-
IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
I just love this camera even though it will cost a bomb!
- Thread starter Leongsam
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
Price in NZ
$10,346.96 excl. GST
NZ$11,899.00
LEICA SL (Typ 601 ) Body - Black
Taking Orders NOW First Shipment due this month
24 MP
The Leica SL-System marks the beginning of a new era of professional photography. As the first mirrorless system camera of its kind, it offers...
$10,346.96 excl. GST
NZ$11,899.00
LEICA SL (Typ 601 ) Body - Black
Taking Orders NOW First Shipment due this month
24 MP
The Leica SL-System marks the beginning of a new era of professional photography. As the first mirrorless system camera of its kind, it offers...
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2008
- Messages
- 23,454
- Points
- 0
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
Just came back from a demo at the local dealer.
Here's the main points.
1. Does not have the range of features for focus tracking that are available in the D4s but this will come to pass in future firmware updates. In other words this camera is not yet ready for professional action photography.
2. No sports lens at the moment. Current 24mm to 90mm zoom is for studio and photojournalism. 70mm to 280mm lens available mid next year which will probably be when firmware updates are released to take full advantage of this lens. It will then be extremely interesting to see whether any pro is seen with it at a major sports event.
3. Very solid and very waterproof. Demo included pouring a jug of water on the camera and lens with no ill effects whatsoever. Water just rolls off the lens with zero water residue on the lens surface.
4. Fantastic colour from DNG files without tweaking. Skin tones very natural. Because it is an electronic viewfinder, any colour balance adjustments can be seen in the viewfinder because when you look into the viewfinder, you're actually seeing the image that will come off the sensor.
5. Electronic viewfinder is the best ever. Far better than Sony, Olympus and Fuji.
6. Touch screen can be used to focus. Just touch the image where you want to focus eg if you're in the studio and you want to focus on model's left eye, touch the spot and the camera will focus and shutter will fire in a split second. It's amazingly accurate and razor sharp.
I highly recommend it if you have $17,000 burning a hole in your pocket.
Here's the main points.
1. Does not have the range of features for focus tracking that are available in the D4s but this will come to pass in future firmware updates. In other words this camera is not yet ready for professional action photography.
2. No sports lens at the moment. Current 24mm to 90mm zoom is for studio and photojournalism. 70mm to 280mm lens available mid next year which will probably be when firmware updates are released to take full advantage of this lens. It will then be extremely interesting to see whether any pro is seen with it at a major sports event.
3. Very solid and very waterproof. Demo included pouring a jug of water on the camera and lens with no ill effects whatsoever. Water just rolls off the lens with zero water residue on the lens surface.
4. Fantastic colour from DNG files without tweaking. Skin tones very natural. Because it is an electronic viewfinder, any colour balance adjustments can be seen in the viewfinder because when you look into the viewfinder, you're actually seeing the image that will come off the sensor.
5. Electronic viewfinder is the best ever. Far better than Sony, Olympus and Fuji.
6. Touch screen can be used to focus. Just touch the image where you want to focus eg if you're in the studio and you want to focus on model's left eye, touch the spot and the camera will focus and shutter will fire in a split second. It's amazingly accurate and razor sharp.
I highly recommend it if you have $17,000 burning a hole in your pocket.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
So yesterday I wrote down my instant opinions on the new Leica SL right after seeing the specs, images of the camera and the info on it. That post already has over 220 comments and its growing every hour. That page has had 76k views in the last 24 hours. So there is loads of interest in at least SEEING what this new Leica is. I usually do not get those numbers on a single post unless it is a massive big review. So there is some buzz going around here with the SL for sure.
I had signed an NDA over a month ago for this one, which is why I could not speak of it before the announcement but I have thought more and more about the SL since yesterday and have come to realize that Leica is aiming this at the PRO Market for the SL (as they say themselves). The guys and girls who shoot Nikon, Canon and even Sony. It appears they want the Wedding market, the Concert shooters, the portrait shooters, the studio photographers… and I am sure the SL will excel in those situations as long as the sensor delivers performance across the board – low light to good light. The SL is actually more like a Mini S than anything else after studying the tech, rear controls and taking a closer look at the build. So they created a small S with a 35mm full frame sensor to market it to the discriminating pro market who want a Leica.
But how easy of a task will this be for Leica? First off, with only three native and very very expensive lenses at launch it will be VERY hard for them. Not sure how many will want to sell off their Nikons and Canons to spend $25 k or so for a Leica SL and three lenses, with one fast prime. But I am sure there will be many who do, just not massive numbers. Then again, Leica is not used to massive numbers as they are a Niche brand in reality, and while they do VERY well, no camera they ever make will sell in the same numbers as a Nikon or Canon or Sony.
I have seen Leica go from near bankruptcy before the M8 and M9 to thriving during the M9 days when it was impossible to find almost ANY M lens in stock, anywhere. Used M lenses were, at times, selling for more than the new prices and there was an M9 “movement” because there was simply NOTHING out at the time that could replicate what the M9 did. Being a digital rangefinder meant nothing else existed in the world like it. It also had an IQ about it that nothing in the 35mm full frame world could match or replicate, so the M9 was a smash hit for Leica. They sold way more than they thought they would. The only camera I have seen in recent times that sort of replicated that M9 look is the Leica Q, and the Q is quite popular as it was a great design and performs to a high level. Problem is, finding it in stock. Just ask Ken Hansen.
The X1 was another HUGE HUGE hit for Leica back in the early digital days and sold the best of any X they released afterwards.
So the digital cameras that did really well for Leica? The M8, then the M9, and the M 240 (not as well as the M9 though). Then the old X1, and now Q. The Q is VERY popular and well received but Leica is not delivering units to the USA, and dealers have been backordered for months. Same with the new Monochrome..seems they have been busy making loads of SL’s instead gearing up for shipping. Not sure why the lack of Q’s and Monochrom’s here in the USA but many are wondering what is going on. With the shiny new huge Leica factory you would think they could pump out the M’s and Q’s with ease. Not sure what the delay is for the US customers.
But again, as with Any Leica release, the SL has brought on controversy. Some are lusting after it big time and many have placed pre orders for it as well. Then there are those who are just slamming it from every angle. Me, I am neutral. While I do not agree or really gel with the body style, the two zoom lenses (size or price), or the price point in general, I am fully aware it will make a beautiful photograph, be built to a very high standard and be a camera that anyone would be proud to own. That was never in question. The question I have is…WHO is really going to buy this?
