seems to be a bit unpredictable, I always shoot with GPS on and Wifi off (FWIW).

- - - Updated - - -

Hi Johno - have you switched to LR?
Yes Dammit
I started using it at the beginning of the year - after a long comparison with Capture One . . . and something else I've forgotten! I still don't like it anything like as much as Aperture, but for the time being it seems to be the only horse.
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Yes Dammit
I started using it at the beginning of the year - after a long comparison with Capture One . . . and something else I've forgotten! I still don't like it anything like as much as Aperture, but for the time being it seems to be the only horse.
Jono,

If it's not too off-topic, how did C1 lose its horse status? The only thing that would pry me from it would be if a Leica or Hasselblad MF kit dropped into my lap. (And if you've made your decision, then looking at C1 v9 is probably a bad idea).

Best,

Matt
 

aDam007

New member
Hi there
I'm up with all your positive points - I actually like the character of the zoom lens . . . . but maybe I've had longer to learn it, or possibly my eyes have been affected by the lack of issues it presents.

Battery Life
is an interesting one. I agree that if you wander about with the camera switched on and the LCD on, then it seems to last about a day (without much reference to the number of shots you take).
However, on the couple of occasions I've been shooting events it's been great - more than 700 images on two occasions. I think it was Ming Thein who said he had got more than 1000 shots from it - So it seems to be a bit unpredictable, I always shoot with GPS on and Wifi off (FWIW).

- - - Updated - - -



Yes Dammit
I started using it at the beginning of the year - after a long comparison with Capture One . . . and something else I've forgotten! I still don't like it anything like as much as Aperture, but for the time being it seems to be the only horse.


It's entirely possible that I have a bad battery. It would explain the banding that I get sometimes and then other times not at all. It would also explain a few other things.

When Leica releases spare batteries I'll buy one. If the problem goes away, I'll assume I had a bad battery and contact Leica about it.

I shoot the SL like I shoot the Q, and with the Q I almost got 2000 shots at one wedding!! So the SL is way behind at 300 before a dead battery. And I'm pretty diligent about switching the camera on and off as I walk around. MAYBE the sensor cleaning is draining batteries? Maybe OIS is? I try keeping it off when outdoors in the sun.

Also I keep wifi and GPS off.. I don't need either of those things.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Curiously, I found the battery life seemed to improve when I switched GPS on. Still measuring though.

I've not seen any banding unless I strongly underexposed, by more than three to five stops. That's just bad exposure practice, to me.

Battery spares seem to be showing up. I have one coming in today or tomorrow from Popflash.com and Adorama/B&H were expecting stock right about now/next week. What I'm waiting for is the remote...

G
 

jonoslack

Active member
Jono,

If it's not too off-topic, how did C1 lose its horse status? The only thing that would pry me from it would be if a Leica or Hasselblad MF kit dropped into my lap. (And if you've made your decision, then looking at C1 v9 is probably a bad idea).

Best,

Matt
HI There Matt
I have looked at 9 - I've never really liked the colour (just me), but the real problem with C1 is that the DAM isn't yet good enough.

But there are practical reasons - LR always supports the Leica cameras first, but more to the point, the DNG files always work in Lightroom even if there isn't explicit support.

But Bah - I still prefer Aperture, I've even considered moving back again!
 

jonoslack

Active member
It's entirely possible that I have a bad battery. It would explain the banding that I get sometimes and then other times not at all. It would also explain a few other things.

When Leica releases spare batteries I'll buy one. If the problem goes away, I'll assume I had a bad battery and contact Leica about it.

I shoot the SL like I shoot the Q, and with the Q I almost got 2000 shots at one wedding!! So the SL is way behind at 300 before a dead battery. And I'm pretty diligent about switching the camera on and off as I walk around. MAYBE the sensor cleaning is draining batteries? Maybe OIS is? I try keeping it off when outdoors in the sun.

Also I keep wifi and GPS off.. I don't need either of those things.
That sounds very weird - I leave GPS on, and I usually leave the camera on as well - I do mostly have it on EVF only, I never turn off OIS (and I never got 2000 shots with a Q either!). . . . perhaps you should try leaving everything on!

I'm sad that you don't like the zoom though - perhaps it'll grow on you over time?
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
HI There Matt
I have looked at 9 - I've never really liked the colour (just me), but the real problem with C1 is that the DAM isn't yet good enough.

But there are practical reasons - LR always supports the Leica cameras first, but more to the point, the DNG files always work in Lightroom even if there isn't explicit support.
The reason the DNG files always work is because there are generic profiles for color which are not bad (C1 is still using them) and the tricky stuff, like distortion and LCA corrections are baked into the DNG as "manufacturer's instructions," so they don't have to wait for the tools people to figure them out independently. But I agree that Leica doesn't seem to give Phase One much help (as rivals in Medium Format). I'm trying to figure out if there are ICC color profiles for the SL in COne 9, but I don't think they are there yet. The other stuff worked in version 8.

And I hate the DAM stuff. Don't use it. If I can't find something, it didn't happen.

scott
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
The reason the DNG files always work is because there are generic profiles for color which are not bad (C1 is still using them) and the tricky stuff, like distortion and LCA corrections are baked into the DNG as "manufacturer's instructions," so they don't have to wait for the tools people to figure them out independently. But I agree that Leica doesn't seem to give Phase One much help (as rivals in Medium Format). I'm trying to figure out if there are ICC color profiles for the SL in COne 9, but I don't think they are there yet. The other stuff worked in version 8.

And I hate the DAM stuff. Don't use it. If I can't find something, it didn't happen.

scott
The colors in C1P9 look much better IMHO for SL DNGs compared to C1P8 (have only a certain number of DNGs from my test shots, but if these are representative then C1P9 rocks)!
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
But Bah - I still prefer Aperture, I've even considered moving back again!
I have a few hundred thousand pics still in Aperture. I agree it's the best DAM and pretty good (especially with available plugins) at everything else. I can't argue with the colors you get out of LR :thumbup:

M
 

aDam007

New member
That sounds very weird - I leave GPS on, and I usually leave the camera on as well - I do mostly have it on EVF only, I never turn off OIS (and I never got 2000 shots with a Q either!). . . . perhaps you should try leaving everything on!

I'm sad that you don't like the zoom though - perhaps it'll grow on you over time?

I'm going to try turning GPS on. Maybe it wastes more battery scrubbing the GPS from the files :D

I leave the LCD off.. I don't check when I shoot.
And the banding issues aren't happening from bad exposures. They're sometimes showing up on perfectly exposed non-pushed images. Then sometimes they're not showing up at all.. Even if I push the thing 5 stops for the heck of it.


I think the zoom will grown on me. I've just been away from zooms for so long. That's not to say I'm not foaming at the mouth waiting for the S-adapter L to show up. Or the 50LuxL.
 
Top