After reading so many comments online about the size of the SL, I fully expected the FedEx guy to roll it into my office using a set of hand trucks. The reality is that it is not that much bigger than an M, and certainly a lot smaller than my old Canon DSLR. It is somewhere in size between the M and S, but more towards the size of the M. Place the M and SL on a table, step back a couple of steps, and they appear very similar in size.
In my opinion, the size of the SL is perfect for its intended purpose. Let me tell you what looked completely out of whack - the Sony a7R that I once owned, with an Otus 85 mounted on it. If I still owned that combo, I would post a shot, but alas, the Sony experience now seems so long ago in the past.
If we want a small camera, then there is the iPhone, but if we want full weather and dust sealing, a touch-screen rear LCD, Wi-Fi and GPS, dual SD card slots, 4k video, 11 fps burst rate and a versatile lens mount that will accept Leica L lenses, Leica T-System lenses natively, and Leica M, S, R, and cine lenses (with adapters), then we have the SL.
One of my college professors told me something that has stuck with me throughout my career, "Tell your clients that you offer (1) fast service, (2) low prices and (3) quality work; pick any combination of two." Similarly, we have to make choices in cameras.
-Robert
Dec 02, 2015 at 09:50 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
adamdewilde wrote:
You can set the exposure comp easy. You just press and hold a button and jog the wheel.
Which brings up another point. Something that annoys me. IF you're changing exposure compensation. Then need to change say WB. You have to give the camera a second to switch from LCD to EVF then back to LCD to make the change. I suppose if it were all LCD work it would be fluid, or all EVF work (EVF in the menus). But I have mine set to EVF for shooting and LCD for preview/menu and the switchover takes to long when going from ISO settings to WB etc.. ...Show more →
That does sound easy to me, but I am sure that some Canon shooters at least will hate it. Canon has a wheel that control exposure compensation and let's you change it without taking the camera from your eye. I always took the camera away from my eye, anyway, but I am probably unusual in that way. The hold and jog the wheel sounds fine to me, but my guess is this will be a big deal to some.
I guess it depends on which button you have to press down while turning the dial. Right now with the M240, you press the front function button (under the 'M') and scroll the thumbwheel to set exposure compensation. This works fine for me, a long time Canon user. With the M9 I had it set so that simply turning the rear wheel around the four-way controller would set exposure compensation, but unlike with my Canon's I frequently found that the camera simply moving against my body would dial in compensation without me knowing it. And this also affects the meter in manual exposure, which I wasn't used to with Canon... So at least in this respect, having to press a button makes some sense. But yes, as a Canon shooter, I would prefer the option of a one-step application of exposure compensation.
Ron, functions for exposure comp, white balance, ISO, user profiles, etc. are assignable to three of the four buttons surrounding the LCD. Once assigned, you press and hold the button for a second or two in order to bring up the control that you have assigned to that button. For example, I have assigned EC to the upper left button. If I quickly press that button, it brings up the settings menu, but if I hold it a bit longer it brings up EC which I can then set with the Click Wheel. I also like the fact that I have the option in settings to set either 1/3 or 1/2 EC adjustments per click, which I have set to 1/2. It only takes a short while to remember what function is assigned to which button. It just wouldn't be right to put sticky notes back there.
So I don't know if you would call this a good thing or a bad thing.. But I was trying to shoot some Christmas trees (we were buying one). And it was raining a bit. And the camera kept missing focus. And I was perplexed as to why. Then when I got home I noticed the camera was catching raindrops not missing focus.. It's just so quick and accurate
I'm sure this has happened with my Canons and Nikons before. I just don't remember the last time I got caught out in the rain with those suckers.
Couple of super random shots from a friends themed B-day party. Used a 21Lux and a flash. The EVF is still very usable in very dark rooms.. Talking F/1.4 ISO 50,000 30th of a second black.. With me sometimes stopping down to F/11.
Though these were shot mainly at low ISOs and high flash power decently wide open (blinding everybody).
Adam, thanks for the information about your low-light experience with the SL. I have not yet had a chance to test the SL in a low light environment. Missed an opportunity last evening when attending a black tie dinner/dance, but if I had taken a camera I would have been sleeping on the sofa for a week. Life is a series of difficult choices.
Steve Spencer wrote:
That does sound easy to me, but I am sure that some Canon shooters at least will hate it. Canon has a wheel that control exposure compensation and let's you change it without taking the camera from your eye. I always took the camera away from my eye, anyway, but I am probably unusual in that way. The hold and jog the wheel sounds fine to me, but my guess is this will be a big deal to some.
