Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/02/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Have you brought up the viewfinder brightness on the Leica Forum? Maybe Leica can come up with a firmware or software fix. I know exactly what you are talking about but did not realize the cause of my viewfinder difficulties in bright sun. Tina On Sat, Feb 6, 2016 at 8:39 AM, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net> wrote: > The last two days I've only had a couple of hours to play with the SL. > I'd say 99.5% of it is very impressive and extremely capable; I'll get to > the other 0.5% shortly. > > It's a very solid tool with clear, purposeful controls. The viewfinder is > quite good, the joystick is delightful (user-programmability of its > acceleration function would improve it) and the other buttons, dials and > such are readily at hand when needed and they stay out of the way when not > needed Very impressive. > > My test photos are not intended to demonstrate the camera's artistic > sensibilities. I'm just testing technical performance. > > One of the DMR's strengths is the robustness of the raw files, their > ability to be manipulated, stomped on and tortured and not whimper. > Pulling detail out of shadows is one of my tests and to this end I enlisted > the hummingbirds in my yard & made some backlit photos exposed for > highlights, then used ACR's 'fill light' function to bring up the color and > detail of the bird's gorget (the red feathers). This robustness of the DMR > files saved my butt on more than one occasion, for example: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/leporidae/lepus/bthare06.html > > so here's how the SL did (cropped, about 1/3 of the original file): > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/SL/L1050752.jpg > > I'm impressed. > > > Responsiveness is another test. My Sony a7II is quite responsive when I > enable the electronic first curtain feature, but this feature's practical > utility is limited to shutter speeds no faster than 1/1000 sec. To test > the SL I used the Ruby-crowned Kinglet that has taken a liking to my > hummingbird feeder. Kinglets are hyperactive bits of fluff and this > particular kinglet was jumping from a twig, fluttering up to the feeder for > a sip then back to the twig. The entire process takes less than a second. > I wanted to see how much total lag there was between the viewfinder, my > reaction timing, and the shutter lag. I pre-focussed on the feeder tube > and watched the viewfinder, pressing the shutter release when the bird > entered the picture. The camera is in single-shot drive mode, no crop: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/SL/L1050888.jpg > > I'm impressed. > > > I also learned that my FD adapter is a cheap POS and I'll need to use tape > or jam some shims into the adapter's aperture stop-down ring in order to > use my 500 L at any aperture other than f/4.5. > > So now I get to the 0.5% I'm not thrilled with. The camera's viewfinder > defaults to automatic brightness mode with 'exposure simulation' mode > enabled with a half-press of the shutter release or by pressing the > exposure simulation mode button on the front of the camera. The viewfinder > reverts to the default automatic brightness mode after each exposure. > > WTF were they thinking? One of the really huge advantages of the EVF is > the real-time exposure feedback. Automatic viewfinder brightness in these > scenarios makes the bird go so dark I can't see any detail for focussing or > for catching the desired posture: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/tyrannidae/pyrocephalus/veflyc00.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/buteo/rshawk04.html > > and makes the bird go alternately too bright or too dark when I shift the > camera's field of view left or right: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/sphyrapicus/rbsaps02.html > > Very distracting, breaks my concentration, makes focussing and seeing what > the bird is doing very difficult. In polite company I'd call the automatic > viewfinder brightness feature an 'epic fail', and it's can't be turned > off. It can be turned off in the M240, why not the SL? Re-enabling the > exposure preview mode after every exposure reminds me of the days before > SLRs had instant-return mirrors. This one feature is a deal-breaker for > me. > > Needless to say I've e-mailed Leica about this stupid f***ed-up feature, > and I've filtered my language for this post. More SL playtime this > weekend. > > > 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 http:// <http://t.sidekickopen35.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJN7t5XYgfmKYPW4WzBHl3Mx_9dW3LqWkM56dQ1Jf7P8b5b02?t=http%3A%2F%2Ftina-manley.artistwebsites.com%2F&si=6038418186567680&pi=38c6ab40-8cfa-4382-e170-3ca31b2ebe35> www.tinamanley.com http://tina-manley.artistwebsites.com/