The Leica SL: the new AF Leica

Godfrey said:
Sure. So what? I don't own any, but I can rent them very easily if I need to. I suspect they'll image the same way other lenses of similar focal lengths image, and of course there are few ultra-wides in the right focal lengths for the 24x36mm format. They're not the only option.

I doubt you'll have to stop down at all with the SL. And yeah, it doesn't have IBIS. Neither does my M-P or D750, and neither did my A7. I couldn't bother using any of my M-mount wides on the A7 due to all the color shifting and other crud. There's a device called a Tripod ... Perhaps you've heard of it? ;-)
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G
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This initial 24-90mm SL lens has internal stabilization. The other native SL lenses to come will also, I bet.

As to wide prime lenses, the S lens range offers 24, 30, and 35mm, which will fully work "as native" on the SL. It may be a while before we see those focal lengths made for the SL, but the system will fill out gradually. As has the S system for that matter. Not overnight, but there are plenty of attractive lens alternatives now.
 
So, at the end of the day let's take some images, go down to the pub, drink beer and talk sh*t about whatever cameras we have, and throw the wank factor out the window. ;)
 
I never liked mirrorless SLRs, they were not my cup of tea.
This camera is different to anything Leica has released so far.
And the fact I can use all, all the lenses I have, from Summicrons r, to zeiss glass, to nikon glass, all my zooms, might me look at it with different eyes (and I have never, ever owned or bought a D-SLR), only mechanical film cameras. Just use digital wise a cheapo compact. My 99% shooting is film.
But I consider this a serious alternative to everything.
Wish them luck. At the moment funds don't allow going for that piece of equipment, but in short-medium term, who knows?
Best regards to all
Robert
 
bobby_novatron said:
Quote: "The shutter of the SL is really really quiet – deliciously so, and with the mass of the body, I don’t think that shutter shock could ever be a problem (certainly I’ve found no evidence of it), in terms of stealth, the camera is quiet enough to shoot in any conditions without disturbing the subject."

That last sentence made me laugh. Quiet enough -- yes. But visually? "Don't mind me, I'm just waving a huge German-made brick-sized camera in front of you. Just relax and ignore the Howitzer shell-sized lens near your face. It's like I'm not even here." :)
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What is it about Leica that makes amateur [1] reviewers loose their minds?

It's great the shutter is quiet. It's nice the design and build quality makes one "think" eliminate shutter shock is nonexistent. But using the phrase "in terms of stealth" is simply silly give the size of this system. Unfortunately it undermines the writers other conclusions.

My cynical side tempts me to conclude amateur reviewers are scared stiff to write too many critical statements that could result in them being expelled from the "club".

My "get off my lawn you kids" senior citizen mindset set supposes these sort of reviews suffer from a lack of journalistic training and a total absence of peer input (A.K.A. editors).

Otherwise I am puzzled. This trend started with the initial amateur conclusions the M8 IR problem was trivial as it could be fixed in post-production and continues nine years later in one form or another.

Except for Erwin Puts (who is a not an amateur writer) does anyone really take these amateur reviews seriously?

[1] being a professional photographer is not automatic training or qualification for being a professional journalist
 
willie_901 said:
Except for Erwin Puts (who is a not an amateur writer) does anyone really take these amateur reviews seriously?
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What does it mean to take them seriously? I skim through most of these to get some information beyond technical specification and marketing department bs bingo.
 
Huss said:
Anyway, I love this camera. If this is too expensive, then so is every other Leica. If every other Leica is too expensive, well, that's how it's always been so what's new pu$$ycat?
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Not really, unless you're speaking only of digital Leicas. There was a time when a Leica could 'out image' other 35mm cameras, on he strength of its lenses and lack of mirror impact. But, digitally, those advantages are lost. Cheaper cameras have higher-resolving sensors. And cheaper cameras have higher-resolving sensors with no mirrors.

But, whatever. People buy cars and jewelry and whatnot for ridiculous reasons, so why not this? It's just unfortunate that it looks like it's a Prototype by an ex-Pentax designer.
 
Lss said:
What does it mean to take them seriously? I skim through most of these to get some information beyond technical specification and marketing department bs bingo.
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It's serious cheap marketing. One can take that seriously.
How many cameras does SteveHuff sell for anyone who sends him one.
I think it's still safe to call them reviewers but certainly not testers. (As Mr Putz might be considered).

Willie makes a perfect point. These guys are dependent on the camera companies sending them cameras to review.

They need content to populate their sites.
No one of them would dare give a review that would put them at odds with a Leica or Fuji or Sony.
That does not mean they lie. Just that it's always, always a biased review.
 
I think these sites give some useful information for people who lack easy access to new equipment. Often it helps the most to check what topics several people cover (not necessarily what they are exactly saying about those topics) or everyone skips altogether, especially if it is not something that is clearly coming from the marketing department. Lately, I however see more and more that they quote or link to each other. This collaborative, even copycat, approach actually risks making them even less relevant as a whole. It's always interesting to see what someone comes up independently. Then again, we don't know what happens behind the curtains.
 
willie_901 said:
I agree.

I will speculate the AF issues mentioned in the review will decrease as people who are inexperienced with phase-detection AF gain experience. I searched for a PDF of the manual without success. I wonder if there are AF system menu options that could optimize performance in different situations.
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I see someone else provided the download link. Let me know if you still need it.

While I understand the importance of AF in the larger marketplace, these issues—if they are actually issues and not just unfamiliarity/human error type problems—rarely mean much to me. A lot of modern photographers posting to the net seem to feel that if the camera doesn't focus precisely and perfectly on its own without any input other than being pointed in approximately the right direction, it's unusable. That just seems a very weird attitude for me. I was out shooting with the Leicaflex SL this morning and was marveling at just how quickly and easily it snapped into focus, all manually, due to the superb quality of the lenses and the delightful focusing screen and viewfinder optics. AF remains much more of a challenge to me than that.

My primary interest in the SL is for use with my lenses, all manual focus, and there the quality of the focusing experience is what's important rather than the speed of an AF system.

This SL is a deep and versatile piece of equipment. I want it for probably about 40% of its total capabilities, and for which it seems specifically the best game in town. For that, it will be worth the price.

G
 
The aesthetics of this camera leave much to be desired, I can't recall such cartoonish industrial design from a major brand...

Far too heavy. Have zero interest in carrying something like this all day...especially with huge native lenses, let alone vintage R lenses which are over-engineered and overweight...

Fitting M glass to such a huge body? Really?

It's unfortunate as I don't wish Leica ill, I just fear it will be a financial failure for them.
 
Reminds me of my old Fuji Professional medium-format rangefinders: big and to the point. For an older generation of readers who grew up shooting medium format, sacrificing compactness for function is a necessary trade-off. Whether that trade-off is worth it for this camera, considering the high price, is up to the buyer to decide. There's always an M body for a walking around camera. I'd like to try renting one for an event.
 
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