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My Take on the Leica SL2

doug

Well-known member
Thanks for sharing!

I'll be sticking with Sony for now, but I have to say, the SL2 is one -gorgeous- piece of machinery.
Same for me, but when long native APO lenses become available I hope my wallet and biceps will be ready.
 

GMB

Active member
Thanks very much for the vert informative and entertaining “review”. Excellent piece as always. Just wondering what you offer to your dog to be such a patient sitter. I never get ours to sit for more than 5 seconds.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Great review as always Jono. What surprises me is that from a specification point of view, Leica seems to top all of its competitors here, with a possible exception for the AF. I don't consider the higher resolution of the latest 7R significant, and the really unusual side of this is that the SL2 offer both very high resolution and very advanced video specs in one camera. That would make the price much easier to live with, since it's a true all-in-one body. Very impressive :thumbs:

Not that I can afford one, at least not now.... :rolleyes:
 

Paratom

Well-known member
Hi there
I hope everyone is flourishing

I've Been busy!
Here is my article on the new Leica SL2

The Leica SL2

Enjoy!
Hi Jono,
thank you for the excellent article and many great images.
For me the SL-system has become my most used camera. Besides IBIS and the improved viewfinder I see also benefit in 47MP when one wants occasionally use Cl lenses on the SL, for example use it during day in FF mode, and in the evening put a 23CL prime for the family snaps during dinner. In theory the SL(1) does most things I need...there is still a strong desire growing in me to update to the SL2.
There are 3 things why - after checking out many systems - I am still with Leica. Lenses - expensive but excellent, and I am not so much talking about sharpness alone but about "3-D-look" and color as well.
Also the color tweaking of the camera-lens-combo. For my taste I do not do much color tweaking in post at all.
Third-and for me very important as well: Simple user interface. For it is just easier, more intuitive and more fun to use compared to overloaded user-interfaces from some other brands. It is also cool to have comarable menues and buttons in M/CL and SL for those who use more than 1 system.
 

Photon42

Well-known member
Hey Jono

thanks for the wonderful article. Always a great pleasure to read - I particularly enjoy the relaxed way of looking at things. The SL2 is clearly bringing Leica back into the competitors' cage, adding mega pixels and IBIS. Feature wise (not so much from the looks ...) it seems to be a very well rounded update release of an already great camera. I am also delighted Wetzlar in their eternal wisdom now decided to make LENR optional. Do you know what the longest expose time would be with the SL2 now?

Thanks
Ivo
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Hey Jono

thanks for the wonderful article. Always a great pleasure to read - I particularly enjoy the relaxed way of looking at things. The SL2 is clearly bringing Leica back into the competitors' cage, adding mega pixels and IBIS. Feature wise (not so much from the looks ...) it seems to be a very well rounded update release of an already great camera. I am also delighted Wetzlar in their eternal wisdom now decided to make LENR optional. Do you know what the longest expose time would be with the SL2 now?

Thanks
Ivo
Per the spec sheet, 30 minutes is the longest exposure time.
 

Photon42

Well-known member
One more comment on the Bluetooth ability, taken from my experience with the Z7: if this really works reliably (Leica and the Fotos app ....), I think it is really useful. I have set up my Nikon Z7 to bluetooth me over every photo I do (2MB version per photo). I can then almost instantaneously post process if required on a phone app send or post it. On top it it reliably writes GPS information into all files and keeps the camera date and time updated. Best thing: I have not noticed a significant power consumption, and it is switched on all the time.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Great review as always Jono. What surprises me is that from a specification point of view, Leica seems to top all of its competitors here, with a possible exception for the AF. I don't consider the higher resolution of the latest 7R significant, and the really unusual side of this is that the SL2 offer both very high resolution and very advanced video specs in one camera. That would make the price much easier to live with, since it's a true all-in-one body. Very impressive :thumbs:

Not that I can afford one, at least not now.... :rolleyes:
There are a lot of specific improvements to the A7RIV that are NOT tied to the megapixel count. A lot of them actually. People just assume it’s all about the sensor alone and focus on that. It’s probably the least important thing about that update.

The SL2 is in fact seemingly a great update too. It’s probably the second Leica I’ve had strong interest in since I left them 5 years ago.
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
Stop in a the LUF and you can find a long list of reviews. The mainstreamer to whom I give the greatest credibility is Jaron Schneider at Imaging Resource, who was present at least for the Wetzlar showing and seems to have had additional time. He has to be jaded, since they review every interesting camera, and have a good lab to support them technically. And they are not careless (consider their water-resistance studies). He grades the SL2 from good to really good and in some areas just okay, BUT... Here's the TL;DR:


The Leica SL2 is a good camera. It feels good to use, it takes really good pictures, it has some really nice touches to both the physical design and the menu, and it has access to just a ton of lenses from the entire Leica library. It has an okay autofocus system, and it has an okay processor. So while it excels in many places, it only reaches just shy of par for the course in others.

