Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/03/01

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Subject: [Leica] the SL: first month
From: images at comporium.net (Tina Manley)
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2016 12:13:49 -0500
References: <29395815.1456804556347.JavaMail.root@elwamui-hound.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Thanks, Doug!!  I can certainly understand your concerns.  Your
photographic requirements to shoot wildlife are very different from mine
shooting documentary of people.  I still like the SL and don't regret
buying it at all.  It will take a trip photographing every day to see how
well it stands up to my M240 and M246.  I'll report in May ;-)

Tina

On Mon, Feb 29, 2016 at 10:55 PM, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net>
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
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>



-- 
Tina Manley
http://
<http://t.sidekickopen36.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJN7t5XYgfmKYPW4WzBHl3Mx_9dW3LqWkM56dQ1Jf7P8b5b02?t=http%3A%2F%2Ftina-manley.artistwebsites.com%2F&si=6038418186567680&pi=6df84f6d-5a24-404b-f65b-450d0352b3e0>
www.tinamanley.com
http://socialdocumentary.net/photographer/tinamanley
http://tina-manley.artistwebsites.com/


Replies: Reply from roark.paul at gmail.com (Paul Roark) ([Leica] the SL: first month)
In reply to: Message from wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] the SL: first month)