With the M, there is no competition, so the price is justified. With the SL, there are loads of other cameras like it for much much less. So competition is fierce in this area, very fierce.
It’s one thing to charge $7k for an M240 when no one else on earth makes a digital rangefinder. It’s in line with what people will pay so they price it accordingly. The SL at $7500 without a lens is a hard pill to swallow for me personally as one can go buy a Sony A7RII for $3100 or a Nikon D800 series body for $3k or a Canon 5D series, etc They will also have HUNDREDS of lenses to choose from where the SL gives them 3. So the SL has to be pretty special to convert hard core pros who are bonded to their brand.
Of course you can always buy or use Leica S lenses or M lenses with the SL, and as I said yesterday, if the SL can use any wide angle Leica lens and have it problem free (which they may do with in camera correction like they do with the M) 100% then it will be the only NON M game in town for M lenses and perfection. A huge EVF, easy focus and no issues with M glass would make the SL a very interesting tool.
So we all have to wait and see how it behaves with the wider angle M glass.
Is it expensive? YES. Will it be a beautiful machine? YES. Does it have enough to justify the extra thousands of dollars over a Sony, Nikon or Canon? THIS we do not know, but time will tell, and if so then I congratulate Leica for coming out of the gate with a world class Mirrorless camera.
If not, then I think it will be another ho hum camera in regards to sales for Leica. We shall see, but I am indeed excited to test this one out as my curiosity has been aroused. In the meantime I may go back to shooting an M240 for a while to get my RF groove back on after months of a break from it. It’s never dull around my house! I may even buy an SL and one lens to do a long term review diary…then sell it here to a reader for a great discount. Not sure yet
I spoke with a couple Leica dealers today who told me the demand for the SL is there…so should be interesting to see how this one plays out. I seriously can’t wait for the new M which I feel will be out in 2016, and be MUCH different from what the M 240 or M9 or M8 was. THAT will be my dream camera if what I am thinking is happening really is.
of course I know nothing and am saying nothing but my crystal ball showed me a few things recently, hehehe.Steve
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2008
- Messages
- 23,454
- Points
- 0
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
http://cameradecision.com/compare/Leica-SL-vs-Nikon-D810
Now that I have seen it in the flesh, it is actually smaller than the D810
The only thing that really sucks about the Leica is the battery. It is plagued by the same problem that all mirrorless cameras suffer from and that is battery life. You can only get 400 shots per charge.
The solution to this is to add a vertical grip but that will add to the weight and bulk of the camera so it ends up bigger and heavier than the D810.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
Not enough lenses at the moment to replace my Nikon system.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
Tuesday, October 20, 2015[h=2]Hands-On With The New Leica SL Mirrorless Camera[/h]David SchlossPublished in Reviews
Leica SL Mirrorless Camera
When Leica announced the new Leica SL mirrorless camera system, the company took a bold step into the professional full-frame mirrorless market that hitherto was occupied only by Sony. The Leica SL is a new direction for the company, which already makes the Leica M-system, the digital rangefinder (and therefore mirrorless) successors to their legendary M-system film cameras. With a successful “mirrorless” camera in the M-system, what's Leica offering with the new Leica SL?
We had unique access to the Leica SL for a week of shooting and came away impressed, though with some reservations.
Built Tough
It’s no mistake that the Leica SL bears the same “S” moniker as the company’s “medium format” DSLR, as the SL is much more evocative of that large, domineering camera than it is of the Leica M. There's nothing subtle nor compact about the Leica SL, and it feels like the camera is carved out of a block of metal, because that’s exactly how Leica creates the shell for the body.
Weather resistant and full of technological innovations, the Leica SL is incredibly important for a number of reasons, even for the photographer that can’t afford the $7,450 price tag, nor the $4,950 of the first dedicated SL-lens, the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 / f/2.8-4 ASPH. (Neither of those lens specs are a typo, the lens is the usual-yet-welcome focal length of 24-90 and a variable aperture of f/2.8-4. More on that in a bit.)
The first reason that the Leica SL is so important comes down to specifications—the camera marks the first time that a full-frame mirrorless camera hits the 11 fps mark. It’s also the first weather-resistant full-frame mirrorless. By contrast, the leading full-frame system, the Sony a7-series, is not weather sealed, and the camera tops out at 5 fps.
Category Leader
That brings up the second reason the Leica SL is important, which is because its status as a new contender for market share puts pressure not only on Nikon and Canon (companies the Sony system also challenges) for innovation, but pressure on Sony. Up until the Leica SL launched, Sony enjoyed being the only solution for full-frame mirrorless photographers, and now there’s also Leica. That Leica could more than double the capture rate of the second generation of the Sony system will have to result in a faster performing series of cameras in the full-frame space down the road.
The final reason that the Leica SL is important is its size and weight. The Leica SL is the first mirrorless camera to weigh as much, or more, than a pro DSLR. That size affords it some very quick performance, and also increases the durability of the housing—two things that many pros need. While the Sony system was known for being a lot of performance in a little package, the Leica SL is the first system where form followed function and resulted in a large, solid camera.
That said, there are some drawbacks with the performance of the Leica SL. The camera uses a contrast detection-based focus system, and in our meeting with Leica the company claimed their system was the fastest focusing camera in its class. But contrast detect systems are by definition not as fast as an equal phase detect system, nor are they as able to predict focus on a moving target.
That’s not to say that there isn’t an AF-C mode on the Leica SL, just that a contrast detection system can’t predictively focus as well on a moving target. There are also things that the phase detect systems are very good at in cameras like the Sony a7R II, and that includes focusing in AF-C mode in low light. This was detailed in an excellent article on DPReview.com, the take away being that the a7R II can focus better in low light (with a fast aperture lens) than DSLRs.
So the Leica SL might have the fastest contrast detection system—and we would have to subject it to a battery of tests to see if the claim of fastest AF in its class is true—but it’s not able to focus as fast in low light as the phase detect systems in DSLRs and in the a7R II, which we were able to confirm when shooting with the Leica SL and the Nikon D750 side-by-side at night.
