[Leica] SL redux, day1

Sun Jan 8 11:43:36 PST 2017

+1
Lluis


> El 7 gen 2017, a les 18:35, Tina Manley <tmanley at gmail.com> va escriure:
> 
> Those are all spectacular!!  Feathers and all details are sharp as a tack.
> I love the bokeh, too.
> 
> The one with the pomegranate is probably my favorite.  The colors are
> wonderful.
> 
> Tina
> 
> On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 12:28 PM, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> 
>> Yesterday was my first full day with the SL and 90-280mm zoom.  The SL is
>> unchanged since I first tried it a year ago, what's new (for me) is the
>> lens.  Given the storms and family obligations for the next several days it
>> will probably be another week or more before I can use the camera more.
>> 
>> Recapping my initial thoughts about the SL: the solid construction,
>> responsiveness, file richness, the simple, configurable, no-nonsense
>> control layout, and viewfinder (with one exception) continue to delight me.
>> 
>> I'm still annoyed by the inability to make the viewfinder's exposure
>> preview mode permanent; it's enabled by a half-press of the shutter switch
>> or can be configured to be activated by the fn button (where the DOF
>> preview button is on Leicaflexes).  The viewfinder reverts to automatic
>> brightness after each exposure.  If the subject and background are similar
>> tones, no big deal.  OTOH if there's much difference between the subject
>> and background tones it can be very distracting particularly when using
>> spot metering and the subject is dancing around the field of view, as avian
>> subjects often do.
>> 
>> The 90-280 is spectacular, nearly as good as the 280/4 APO.  I haven't
>> seen any color fringes either spherochromatic (color fringes in OOF
>> high-contrast objects) or laterally.  This lens would do well with a
>> higher-resolution sensor.  Much higher.  Which brings up a problem:
>> aliasing and moire.
>> 
>> Feather detail, a very sharp lens and a sensor without AA filter can be a
>> difficult combination to work with.  Moire-reducing software and occasional
>> cloning out scrambled pixels become necessary for the best quality files.
>> This is less a problem with the Sony a7II which has a similar-sized sensor
>> and an AA filter.  I still see some color aliasing when using the 280/4 APO
>> on the Sony but not nearly as much as the 90-280 on the SL.  Combine the
>> Sony with the Canon FD 500mm f/4.5 L and color aliasing is never a problem,
>> in part because the lens has some lateral chromatic aberration, correctable
>> with software.
>> 
>> My test subjects were familiar birds in my yard, lured within range of a
>> 280mm lens with seed, water and fruit.  This was my first opportunity to
>> try the SL's AF in the field.  I found that the most reliable use of this
>> feature was single-point manual focus, which means that a touch of the
>> joystick focusses the lens at the focussing point.  The SL's AF is quick
>> and quiet and assuming it locks onto the right target its accuracy leaves
>> nothing to be desired.  No micro-adjustment ever required.
>> 
>> As I expected, the AF system focuses on the nearest point within its AF
>> area meaning the bird's shoulder or wing and not necessarily its eye.
>> Manual fine-focus is possible by pressing the lower-left key on the
>> camera's back, with brings up 3x or 5x magnification in the viewfinder in
>> two steps.  I find that 3x is an excellent compromise that allows critical
>> focus over a significant area of the image.  I wish the Sony offered this
>> option instead of jumping directly to 5x.  I also wish the SL would offer
>> the 3x option with the joystick button when using non-electronic lenses.
>> 
>> When using a native lens the lower-left key is the only option for
>> bringing up viewfinder magnification, so I have to take my left hand away
>> from the focussing ring, move it to the camera's back to press the key,
>> then back to the focussing ring.  Not the most effective technique.  Maybe
>> I can train my nose to press the key.  The 90-280 is a focus-by-wire lens;
>> the zoom is mechanical.  Both rings rotate smoothly and the resistance of
>> the two rings is identical.  When using manual focus the focusing ring is
>> sensitive to the rate of turning the ring: quick rotation = large changes,
>> slow rotation = small changes.  Very nice.
>> 
>> The lens's optical stabilization works well, probably better than the
>> Sony's sensor stabilization, but subject motion is the limiting factor more
>> often than the stabilization technology.  In practical use the Sony's
>> stabilization would have done just as well.
>> 
>> Enough words, show some pictures!
>> 
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000046_crop.jpg
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000065_crop.jpg
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000091_crop.jpg
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000108_crop.jpg
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000116.jpg
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000131_crop.jpg
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/temp/L1000206_crop.jpg
>> 
>> Doug Herr
>> Birdman of Sacramento
>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>> http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Tina Manley
> www.tinamanley.com
> tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
> http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html
> 
> _______________________________________________
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