Ken Ford
Refuses to suffer fools
Well, the SL2 is here and is blowing me away.
Can I ask how others have their buttons and options set?
Can I ask how others have their buttons and options set?
Considering a SL series body
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Archiver
Veteran
My Leica SL2-S settings
Over the past three months, I've experimented with the SL2-S to create a number of settings which help me quickly access what I need. By setting up User Profiles, customizing the function buttons and the Favorites menu, the SL2-S has become so much easier to use. This may be of some use to...
rangefinderforum.com
These would apply equally to the SL2. My understanding is that the SL2 tops out around ISO3200 for usable images, so I would limit it to that.
Ken Ford
Refuses to suffer fools
Perfect - thank you! I was well along with setting things up, then FOTOS notified me of a firmware update. I had been saving my changes to a user profile, but unlike most cameras those changes are overwritten when you update firmware. Lesson learned, export the settings to a spare card.
shawn
Veteran
It should be able to go much high than that. This is 12,800 on the S1R which has the same sensor as the SL2. Still plenty of detail and the noise is more of just a fine grain.My Leica SL2-S settings
Over the past three months, I've experimented with the SL2-S to create a number of settings which help me quickly access what I need. By setting up User Profiles, customizing the function buttons and the Favorites menu, the SL2-S has become so much easier to use. This may be of some use to...
These would apply equally to the SL2. My understanding is that the SL2 tops out around ISO3200 for usable images, so I would limit it to that.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
Congratulations! Don't forget to update the firmware.
Archiver
Veteran
That's wild! I've been uhhh considering the S1R after getting the S1 (lawd help me) but most of what I've read suggests that the S1R doesn't do very well over ISO 3200 or so. I do a lot of cropping of images I shoot at ISO 3200 and 5000, so I was hoping the S1R would handle that okay.
shawn
Veteran
You obviously lose some detail and dr as you go up (compared to base iso) but if you need the high iso to get the shot you will get the shot. As I recall above 12800 it degrades much quicker, though you might be ok in b&w. I shoot elevated iso fairly regularly to get shutter speeds fast enough to get freeze the blade movement in fencing meets and also for low light dances. You can even do it with jpgs as that engine is tuned well to handle the noise without killing detail.
S1R is an awesome camera, esp taking advantage of the resolution and shooting other ARs. I have it, an ir converted S1 and the S1H.
S1R is an awesome camera, esp taking advantage of the resolution and shooting other ARs. I have it, an ir converted S1 and the S1H.
trix4ever
Well-known
I think this is a terribly subjective issue.
I use my SL2-S, Fp, and until I sold it, my S1, at 12800 iso quite happily.
However to my eyes my S1r is wonderful at base iso and totally unacceptable over iso 1600.
For the work I do with the S1r I make large prints and also need huge DR, for which the S1r is perfect.
Years ago I gave up trying to use one camera for everything, so when the light is good or I can use a tripod it's the S1r, when the light is poor the SL2-S does an amazing job.
I totally understand if others work differently, but personally I have very little tolerance for digital noise, and poor DR leading to burnt out highlights or blocked up shadows. This probably comes from decades of using large format film.
As they say YMMV.
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mrtoml
Mancunian
Agree this is very subjective. According to the photons website it looks like the SL2 is about a stop worse than the S1R.
I have recently bought an S1R which can be had at bargain prices at the moment. I find the Panasonic lenses are pretty good and I am quite happy with it up to ISO3200. Here is a quick example.
There is noise but there is also good detail. I can only print up to 16x20 at the moment and I generally use the S1R at ISO 800 or slower. I think it is fine for that. I am contemplating moving back up to a 24" printer but I think I would probably use my GFX for that size if I needed slower ISO.
I have recently bought an S1R which can be had at bargain prices at the moment. I find the Panasonic lenses are pretty good and I am quite happy with it up to ISO3200. Here is a quick example.
There is noise but there is also good detail. I can only print up to 16x20 at the moment and I generally use the S1R at ISO 800 or slower. I think it is fine for that. I am contemplating moving back up to a 24" printer but I think I would probably use my GFX for that size if I needed slower ISO.
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shawn
Veteran
Agree that that is very subjective, so in that vein for those that want to see what is possible, I just took some boring test shots outside, in highlight priority metering in RAW. One of these is at ISO100, the other at ISO 25,600. Light shifted a little between the two.
And then at 100% zoom
I used DXO DeepPrime XD noise reduction on the ISO 25,600 shot. Not saying they are identical, but showing that they are closer than what some might think.
And then at 100% zoom
I used DXO DeepPrime XD noise reduction on the ISO 25,600 shot. Not saying they are identical, but showing that they are closer than what some might think.