When I brought up the question of having only contrast detection to the Leica product managers I met with, they reassured me that the system was fast, but conceded that the company doesn’t have many sports photographers among its ranks—perhaps that’s the rational behind a system that’s good for targets where there's good light coverage, as one might find on location or in a studio.
Limited Selection
Being a brand new system, the Leica SL has a limited availability of native lenses, at this point very limited. There is only one SL-series lens at launch, the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 / f/2.8-4 ASPH, mentioned above. The camera can use the Leica S, T, R and M lenses with an adapter, but if you’re looking to match the weather-resistant SL body with the SL lens, you’ll have to wait a while to see more options.
Those options will include the Leica Apo-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90–280mm f/2.8-4 and the Leica Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. It’s especially strange to see that zoom lenses are the first pieces of kit for the Leica SL, and doubly odd to see them be variable-aperture lenses. With a price tag for the lens approaching that or exceeding many professional bodies I’d have expected the company to have a fixed f/stop across the range. I love the versatility of the 24-90mm range on the lens, but I’d gladly trade a bit of reach for faster aperture.
Image Quality
We had several days of good weather (and some inclement weather) in which to test the Leica SL. The first was in New York City on a day with blue skies and sunlight. The photos from that shoot—largely architectural—were bright and dynamic and full of color. The images from this shoot were some of the most detailed and vivid I’ve shot in New York City—and that’s my testing ground for most cameras.
Another shoot was at the Jersey Shore on an overcast day. My son, dressed in a vividly color sweatshirt was the test, and he was tracked reasonably well by the camera, but not as fast as the Nikon D750 I also brought was able to track him. The Nikon was outfitted with the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 DI VC USD and I found in many cases the Nikon resulted in images with increased saturation and tonal range.
The images though where the Leica really shone (pardon the pun) was when the late-day sun fell across the scene. The dynamic range was impressive and suddenly the colors and the vibrance of the images really seemed to pop.
This, of course, was just one shoot in one condition and an evaluation of both the in-camera JPEG and RAW files. Both images could be tweaked from the RAW to look very similar to each other, but the images from the Leica SL were, at least at the default DNG import into Lightroom (and in the in-camera JPEGs) different enough to be noticeable.
It’s also impossible to say if the performance on the beach shoot was really due to the Lens. We had no other Leica lenses available (nor adapters) when the SL was given to us.
One interesting thing about the camera’s ISO range, which goes up to 50,000—I shot several high ISO shots at night of the Asbury Park boardwalk against the black sky, and there was almost no noise, much better than the performance of the D750. But when I shot at a lower ISO inside, under sufficient lighting, there was more noise than the shots in the dark. I suspect the camera does a better job smoothing the noise from a consistent tonal range like the black sky than the varying patterns of humans in plaid shirts.
Takeaways
To put the Leica SL into a proper context, it’s important to look at the original Sony a7. The camera was a breakthrough, just as the Leica SL is, but it wasn’t as refined and as powerful as the current a7R II. It took quite a bit of development and lens production to get Sony the marketshare it has.
In order to disrupt a market and to create groundbreaking new products, you have to start somewhere. The Leica SL is an incredible first mirrorless full-frame camera from Leica and it’s better by far that many cameras on the market.
Leica has succeeded in creating a solid, high-performance camera with excellent image quality and incredible potential. The camera is a radical departure from the Leica M series, which they will obviously continue to make.
By raising the bar in the professional mirrorless space, the company has helped improve the future for all photographers.
That is, after al, part of what Leica does. Their film cameras set the standard for precision and perfection in the photographic world, yet each camera built on the shoulders of the system before it.
The Leica SL is the next major milestone in the evolution of digital photography. Not everyone will be able to afford this beautiful expression of German engineering, but everyone will be affected by its presence in the market. In that regard, the Leica SL is worth praise and admonition and it will be remembered as a turning point in photographic history.
Leica SL Mirrorless Camera
When Leica announced the new Leica SL mirrorless camera system, the company took a bold step into the professional full-frame mirrorless market that hitherto was occupied only by Sony. The Leica SL is a new direction for the company, which already makes the Leica M-system, the digital rangefinder (and therefore mirrorless) successors to their legendary M-system film cameras. With a successful “mirrorless” camera in the M-system, what's Leica offering with the new Leica SL?
We had unique access to the Leica SL for a week of shooting and came away impressed, though with some reservations.
Built Tough
It’s no mistake that the Leica SL bears the same “S” moniker as the company’s “medium format” DSLR, as the SL is much more evocative of that large, domineering camera than it is of the Leica M. There's nothing subtle nor compact about the Leica SL, and it feels like the camera is carved out of a block of metal, because that’s exactly how Leica creates the shell for the body.
The first reason that the Leica SL is so important comes down to specifications—the camera marks the first time that a full-frame mirrorless camera hits the 11 fps mark. It’s also the first weather-resistant full-frame mirrorless. By contrast, the leading full-frame system, the Sony a7-series, is not weather sealed, and the camera tops out at 5 fps.
Category Leader
That brings up the second reason the Leica SL is important, which is because its status as a new contender for market share puts pressure not only on Nikon and Canon (companies the Sony system also challenges) for innovation, but pressure on Sony. Up until the Leica SL launched, Sony enjoyed being the only solution for full-frame mirrorless photographers, and now there’s also Leica. That Leica could more than double the capture rate of the second generation of the Sony system will have to result in a faster performing series of cameras in the full-frame space down the road.
The final reason that the Leica SL is important is its size and weight. The Leica SL is the first mirrorless camera to weigh as much, or more, than a pro DSLR. That size affords it some very quick performance, and also increases the durability of the housing—two things that many pros need. While the Sony system was known for being a lot of performance in a little package, the Leica SL is the first system where form followed function and resulted in a large, solid camera.
That said, there are some drawbacks with the performance of the Leica SL. The camera uses a contrast detection-based focus system, and in our meeting with Leica the company claimed their system was the fastest focusing camera in its class. But contrast detect systems are by definition not as fast as an equal phase detect system, nor are they as able to predict focus on a moving target.
