giganova
Well-known
I am finally ready to leave my decades of film photography with M cameras behind ... and jump into digital photography! 😃
So I rented a Canon R5 and went to my local Leica store to check out the SL2-S and Q2. All three are fabulous cameras, can't go wrong with any of them. But I am having a hard time deciding and was hoping you could weigh in. I am a documentary photographer with lots of travel, mostly documenting "the human condition" (whatever that means). I prefer a fixed 35mm-ish fixed lens and have no need for a zoom lens. I shoot almost everything in aperture priority, occasionally in P mode when I need to "point & shoot" due to lack of time when things are evolving fast in front of my camera.
Any thoughts? Thanks!
So I rented a Canon R5 and went to my local Leica store to check out the SL2-S and Q2. All three are fabulous cameras, can't go wrong with any of them. But I am having a hard time deciding and was hoping you could weigh in. I am a documentary photographer with lots of travel, mostly documenting "the human condition" (whatever that means). I prefer a fixed 35mm-ish fixed lens and have no need for a zoom lens. I shoot almost everything in aperture priority, occasionally in P mode when I need to "point & shoot" due to lack of time when things are evolving fast in front of my camera.
- Q2: Coming from M cameras, I instantly felt "at home." The small form factor and size are perfect (even better with a Thumbs-Up). Much smaller than I thought, which is a good thing for me because I can carry it around all day. Even though it has a rather wide 28mm fixed lens (I prefer 35mm), I find the crop modes appealing and would probably set it at the 35mm crop mode so I can see in the finder what is coming into the frame from the sides ... just like my film Ms! ;-) The Q2 is the most expensive of the three cameras but still within my budget, so no major concerns here, especially the "Traveler Kit" that includes an extra battery. Love the aperture ring at the lens! Cons: (1) What really bothers me is the lack of a USB-C port: in my line of work, I typically shoot hundreds of pictures, then plug the camera into the USB port of my car, drive to a new location and the battery is fully charged when I arrive. Not sure how I would manage battery life for a whole day or days of shooting "on the move" without a UBS-C port unless I buy more (expensive $280!) batteries and/or there is a fast charging solution for cars, airplanes, etc. (2) While the viewfinder is nice, it is not nearly as good as that of the SL2-S or R5. (3) Not crazy about the single memory card slot, but I guess I have to trust technology that I won't loose photos.
- SL2-S: Gorgeous camera with a perfect grip. "Only" 24 Mpix, but I'm OK with that. Viewfinder is superior to that of the Q2 because it has a much higher resolution (5.7 vs 3.7 M-dots) and a noticeably larger magnification. The eye cup is much more comfy than that of the R5 and especially that of the Q2 (my right temple started to hurt after playing with the Q2 only for a short while in the store). Love the display at the top. Has a USB-C port and dual card slots. Good weather seals. Cons: Schlepping that (surprisingly) big & heavy beast around all day will be quite the workout! Couldn't use a wrist-strap because it is too big & heavy.
- R5: Similar to the SL2-S in terms of specs but with more pixel, and a bit lighter & smaller. The autofocus of the R5 is simply stunning! This would be the first camera where I would never have to worry about focus, it is truly amazing. Viewfinder has a much higher resolution and magnification than the Q2, simply magnificent to look through. Love the screen on the top and the USB-C charging port. Lenses are cheap. This could be a true work horse I'd toss it in my bag and not worry about it being scratched and banged around. I find it a big plus that you can flip the display at the back around and against the body of the camera so it doesn't distract and protects the glass (and presumably save battery). Good weather seals. Costs a little less than the SL2-S kit that is currently "on sale" but not by much, especially if you factor in the more expensive CFExpress cards it needs. Cons: (1) Obviously not a Leica which I always find very inspiring and make we want to take pictures. (2) Even though much of the body is made of magnesium, it feels a bit plasticy, especially the 35/2 and 50/2 lenses which are not weather sealed. (3) A gazillion of buttons & wheels!
Any thoughts? Thanks!
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