It may just come down to what one gets used to using but, for me, the quickest and most intuitive EV exp. implementation is that as used by Sony and Fuji. Having that wheel on the right corner so one can easily adjust exposure while looking at the EVF histogram is so much easier than any two-stage button type control - or even a control that is not easily changed with the right thumb. For the SL, ideally Leica would allow one to directly assign EV comp to the rear control wheel (I'm surprised this is not an option?). As EV comp is my most used control, how it is implemented on a camera is a major litmus test as to use/ purchase for me.
Agreed. I would say one annoying part of the Sony is that it can easily be changed by mistake. I've trained myself to ensure it is correct.
The Nikon bodies were easy enough as well that you could hold one button to unlock and change with an index finger immediately. Not sure about how I feel about having a forced delay to do this with the SL. Would have to play with it.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
It may just come down to what one gets used to using but, for me, the quickest and most intuitive EV exp. implementation is that as used by Sony and Fuji. Having that wheel on the right corner so one can easily adjust exposure while looking at the EVF histogram is so much easier than any two-stage button type control - or even a control that is not easily changed with the right thumb. For the SL, ideally Leica would allow one to directly assign EV comp to the rear control wheel (I'm surprised this is not an option?). As EV comp is my most used control, how it is implemented on a camera is a major litmus test as to use/ purchase for me....Show more →
Ideally, for me anyway, the thumb wheel would allow for direct EC adjustments, and the jog button (not the official terminology) when pressed would zoom the EVF for focusing, just as it does for viewing, an image. Both would allow the photographer to make those often used adjustments without losing contact with the subject as is required under currently available options.
Does anyone know whether Leica provides a means for users to provide input and recommendations for firmware updates - a kind of extended beta program for early adopters?
relms wrote:
Adam, thanks for the information about your low-light experience with the SL. I have not yet had a chance to test the SL in a low light environment. Missed an opportunity last evening when attending a black tie dinner/dance, but if I had taken a camera I would have been sleeping on the sofa for a week. Life is a series of difficult choices.
Which flash?
SF-24D Works better then the SF-26 which I managed to finally get into the camera (with a lot of struggle). But it scratched my hot shoe
Hmmm.. I took SL with 24-90 this past weekend along with my D810 and A7r ii. I love the output from SL but just got back home and have not really go through all the pictures yet. However, I notice that eventhough AF is fast in good light, certainly I do not notice any big different between SL and D810, SL is significant worse than A7r ii with Batis 25/2 and D810 even with 200-500/5.6 when it comes to low light. SL really struggle quite a bit when I try to take sunrise picture as the sun was breaking through cloud/fog cover (I was on top of a hill above low cloud/fog cover). Batis and 200-500 had no problem locking AF on the cloud anywhere in the frame but SL could not lock focus most of the time unless I find a really high contrast spot of the cloud with strong sunlight right on it. Once AF is locked on, I really like the output though.
Dec 08, 2015 at 11:29 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
at LUF, new firmware that allows focus magnification to be move to the little joystick will be available Dec. 14th. It also allows exp. comp. to be set with the front bottom being held while turning the adjustment wheel. It is good to see Leica addressing these issues so quickly.
at LUF, new firmware that allows focus magnification to be move to the little joystick will be available Dec. 14th. It also allows exp. comp. to be set with the front bottom being held while turning the adjustment wheel. It is good to see Leica addressing these issues so quickly.
Dec 09, 2015 at 04:57 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
The revised firmware (version 1.2) is now available on the Leica website. Focus magnification for MF lenses is not located on the joystick and goes directly to full mag and toggles back to full view. Exposure comp can now be adjusted by holding the front button and turning the adjustment wheel. Both should be notable improvements for many in adjusting on the fly.
I downloaded the update.. Haven't bothered to install it yet. Though I've been using my 50APO on the camera almost exclusively since last week.
Grown to like the zoom enough for what it is. But I wouldn't use it over any of the many M,S,R primes I have... Unless I needed AF or a zoom
Back to the update.. I haven't bothered installing it yet, because I don't seem to have a problem focusing the 50APO with the EVF. I think my critical focus rate is lower then with my RF, but it's only been a little while. And I'm getting faster/better every time I run errands and take shots with the camera.
Personally I think that the magnification should be linked to the spot metering circle. Because it'll allow one to predetermine where the magnification zooms in. As I generally put the spot metering circle on my subject when shooting not in manual mode (though that's rare and when I'm in "auto" mode it's usually M-shutter, M-aperture, Auto-ISO, since it seems to work quite well with spot metering).
If anyone would like this 39 page glossy brochure of the SL, PM me with your address and I'll send it along. I got it at a local photo show and no longer need it...though once I send it, unfortunately, I can no longer claim owning anything made by Leica.
Life is a series of difficult choices.