That’s not to say that there isn’t an AF-C mode on the Leica SL, just that a contrast detection system can’t predictively focus as well on a moving target. There are also things that the phase detect systems are very good at in cameras like the Sony a7R II, and that includes focusing in AF-C mode in low light. This was detailed in an excellent article on DPReview.com, the take away being that the a7R II can focus better in low light (with a fast aperture lens) than DSLRs.
So the Leica SL might have the fastest contrast detection system—and we would have to subject it to a battery of tests to see if the claim of fastest AF in its class is true—but it’s not able to focus as fast in low light as the phase detect systems in DSLRs and in the a7R II, which we were able to confirm when shooting with the Leica SL and the Nikon D750 side-by-side at night.
When I brought up the question of having only contrast detection to the Leica product managers I met with, they reassured me that the system was fast, but conceded that the company doesn’t have many sports photographers among its ranks—perhaps that’s the rational behind a system that’s good for targets where there's good light coverage, as one might find on location or in a studio.
Limited Selection
Being a brand new system, the Leica SL has a limited availability of native lenses, at this point very limited. There is only one SL-series lens at launch, the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 / f/2.8-4 ASPH, mentioned above. The camera can use the Leica S, T, R and M lenses with an adapter, but if you’re looking to match the weather-resistant SL body with the SL lens, you’ll have to wait a while to see more options.
Image Quality
We had several days of good weather (and some inclement weather) in which to test the Leica SL. The first was in New York City on a day with blue skies and sunlight. The photos from that shoot—largely architectural—were bright and dynamic and full of color. The images from this shoot were some of the most detailed and vivid I’ve shot in New York City—and that’s my testing ground for most cameras.
It’s also impossible to say if the performance on the beach shoot was really due to the Lens. We had no other Leica lenses available (nor adapters) when the SL was given to us.
One interesting thing about the camera’s ISO range, which goes up to 50,000—I shot several high ISO shots at night of the Asbury Park boardwalk against the black sky, and there was almost no noise, much better than the performance of the D750. But when I shot at a lower ISO inside, under sufficient lighting, there was more noise than the shots in the dark. I suspect the camera does a better job smoothing the noise from a consistent tonal range like the black sky than the varying patterns of humans in plaid shirts.
To put the Leica SL into a proper context, it’s important to look at the original Sony a7. The camera was a breakthrough, just as the Leica SL is, but it wasn’t as refined and as powerful as the current a7R II. It took quite a bit of development and lens production to get Sony the marketshare it has.
In order to disrupt a market and to create groundbreaking new products, you have to start somewhere. The Leica SL is an incredible first mirrorless full-frame camera from Leica and it’s better by far that many cameras on the market.
Leica has succeeded in creating a solid, high-performance camera with excellent image quality and incredible potential. The camera is a radical departure from the Leica M series, which they will obviously continue to make.
That is, after al, part of what Leica does. Their film cameras set the standard for precision and perfection in the photographic world, yet each camera built on the shoulders of the system before it.
The Leica SL is the next major milestone in the evolution of digital photography. Not everyone will be able to afford this beautiful expression of German engineering, but everyone will be affected by its presence in the market. In that regard, the Leica SL is worth praise and admonition and it will be remembered as a turning point in photographic history.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
A history of Leica SLR and a new Leica SL
By: Thorsten Overgaard (September 29, 2015, Updated December 2, 2015)
Flip
The Leica SL is not a large mirrorless Sony A7 but a compact, quiet and mirrorless Nikon dSLR. If you understand that, you understand a lot more about where the Leica SL is going to be used.
It's been a trend for a long time that dSLR cameras are becoming the new medium and large format cameras. The Leica S was the first point in that direction. Leica Camera AG changed the box format for medium format to a camera size that is equivivalent to Canon 5D. Now they give themself competition on the Leica S line with an even smaller camera.
The dSLR cameras traditionally has been good for all-round photojournalism of race cars, portraits, reportage, red carpet events, model photography, fashion shows and more. The type of photography where you need a wide in the morning for one job and a long tele lens two hours later for another job.
But for everyday photography in the street and everyday life of most photo enthusiasts the dSLR is a heavy weight to carry all day. Hence the success of the mirrorless small cameras where the Leica Q is the latest and greatest addition.
This photo puts things into perspective. A comparison of the Leica SL with other pro SLR cameras. The Leica SL 90-280/2.8-4.0 lens compared to the other 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. The Leica SL might look a lot like a Sony mirrorless, but it's supposed to take the place of your pro SLR camera.
A dying camera type
The dSLR is a dying camera type. Everything gets smaller in size, faster and yet higher resolution and faster ISO speed.
What's the point in having a large camera with large lenses?
The largest lenses, in fact.
If you do need large tele lenses and the flexibility of auto focus zooms from a wide 24mm to a 280mm or beyond, and a handgrip that can hold them steady while you click away, the dSLR is the answer.
I see pro photographers using their small mirrorless a lot, as much as possible in fact, but for some things the dSLR is the right tool if there has to be a proper balance between the camera body and larger lens.
Sample photos from the Leica SL
[TABLE="width: 245, align: right"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 10"] [/TD]
[TD="width: 235"]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 10"] [/TD]
[TD="width: 235, align: right"]Linford Toy got his Leica SL.
© 2014 Thorsten Overgaard.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 10"] [/TD]
[TD="width: 235"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
I will be posting sample photographs from the Leica SL as they become available and they make a point in using the Leica SL instead of the Leica M or Leica Q.
The first one is Linford Toy who is a Leica M user who got his Leica SL just a few days ago. And see what he made out of it!
Photo by Linford Toy. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0.
Photo by Linford Toy. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0.
I will say that there is not much in my own photographic life that warrants the use of the Leica SL.
In the last month I've done somewhat 25-30 portraits from London to Tokyo for magazines and covers, and all with a Leica M and a 50mm lens. For a few reportage photographs I've used my 28mm and 75mm, so as you can imagine, none of this made me miss a Leica SL with a big 24-90mm zoom lens (which is the only lens available for the camera so far).
It's not that I feel I am missing out on sexy and exotic lenses in the Leica M lineup of lenses. If I did, I could mount some of my Leica R lenses via adapter on the Leica M. But I haven't done that for six months or more. Obviously, I didn't miss a Leica SL to put my R lenses on either.
In other words, I didn't expect or wait for the Leica SL. But we are all curious about the Leica SL. The question is are we curious enough to buy one when we already have enough?