But while the Leica SL2 is just a good camera, it is a spectacular camera experience.


He wants one. Kinda like Jono's feeling, I think.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Stop in a the LUF and you can find a long list of reviews. The mainstreamer to whom I give the greatest credibility is Jaron Schneider at Imaging Resource, who was present at least for the Wetzlar showing and seems to have had additional time. He has to be jaded, since they review every interesting camera, and have a good lab to support them technically. And they are not careless (consider their water-resistance studies). He grades the SL2 from good to really good and in some areas just okay, BUT... Here's the TL;DR:


The Leica SL2 is a good camera. It feels good to use, it takes really good pictures, it has some really nice touches to both the physical design and the menu, and it has access to just a ton of lenses from the entire Leica library. It has an okay autofocus system, and it has an okay processor. So while it excels in many places, it only reaches just shy of par for the course in others.

But while the Leica SL2 is just a good camera, it is a spectacular camera experience.


He wants one. Kinda like Jono's feeling, I think.
I think he works for PetaPixel now. I talked to him a bit on Twitter yesterday and he has generally had a positive outlook on the L-Mount Alliance as a whole. I tend to agree with him regarding the Alliance with my only real hesitation right now being AF performance.
 

SrMphoto

Well-known member
Stop in a the LUF and you can find a long list of reviews. The mainstreamer to whom I give the greatest credibility is Jaron Schneider at Imaging Resource, who was present at least for the Wetzlar showing and seems to have had additional time. He has to be jaded, since they review every interesting camera, and have a good lab to support them technically. And they are not careless (consider their water-resistance studies). He grades the SL2 from good to really good and in some areas just okay, BUT... Here's the TL;DR:


The Leica SL2 is a good camera. It feels good to use, it takes really good pictures, it has some really nice touches to both the physical design and the menu, and it has access to just a ton of lenses from the entire Leica library. It has an okay autofocus system, and it has an okay processor. So while it excels in many places, it only reaches just shy of par for the course in others.

But while the Leica SL2 is just a good camera, it is a spectacular camera experience.


He wants one. Kinda like Jono's feeling, I think.
I liked the Field Test article in Imaging Resource. It is very unfortunate that they will be closing soon.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
I am actually now looking forward to Leica camera releases. Not that I will ever be a Leica customer--nothing against the cameras, they are just not in my sphere. But when Leica puts out a new camera, Jono puts out a new review. And I get to see his dog pictures again!

Jono, you outdid yourself this time. There are some really nice images of of your dog--the gale image is priceless.
 

D&A

Well-known member
I am actually now looking forward to Leica camera releases. Not that I will ever be a Leica customer--nothing against the cameras, they are just not in my sphere. But when Leica puts out a new camera, Jono puts out a new review. And I get to see his dog pictures again!

Jono, you outdid yourself this time. There are some really nice images of of your dog--the gale image is priceless.
+1! You mentioned it previously Jono, but what breed are your dogs? Thanks.

Dave (D&A)
 

jonoslack

Active member
Thanks very much for the vert informative and entertaining “review”. Excellent piece as always. Just wondering what you offer to your dog to be such a patient sitter. I never get ours to sit for more than 5 seconds.
HI There George
Matty doesn’t sit still . . It’s a case of catching her at a good moment!
Thanks for the kind words ‘entertaining’ is what it is intended to be and ‘review’ is what other people do!
All the best
Jono
 

jonoslack

Active member
Great review as always Jono. What surprises me is that from a specification point of view, Leica seems to top all of its competitors here, with a possible exception for the AF. I don't consider the higher resolution of the latest 7R significant, and the really unusual side of this is that the SL2 offer both very high resolution and very advanced video specs in one camera. That would make the price much easier to live with, since it's a true all-in-one body. Very impressive :thumbs:

Not that I can afford one, at least not now.... :rolleyes:
Hi There Jorgen
They do seem to have hit a specification home run here - especially with the video specs (which I’m not capable of taking advantage of!). The AFc is not state of the art (no phase detect) - but the AFs is really quick and accurate - and it’s rather lovely to use. I can’t afford one either, but but but!
Hope you’re flourishing
All the best
Jono
 
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