[Leica] the SL: first month

Mon Feb 29 20:06:30 PST 2016

I've read a lot of comparisons and reviews that were not nearly as clear 
cut in pointing out strengths and weaknesses.  Thanks for sharing your 
thoughts.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA

On 2/29/2016 9:55 PM, Doug Herr wrote:
> The SL has been in my possession for about a month now so I've gathered a few of my thoughts about this camera, and how it compares with my current equipment, the Sony a7II.
>
> General impressions: the SL is a very solid, well-made camera. It's significantly heavier than the a7II, and it fits the hand extremely well especially when wearing gloves (which I cannot say for the a7II). The viewfinder is outstanding, with one complaint which I'll get to. The camera overall is very responsive and reasonably quiet, the files have rich full color and will take a lot of abuse without falling apart and the noise at higher ISO settings is manageable. The noise pattern, unlike the a7II, is quite pleasing.
>
> The stuff I don't like: the viewfinder's default mode is 'automatic brightness', which can be overridden temporarily to 'exposure preview'. It always reverts to 'automatic brightness' after each exposure. I'd much prefer the 'exposure preview' mode to be sticky. This is how I've set up the a7II; this way I can use the entire viewfinder as an exposure meter in manual mode. It makes spot, full-field and matrix modes look primitive and IMHO is among the really big advantages of an EVF. Leica needs to do a firmware update to fix a few other issues notably lens profiles so I hope they fix this as well and SOON.
>
> My biggest complaint about the SL: no sensor stabilization. I'm smitten with the a7II's sensor stabilization. I can use all of my old lenses, stabilized. It's allowed me to push a lot of boundaries while my muscles have weakened with age and abuse, and are no longer as steady as they used to be. The Leica SL doesn't have sensor stabilization. In good light when I use a big Series 5 Gitzo my FD 500mm L is brilliant on the SL. Gorgeous colors, easy to focus, and with software correction for lateral chromatic aberration it's sharp sharp sharp sharp sharp.
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/anas/gwteal04.html
>
> Using the lens on the a7II, I can brace the lens against my truck's window frame in sh!tty rainy light with wind shaking the truck and the images are nearly as good as with the SL in good light on the Gitzo. The Sony's colors aren't as rich, the files don't take as much abuse, but they're sharp in conditions that don't work with the SL.
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/circus/noharr14.html
>
> I can partially compensate with the SL's excellent high-ISO capabilities
>
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/rbsaps03.html (ISO 3200)
>
> but... the Sony's stabilization makes magnified focussing with the 500mm lens much easier, and fast shutter speeds mean I don't show rain streaks like I can with the Sony's slower shutter speeds (i.e., the Northern Harrier photo above).
>
> What the SL can do the Sony can't touch: the camera is quick and responsive at all shutter speeds. I can make the a7II adequately responsive by enabling electronic first shutter curtain but with my mechanical lenses it's good only up to 1/1000 sec. At faster shutter speeds I get uneven exposure. The SL is quick, quiet and responsive at every shutter speed.
>
> The Sony is a sturdy, reliable camera, the SL will take a beating that would destroy most other cameras.
>
> The SL's LCD doesn't show nose prints. I tried to deliberately make nose prints.  Can't do it.
>
> There are numerous little differences that come down to personal preference, for example the SL allows me to change shutter speeds while in magnified view, with a dial that's almost a real shutter speed dial.  The Sony's dial moves the magnified box.
>
> The Sony leaves a lot more stuff in my wallet. Aside from the purchase price, spare batteries don't cost $250 each and I can get them at Fry's.  I'm struck by a comparison of the a7II with the Canon FD 300mm f/4 L and the SL with the 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R.  Either lens can be used on either camera but this is an extreme for illustrative purposes.  The a7II + FD 300 L is a decent camera; the lens now, with digital image processing not available in 1990, is better than when it was new.  It's not an APO-Telyt, but quite good.  The a7II+300L is about 2 kg.  The SL+280 APO is about 3 kg, 50% heavier than the a7II combo.
>
> Did I mention the Sony leaves a lot more stuff in my wallet?  There's an order of magnitude difference in the entry ticket.  An ORDER OF MAGNITUDE.  Is there an order of magnitude difference in the output?  An order of magnitude difference in image sales potential?  Given sales lately I'd have to answer an emphatic NO to the last question, which leaves the subjective and unquantifiable differences.  Not to mention being able to say "oh shucks" and head over to eBay if I drop the camera in the ocean instead of panicking about the expense of repairs and the months of downtime when the 280 develops a sticky aperture.
>
> Except for two features the SL is much more enjoyable to use.  The first is the SL's #%@! automatic viewfinder brightness default.  Please Leica, make the 'exposure preview' mode a sticky option!  The second is the a7II's sensor stabilization.  This is where I see the biggest differences between the SL's output and the a7II's output.  This feature on the a7II pushed me off the buy/wait fence.
>
> Both of these cameras have numerous capabilities that I haven't begun to try, but for my uses the Leica SL isn't quite "there", and I say this as a die-hard Leica user for the last 35 years. A firmware update with an option to make the 'exposure preview' mode sticky would be a serious threat to my wallet; given a hardware upgrade with a stabilized sensor, resistance would be futile.
>
> For a first-generation product it's outstanding and with the two fixes I've mentioned I'd be ecstatic.  As it is when I grab a camera to head out the door it's most likely the a7II for the lower weight, the stabilized sensor, the exposure preview viewfinder and the much lower worry about loss or damage.
>
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
> http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com
>
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