The reality seems to be that a great deal of the Leica SL cameras will be going into video production because the Leica SL offers a very interesting video sensor with 4K as well as a reasonably priced video body. And you can fit so many interesting lenses onto the body.
Don't underestimate the 4K video ambitions in the Leica SL. Here with the Leica Cine 29mm Summilux-C f/1.4 ($37,500) but perhaps more relevant is the Leica S lenses on the Leica SL for video. Photo: Saul Frank/Camera Electronics
The Leica S lenses have some cool capabilities for video that really haven't been explored yet. So there you go, that should point towards why the Leica SL might be a good idea for Leica Camera AG even you as a Leica M user don't see the great perspectives. It's not a camera for everybody.
Also the Leica S users see the Leica SL as a very interesting camera with a lower price tag, longer battery time and a smaller body that still balances the Leica S lenses very well.
The great unknown is how many of the dSLR users will change to Leica SL. That is, if there is any dSLR users left by the time Leica Camera AG offers a reasonable range of AF-lenses for the Leica SL.
Last but not least is a number of Leica R lens ownes that have been longing for a camera body to mount their Leica R lenses onto. At least that's what they say. The Leica M 240 have been available since March 2013 for this, and before that you could mount the R lenses onto the Leica R9 with a digital back, or retrofit the Leica R mount to fit a Nikon camera. In the wide angle to short tele lens range there is not much reason to mount a Leica R lens instead of a Leica M lense on a camera. So the question is how many of the longer tele lenses are lying around waiting to be monted onto a Leica SL once the R adapter is available. Not enought to justify the Leica SL research and production, but perhaps enough to make a few hundred safari hunters and bird enthusiasts very happy.
The Leica SL starts delivery
The Leica SL and the first lens has become available as of November 20, 2015 and if you do your research, you might find one for delivery. If you dig a little deeper, you may find that the Euro vs the US$ and the Australian $, Yen and so on gives some possibilities for good prices because the Leica SL was priced when released and the prices aren't adjusted for the current prices of currencies.
A waterproof camera
The Leica SL is almost waterproof. Rain should not be a problem. When the product managers from Leica Camera AG presented the Leica SL in Singapore, they dipped the lens in water and poured a bottle of water over the Leica SL body.
Obviously, with the lens off the open camera body and the open lens bayonet is not water proof.
My Leica SL in Singapore after being in the afternoon rain. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
The zoom lenses
The first lens available for the Leica SL is the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 and we probably won't see any other for several months.
The idea from Leica Camera AG was to introduce variable a range in one lens till we start seeing prime lenses in autumn 2016. A 50mm and a 35mm Summilux has been designed, amingst otheres, but only the 50mm Summilux-SL ASPH f/1.4 has been presented in the lineup.
Traditionally Leica zoom lenses (for the Leica R system) have been designed so that they were just as good in each focal length as the prime lenses. I dn't know what this takes in lens design, but it's remarkable to see zoom lenses that isn't a compromize. The Leica SL lenses are made with the same intent and the lens designers even dare to challenge the users by saying that there will not be much of an image improvement in stopping the aperture down!
Princess Joy Villa. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 at 24mm f/3.2, ISO 12.500, 1/200 second. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
Macro with the Leica SL
The Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 is made for close focus, making it into almost a macro lens. So when Leica Camera AG said they wanted to make the first lenses very versatile, they actually did it.
A Rolls Royce in Hong Kong, November 2015. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 at 90mm f/4.0, ISO 400, 1/1000 second. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
Fast and quiet autofocus
The Leica SL has a so fast and quiet autofocus you might not notice, unless you are used to other types of autofocus. Combined with the mirrorless and shutterless sensor it makes a quiet camera all together whch will often make people not notice that the photo was taken.
The reson for the fast and quet autofocus, as far as the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 goes, is that there is only one relatively small lens that moves inside the zoom to achieve focus. Considering the zoom lens consist of 18 lenses in six groups with 5 aspherical surfaces, that is a very simple solution!
It's very Leica to apply the simplest solution in a complex construction. It reminds me of the Leica 400mm APO-Telyt-R f/6.8 that is a two feet long lens with just one button for focusing and one, single lens in the front. An amazing lens that accomplishes great photographs without much fuzz.
The six lens groups in the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 moves invdividually when you zoom, and that is also what makes the front extrude. I am personaly split as to if I like the look of this extruded lens; but I guess that if I would prefer one unit that stayed the same size all the time (with internal zooming and focusing), it would have to be a loger lens alltogether.
Image stabilization
The built-in optical image stabilization in the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 gives about 3.5 stops of stabilization (according to tests performed by CIPA) . That means that if you were to photograph with the lens at 1/500 second to get an image without motion blur (caused from moving the camera as in wobbling or for example from following a mobing subject), the 3.5 stops means that you should be able to go as low as 250 125 60 1/45 seconds and still get a frozen image without blur.
Though, if you shoot at 1/45 you might have motion blur from the subject in the photo moving; persons making gestures with their arms, talking and so on (while the lens moevments are in fact stabilized).
For video that is always made at 1/50 sec shutter speed, the image stabiliation is quite useful. It's not that you cannot make video at other shutter speeds, but the correct way to make video is to set the shutter to 1/50 escond and then reduce the light by using aperture or ND filter, or changing the ISO.
I haven't heard or tested if the image stabilization affects the image quality in stills.
Why I don't do comparisons
I don't believe in doing comparisons between the past and future. I believe in staying with what works, and then eventually making a decision to make something new work. And then I don't look back, unless I actually still use something of the past. The Leica DMR and the Leica M9 are still very usable and I will ocacsionally use them, but mostly I use newer things because it makes more sense.
I don't compare sensor sharpness, colors or anything. I look at what a piece of equipment does and then I decide either to use it or not. Of course I make some sort of mental comparison, but I would never perform a technical comparison in detail.
If you noticed, I only write about equipment I use myself. I don't get equipment for test but buy what I need for my work, and then I write about how I use it. Only occasionally you will find that I bought something, wrote about it and then decided to not use it anymore (as it has been the case with the Leica M 246 and the Lumu lightmeter for the iPhone).
