[Leica] SL redux, end of story

[Doug Herr]

My month with the loaner SL+90-280 APO is up and I've sent the camera back.  Unlike a year ago the camera is nearly within financial grasp and for a while I was tempted to ask about $pecifics, but I ran afoul of too many roadblocks.

in a nutshell: the 90-280 APO is a fabulous lens.  I found no weak spots, the resolution and color richness are spectacular, possibly too good because aliasing with the non-AA filtered 24MP sensor is a constant problem with fine feather detail.

The optical stabilization works quite well.  Leica says it automatically distinguishes between panning and unintentional wobble.  But what about intentional wobble?  When I follow the random motions of a critter with the camera and the field of view lags because the OS thinks what I did was unintended.  The image slowly drifts to where I pointed the camera while I'm trying to follow the animal's head with the focussing point.   Meanwhile the animal has moved again.  ARGGH!  Once I get the focussing point on the animal's head (and there are no foreground weeds or higher-contrast limbs right behind the bird) focus is quick, nearly silent and precise, but when it picks the wrong object it's maddening to get it back on subject.  Why does anyone put up with this AF bullsh!t?

As reported earlier, the viewfinder reverts to automatic brightness after each exposure.  This function misses out on one of the really great advantages of a mirrorless EVF camera, the added WYSIWYG dimension of real-time exposure confirmation.  The M(262) allows full-time exposure simulation mode, why not the SL?  At least Leica is now aware of my complaint and I was told it should be possible to add this feature in firmware.

IMHO the 24MP sensor is an image-quality bottleneck with this 90-280 APO.  When using the 280/4 APO on the 24MP Sony a7II I sometimes see color moire but because of the Sony's AA filter it's far less frequent than with the SL and 90-280 APO

I've recently added a used Sony a7rII to the toy box.  With this camera and the 280/4 APO aliasing is very rarely a problem and I suspect the 90-280 APO would also benefit from this 42MP sensor.  The Sony's sensor is also stabilized, so it works with the 280/4 APO.  It also works with the FD 500mm L, the 100 APO and the 60 Macro.  It doesn't try to detect unintentional wobble.

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/mimidae/oreoscoptes/sathra05.html
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/emberizidae/melospiza/lispar01.html
http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/strigidae/athene/buowl10.html

I'll still keep an eye on SL system developments but for now the Sony bodies will be the digital backs for my R and other lenses.

Doug Herr
Orangevale, Sacramento County
http://www.wildlightphoto.com
http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com