Freakscene
Obscure member
The problems are that these are processed and that the noise tends not to look like this in low light where you need the high ISO. I’m not saying that these are unrepresentative of the performance difference, just that they are representative of it in good light, and with post-processing noise reduction.
shawn
Veteran
I had multiple ND filters on the lens. I can do the same thing later tonight when it is darker without filters. I was actually surprised at how well the NR did at this ISO as I have tended to avoid it.
Lightroom's NR doesn't hold a candle to DXO on this example.
The color differences are due to just different profiles between the two programs.
And this is showing what the RAW files looks like with NR turned off.
Anybody shooting RAW is going to post process and NR is part of that.
Obviously, if you can shoot at a lower ISO that is the way to go. But if you need the high ISO to get the shot you can get the shot.
I wanted to also try high ISO in high resolution mode to see how that impacts noise and DR but that is limited to ISO3200 and under. Normally you gain a little under 2 stops more DR in high resolution mode at base ISO and gain more as ISO increases, almost 3 stops at ISO800 for example.
Lightroom's NR doesn't hold a candle to DXO on this example.
The color differences are due to just different profiles between the two programs.
And this is showing what the RAW files looks like with NR turned off.
Anybody shooting RAW is going to post process and NR is part of that.
Obviously, if you can shoot at a lower ISO that is the way to go. But if you need the high ISO to get the shot you can get the shot.
I wanted to also try high ISO in high resolution mode to see how that impacts noise and DR but that is limited to ISO3200 and under. Normally you gain a little under 2 stops more DR in high resolution mode at base ISO and gain more as ISO increases, almost 3 stops at ISO800 for example.
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Freakscene
Obscure member
Sure, but understanding what comes out of the camera and how much post processing it needs is important. The LR comparison is important for me because I send a lot of event photos from the venue in almost real time and need software that works on iOS or iPadOS. I have DXO and Topaz on my computers but I need to use the web version of Topaz on location.
For my own work in monochrome I almost never denoise (2 photos in 13 years).
Absolutely. High resolution modes are nice where they work.
My main interest was to see what the cameras actually produce, as opposed to the software.
shawn
Veteran
The noise drops off below 25,600. When I need to take a bunch of pictures and have minimal processing I limit myself to around 12,800. For fencing meets I need fast shutter speeds indoors and shoot around 6400-12,800 pretty regularly using the JPEG output to have almost no post processing needed.
Sure, and if my shots were in monochrome I doubt they would need much either as the color noise becomes pretty much irrelevant.
Here is another test shot in just about pitch black conditions at 25,600. This is full resolution so if you click on it you should be able to see it that way.
Unless you are shooting JPEG only, software is a requirement for the camera to be able to produce anything.
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Ken Ford
Refuses to suffer fools
Are any of you using a SL series body for video? I picked up a used battery grip to help with the large Sigmas but also because I’ve heard about issues shooting video with only the single battery in the body. I’m considering two new Kastar batteries to devote to the SL2, right now I have the one that came with it plus the one in my Q2M which I’d rather not use for this.
The issue I’ve identified is that there are no good fitted Arca Swiss type plates for the battery grip, and the tripod socket is offset to the rear of the bottom which makes most generic plates suboptimal. I’ve seen mention of using a USB-C battery pack when doing video, supposedly if it’s one that does PD it will work for this. I’m curious if anyone here has tried it.
The issue I’ve identified is that there are no good fitted Arca Swiss type plates for the battery grip, and the tripod socket is offset to the rear of the bottom which makes most generic plates suboptimal. I’ve seen mention of using a USB-C battery pack when doing video, supposedly if it’s one that does PD it will work for this. I’m curious if anyone here has tried it.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
... and, of course, that says that the JPEGs produced in camera have used the software embedded in the camera, so if you're looking to that to determine noise, you're just looking at someone else's software. ☺️
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I had the SL 601 and battery grip. I don't recall for sure if both batteries are in play with the grip fitted, but just like the Nikon F3 and its motor, I only rarely used the camera outfitted with it because it simply became more bulky than I liked that way.
I was never a big video shooter. What issues are you hearing about shooting with just the one battery in the camera?
G
Ken Ford
Refuses to suffer fools
Apparently people have issues under certain resolutions when the battery drops below 75%. The BG makes it a little better, but an external battery seems to be the ticket.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Ah, thanks. Never did enough video to notice, myself.
- This thread tickled me to think about maybe, just maybe, buying a secondhand Leica SL2.
- Another thread incited the same desire to buy another Hasselblad SWC/M.
- Yet another sang its siren song about the Leica X1.
I pulled out my ancient Light L16 and went for a walk with it. What a marvelous camera it is, so compact and handy, 50Mpixel, 28 to 150 mm FoV, etc etc. Sadly, it's long, long, out of production and totally unsupported, and its Lumen software will not run on any of the recent releases of macOS. The battery will ultimately die and is not easily replaceable. Sigh. When it can no longer be used, it will be a lovely and unusual desktop paperweight.
G
Ken Ford
Refuses to suffer fools
Those were wild!