I don't borrow and I don't get sponsorships. I buy what I need myself. My freedom and integrety is more important than a few thousand dollars. I am first and foremost an artist who need to be able to express my own ideas and thoughts. There is nothing wrong with being sponsored reviewer if that is what you want to do. I just don't do it.
Joy Villa in Hong Kong, November 2015. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 at 79mm f/3.9, ISO 800, 1/400 second. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
The aperture of the Leica SL lenses
Like the Leica S was never a low light camera due to the f/2.5 lenses and the large mirror in the Leica S (which means that any exposure slower than 1/250 results in minor camera shake from the mirror slap), the Leica SL is not currently a low light camera.
I'm talking about the current only available kit of the 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 and the Leica SL.
Witha f/2.8 wide angle lens and a f/4.0 90mm lens the camera requires quite some available light or a hig ISO setting to capture photographs. Especially if you come from Leica M 240 with a f/0.95 Noctilux as I do.
If you wonder what the f/2.8-4.0 means, it is a common thing in "cheap" lens design that a zoom lens changes the widest open aperture (or 'hole through the lens') when you zoom.
Only in expensive zoom lenses the design is so advanced (and complicated) that a zoom manages to stay the same f-stop no matter the focal length you zoom to.
I used the "worlds best zoom ever made" for some years with the Leica R9, the Leica 35-70mm Vario-Elmarit-R ASPH f/2.8 which for reasons of quality and availability sells fro $10,000 - $18,000 second-hand. I had it refurbished when the Leica M 240 came out and then tested if I would use it on the Leica M 240. I decided it was too big and sold it before I would bang it up again. And obviously the Leica SL have made me consider if I should get it again. It is an amaizing lens in terms of details, Leica look and colors, as well in the engineering. The aperture consis of 32 parts to make the aperture smooth and round at all f-stops and all focal lengts.
I wouldn't say I have decided on it, but I have considered the advantages of this vs. the 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0.
In terms of f-stop, the difference between f/4.0 and f/2.8 in the 90mm range is not essental; and the 35-70 is only covering that focal length, not from 24-35 and 70-90mm that the new SL zoom does. And it is manual focus. So maybe I will let the idea of re-acquiring the "worlds best ever made zoom" rest.
To be continued ...
By: Thorsten Overgaard (September 29, 2015, Updated December 2, 2015)
Flip
The Leica SL is not a large mirrorless Sony A7 but a compact, quiet and mirrorless Nikon dSLR. If you understand that, you understand a lot more about where the Leica SL is going to be used.
It's been a trend for a long time that dSLR cameras are becoming the new medium and large format cameras. The Leica S was the first point in that direction. Leica Camera AG changed the box format for medium format to a camera size that is equivivalent to Canon 5D. Now they give themself competition on the Leica S line with an even smaller camera.
The dSLR cameras traditionally has been good for all-round photojournalism of race cars, portraits, reportage, red carpet events, model photography, fashion shows and more. The type of photography where you need a wide in the morning for one job and a long tele lens two hours later for another job.
But for everyday photography in the street and everyday life of most photo enthusiasts the dSLR is a heavy weight to carry all day. Hence the success of the mirrorless small cameras where the Leica Q is the latest and greatest addition.
This photo puts things into perspective. A comparison of the Leica SL with other pro SLR cameras. The Leica SL 90-280/2.8-4.0 lens compared to the other 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. The Leica SL might look a lot like a Sony mirrorless, but it's supposed to take the place of your pro SLR camera.
A dying camera type
The dSLR is a dying camera type. Everything gets smaller in size, faster and yet higher resolution and faster ISO speed.
What's the point in having a large camera with large lenses?
The largest lenses, in fact.
If you do need large tele lenses and the flexibility of auto focus zooms from a wide 24mm to a 280mm or beyond, and a handgrip that can hold them steady while you click away, the dSLR is the answer.
I see pro photographers using their small mirrorless a lot, as much as possible in fact, but for some things the dSLR is the right tool if there has to be a proper balance between the camera body and larger lens.
Sample photos from the Leica SL
[TABLE="width: 245, align: right"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 10"] [/TD]
[TD="width: 235"]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 10"] [/TD]
[TD="width: 235, align: right"]Linford Toy got his Leica SL.
© 2014 Thorsten Overgaard.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 10"] [/TD]
[TD="width: 235"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
I will be posting sample photographs from the Leica SL as they become available and they make a point in using the Leica SL instead of the Leica M or Leica Q.
The first one is Linford Toy who is a Leica M user who got his Leica SL just a few days ago. And see what he made out of it!
I will say that there is not much in my own photographic life that warrants the use of the Leica SL.
In the last month I've done somewhat 25-30 portraits from London to Tokyo for magazines and covers, and all with a Leica M and a 50mm lens. For a few reportage photographs I've used my 28mm and 75mm, so as you can imagine, none of this made me miss a Leica SL with a big 24-90mm zoom lens (which is the only lens available for the camera so far).
It's not that I feel I am missing out on sexy and exotic lenses in the Leica M lineup of lenses. If I did, I could mount some of my Leica R lenses via adapter on the Leica M. But I haven't done that for six months or more. Obviously, I didn't miss a Leica SL to put my R lenses on either.
In other words, I didn't expect or wait for the Leica SL. But we are all curious about the Leica SL. The question is are we curious enough to buy one when we already have enough?
The reality seems to be that a great deal of the Leica SL cameras will be going into video production because the Leica SL offers a very interesting video sensor with 4K as well as a reasonably priced video body. And you can fit so many interesting lenses onto the body.
Don't underestimate the 4K video ambitions in the Leica SL. Here with the Leica Cine 29mm Summilux-C f/1.4 ($37,500) but perhaps more relevant is the Leica S lenses on the Leica SL for video. Photo: Saul Frank/Camera Electronics
The Leica S lenses have some cool capabilities for video that really haven't been explored yet. So there you go, that should point towards why the Leica SL might be a good idea for Leica Camera AG even you as a Leica M user don't see the great perspectives. It's not a camera for everybody.
Also the Leica S users see the Leica SL as a very interesting camera with a lower price tag, longer battery time and a smaller body that still balances the Leica S lenses very well.
The great unknown is how many of the dSLR users will change to Leica SL. That is, if there is any dSLR users left by the time Leica Camera AG offers a reasonable range of AF-lenses for the Leica SL.
Last but not least is a number of Leica R lens ownes that have been longing for a camera body to mount their Leica R lenses onto. At least that's what they say. The Leica M 240 have been available since March 2013 for this, and before that you could mount the R lenses onto the Leica R9 with a digital back, or retrofit the Leica R mount to fit a Nikon camera. In the wide angle to short tele lens range there is not much reason to mount a Leica R lens instead of a Leica M lense on a camera. So the question is how many of the longer tele lenses are lying around waiting to be monted onto a Leica SL once the R adapter is available. Not enought to justify the Leica SL research and production, but perhaps enough to make a few hundred safari hunters and bird enthusiasts very happy.
The Leica SL starts delivery
The Leica SL and the first lens has become available as of November 20, 2015 and if you do your research, you might find one for delivery. If you dig a little deeper, you may find that the Euro vs the US$ and the Australian $, Yen and so on gives some possibilities for good prices because the Leica SL was priced when released and the prices aren't adjusted for the current prices of currencies.
A waterproof camera
The Leica SL is almost waterproof. Rain should not be a problem. When the product managers from Leica Camera AG presented the Leica SL in Singapore, they dipped the lens in water and poured a bottle of water over the Leica SL body.
Obviously, with the lens off the open camera body and the open lens bayonet is not water proof.
My Leica SL in Singapore after being in the afternoon rain. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
The zoom lenses
The first lens available for the Leica SL is the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 and we probably won't see any other for several months.
The idea from Leica Camera AG was to introduce variable a range in one lens till we start seeing prime lenses in autumn 2016. A 50mm and a 35mm Summilux has been designed, amingst otheres, but only the 50mm Summilux-SL ASPH f/1.4 has been presented in the lineup.
Traditionally Leica zoom lenses (for the Leica R system) have been designed so that they were just as good in each focal length as the prime lenses. I dn't know what this takes in lens design, but it's remarkable to see zoom lenses that isn't a compromize. The Leica SL lenses are made with the same intent and the lens designers even dare to challenge the users by saying that there will not be much of an image improvement in stopping the aperture down!
Princess Joy Villa. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 at 24mm f/3.2, ISO 12.500, 1/200 second. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
Macro with the Leica SL
The Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 is made for close focus, making it into almost a macro lens. So when Leica Camera AG said they wanted to make the first lenses very versatile, they actually did it.
A Rolls Royce in Hong Kong, November 2015. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 at 90mm f/4.0, ISO 400, 1/1000 second. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
Fast and quiet autofocus
The Leica SL has a so fast and quiet autofocus you might not notice, unless you are used to other types of autofocus. Combined with the mirrorless and shutterless sensor it makes a quiet camera all together whch will often make people not notice that the photo was taken.
The reson for the fast and quet autofocus, as far as the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 goes, is that there is only one relatively small lens that moves inside the zoom to achieve focus. Considering the zoom lens consist of 18 lenses in six groups with 5 aspherical surfaces, that is a very simple solution!
It's very Leica to apply the simplest solution in a complex construction. It reminds me of the Leica 400mm APO-Telyt-R f/6.8 that is a two feet long lens with just one button for focusing and one, single lens in the front. An amazing lens that accomplishes great photographs without much fuzz.
The six lens groups in the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 moves invdividually when you zoom, and that is also what makes the front extrude. I am personaly split as to if I like the look of this extruded lens; but I guess that if I would prefer one unit that stayed the same size all the time (with internal zooming and focusing), it would have to be a loger lens alltogether.
Image stabilization
The built-in optical image stabilization in the Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 gives about 3.5 stops of stabilization (according to tests performed by CIPA) . That means that if you were to photograph with the lens at 1/500 second to get an image without motion blur (caused from moving the camera as in wobbling or for example from following a mobing subject), the 3.5 stops means that you should be able to go as low as 250 125 60 1/45 seconds and still get a frozen image without blur.
Though, if you shoot at 1/45 you might have motion blur from the subject in the photo moving; persons making gestures with their arms, talking and so on (while the lens moevments are in fact stabilized).
For video that is always made at 1/50 sec shutter speed, the image stabiliation is quite useful. It's not that you cannot make video at other shutter speeds, but the correct way to make video is to set the shutter to 1/50 escond and then reduce the light by using aperture or ND filter, or changing the ISO.
I haven't heard or tested if the image stabilization affects the image quality in stills.
Why I don't do comparisons
I don't believe in doing comparisons between the past and future. I believe in staying with what works, and then eventually making a decision to make something new work. And then I don't look back, unless I actually still use something of the past. The Leica DMR and the Leica M9 are still very usable and I will ocacsionally use them, but mostly I use newer things because it makes more sense.
I don't compare sensor sharpness, colors or anything. I look at what a piece of equipment does and then I decide either to use it or not. Of course I make some sort of mental comparison, but I would never perform a technical comparison in detail.
If you noticed, I only write about equipment I use myself. I don't get equipment for test but buy what I need for my work, and then I write about how I use it. Only occasionally you will find that I bought something, wrote about it and then decided to not use it anymore (as it has been the case with the Leica M 246 and the Lumu lightmeter for the iPhone).
I don't borrow and I don't get sponsorships. I buy what I need myself. My freedom and integrety is more important than a few thousand dollars. I am first and foremost an artist who need to be able to express my own ideas and thoughts. There is nothing wrong with being sponsored reviewer if that is what you want to do. I just don't do it.
Joy Villa in Hong Kong, November 2015. Leica SL with Leica 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 at 79mm f/3.9, ISO 800, 1/400 second. © 2015 Thorsten Overgaard.
The aperture of the Leica SL lenses
Like the Leica S was never a low light camera due to the f/2.5 lenses and the large mirror in the Leica S (which means that any exposure slower than 1/250 results in minor camera shake from the mirror slap), the Leica SL is not currently a low light camera.
I'm talking about the current only available kit of the 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0 and the Leica SL.
Witha f/2.8 wide angle lens and a f/4.0 90mm lens the camera requires quite some available light or a hig ISO setting to capture photographs. Especially if you come from Leica M 240 with a f/0.95 Noctilux as I do.
If you wonder what the f/2.8-4.0 means, it is a common thing in "cheap" lens design that a zoom lens changes the widest open aperture (or 'hole through the lens') when you zoom.
Only in expensive zoom lenses the design is so advanced (and complicated) that a zoom manages to stay the same f-stop no matter the focal length you zoom to.
I used the "worlds best zoom ever made" for some years with the Leica R9, the Leica 35-70mm Vario-Elmarit-R ASPH f/2.8 which for reasons of quality and availability sells fro $10,000 - $18,000 second-hand. I had it refurbished when the Leica M 240 came out and then tested if I would use it on the Leica M 240. I decided it was too big and sold it before I would bang it up again. And obviously the Leica SL have made me consider if I should get it again. It is an amaizing lens in terms of details, Leica look and colors, as well in the engineering. The aperture consis of 32 parts to make the aperture smooth and round at all f-stops and all focal lengts.
I wouldn't say I have decided on it, but I have considered the advantages of this vs. the 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit-SL ASPH f/2.8-4.0.
In terms of f-stop, the difference between f/4.0 and f/2.8 in the 90mm range is not essental; and the 35-70 is only covering that focal length, not from 24-35 and 70-90mm that the new SL zoom does. And it is manual focus. So maybe I will let the idea of re-acquiring the "worlds best ever made zoom" rest.
To be continued ...
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 63,843
- Points
- 113
Reviews of the new Leica SL
Sean Reid Reviews: "Leica SL 601" (as of October 20, 2015).
Jono Slack: "Field Report (Three Weeks in Creta" (at GetDPI as of October 20, 2015).
Ming Thein: "The 2015 Leica SL (Typ 601) and lenses" (as of Oct 20, 2015).
Kristian Dowling: "Leica SL (Typ 601) Professional Mirrorless Camera Review" (as of Oct 20, 2015).
DPreview: "Hands-on with Leica SL (Typ 601)" (as of October 20, 2015).
CNET: "Review" (as of October 20, 2015)
PC Mag: "Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
British Journal of Photography: "Full Specs" (as oc Oct 20, 2015)
Nick Rains: Review (as of October 20, 2015).
PetaPixel: "Mirrorless War" (as of October 20, 2015).
Sean Reid Reviews: "Leica M and R on Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
Steve Huff: "My thoughts on the Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
Jay Cassario: "Leica SL at weddings" (as of October 20, 2015).
Amateur Photographer: "Interview with Stephan Schulz on the Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
Luminous Landscape: "What It Is and What It Isn’t" (as of October 22, 2015).
Husam Mneimneh: "The Real Competitor" (as of October 22, 2015)
Sean Reid "Some Thoughts on the new Leica SL" (as of October 22, 2015)
Erwin Puts: "The New Leica SL" (as of October 22, 2015)
Sean Reid: "35 mm rangefinder lenses on Leica SL and Leica M 240" (as of Oct 26, 2015)
DPReview: "Studio tests and samples: Leica SL (beta)" (as of October 28, 2015)
ClubSNAP: "Interview with Andreas Kaufmann and Oliver Kaltner" (as of October 28, 2015)
Sean Reid "Leica SL and Leica M 240 with Leica 35/1.4 Summilux-R and the Leitz Wetzlar 28/2.8 Elmarit-R" (as of November 16, 2015)
Steve Huff: "Leica SL Hands On - Video and More" (as of November 17, 2015).
Kristian Dowling: "Leica SL (Typ 601) One Month User Experience" (as of November 22, 2015).
Erwin Puts: "First of theee articles on the Leica SL Type 601" (as of November 26, 2015).
Leica SL lens reviews:
PC Magazine Review: "Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 ASPH" (as of November 2, 2015)
Homework reading:
Leica SL Typ 601 Manual [English Only PDF - Cleaned out for the German part]
Leica SL Typ 601 Brochure [English PDF]
Leica SL Technical Specifications [English PDF]
Sean Reid Reviews: "Leica SL 601" (as of October 20, 2015).
Jono Slack: "Field Report (Three Weeks in Creta" (at GetDPI as of October 20, 2015).
Ming Thein: "The 2015 Leica SL (Typ 601) and lenses" (as of Oct 20, 2015).
Kristian Dowling: "Leica SL (Typ 601) Professional Mirrorless Camera Review" (as of Oct 20, 2015).
DPreview: "Hands-on with Leica SL (Typ 601)" (as of October 20, 2015).
CNET: "Review" (as of October 20, 2015)
PC Mag: "Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
British Journal of Photography: "Full Specs" (as oc Oct 20, 2015)
Nick Rains: Review (as of October 20, 2015).
PetaPixel: "Mirrorless War" (as of October 20, 2015).
Sean Reid Reviews: "Leica M and R on Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
Steve Huff: "My thoughts on the Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
Jay Cassario: "Leica SL at weddings" (as of October 20, 2015).
Amateur Photographer: "Interview with Stephan Schulz on the Leica SL" (as of October 20, 2015).
Luminous Landscape: "What It Is and What It Isn’t" (as of October 22, 2015).
Husam Mneimneh: "The Real Competitor" (as of October 22, 2015)
Sean Reid "Some Thoughts on the new Leica SL" (as of October 22, 2015)
Erwin Puts: "The New Leica SL" (as of October 22, 2015)
Sean Reid: "35 mm rangefinder lenses on Leica SL and Leica M 240" (as of Oct 26, 2015)
DPReview: "Studio tests and samples: Leica SL (beta)" (as of October 28, 2015)
ClubSNAP: "Interview with Andreas Kaufmann and Oliver Kaltner" (as of October 28, 2015)
Sean Reid "Leica SL and Leica M 240 with Leica 35/1.4 Summilux-R and the Leitz Wetzlar 28/2.8 Elmarit-R" (as of November 16, 2015)
Steve Huff: "Leica SL Hands On - Video and More" (as of November 17, 2015).
Kristian Dowling: "Leica SL (Typ 601) One Month User Experience" (as of November 22, 2015).
Erwin Puts: "First of theee articles on the Leica SL Type 601" (as of November 26, 2015).
Leica SL lens reviews:
PC Magazine Review: "Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 ASPH" (as of November 2, 2015)
Homework reading:
Leica SL Typ 601 Manual [English Only PDF - Cleaned out for the German part]
Leica SL Typ 601 Brochure [English PDF]
Leica SL Technical Specifications [English PDF]
Similar threads
