All about Leica
It was about time. I think my home country was one of the last European countries without an official Leica Store in the capital. But today, this will change. After the summer, we’ll be able to shop in the brand new Leica Store in Amsterdam. I’ll probably be seeing you in Amsterdam soon.
Recently, Leica improved the SL with the release of a new firmware version. Version 3.0 features a couple of outstanding improvements: continuous exposure preview is my personal favorite. Here’s an excellent overview of the improvents:
I think Leica did very well with this update, but I think there’s still room for improvement. After surfing around on the Leica fora, I combined my own wish list with these of other SL users. Here we go:
Do you have anything on your wish list? Let me know!
This morning I received this email:
Hi Joeri
I was reading your review on the Leica SL and I am buying one very soon and your review is really helpful but want to ask you one question.
What is the flash setup you where using, what I mean the flash and the wireless trigger that work best with the Leica SL. I am looking for radio trigger setup.
thanx
regards
A.
First of all, for my documentary photography I never use flash and I never have (yes, maybe ten years ago in the Canon 1D times). In fact, one of the reasons I switched to the Leica M system was that these cameras can be hand held at slow shutter speeds a bit easier than DSLR cameras.
But there’s more than just documentary wedding photography. I also do portraits. Mostly corporate headshots and very often I have to shoot in one place on monday and make a comparable shot the other day. If you’re dependent on daylight, it’s impossible to reproduce the exact same look, whereas with flash I can do thousands of shots with the exact same look.
In these situations I work with an off-camera flash. I’ve done lots of assignments with a very simple set-up: one Canon Speedlight flash, one reflector and a white wall as a background. I used an umbrella as a modifier and the reflector in the classic clamshell set-up. There are a number of ways to trigger the flash: the easiest and cheapest way is to use a Pixel FC-311 off-camera cable. This is 100% foolproof, but you’re limited with regards the distance between your camera and your flash. An alternative is to use radio triggers. For both the M and the SL I’ve used the Pocket Wizzard Plus X tranceivers. They’re relatively cheap and they work with all cameras. There’s no (E)TTL, but for off camera flash, you’ll need manual settings anyway.
If I have more time, or the clients wants a specific quality, I bring my complete mobile studio, consisting of two Broncolor Siros 800L lamps, a reflector, a big softbox and a Lastolite foldable white and black background. This is much more expensite kit (5000 plus Euros) but the quality (and consistency) of the light is much, much better. The Siros kit comes with a flash cable, but for the M this won’t work, since it doesn’t have a flash port. With this kit, I use the Broncolor RFS2.1 transmitter, which is terrific. I can set my flash output on the transmitter for both flash heads. It always works and it’s very small.
I just received a ventilated lens shade for my Leica Summicron-M 35/2.0 ASPH (version V) from Thorsten von Overgaard. I think the Leica M9P in black is still the sexiest Leica ever made, but with this ventilated lens shade, it definitely looks even better. A more elaborate review will follow soon, but I just wanted to show you this picture.
Leica SL with Elmarit-R 60/2.8 Macro
In this new series I’d like to give someone else the opportunity to talk about Leica photography. Interested? Send me an email.
1) Can you tell a bit about your background (as a photographer)?
‘It took some time befor I ‘saw the Light’, and I mean the light we use in photography. But when I finally saw the Light…. things happened very quickly. I was so intrigued by photography.
I started taking pictures with my cell-phone (2006), but soon came my first digital camera: a Nikon coolpix. I took pictures of everyone and everything that happened around me. Very soon came the moment that I started asking questions, about more possibilities and yes of course… the way you take pictures. I discovered the Leica M-system but I was way to unexperienced as a photographer and went on with the small Leica d-lux 3.’
When things got serious I bought a fantastic Leica Digilux 3 second hand…
‘When things got serious I bought a fantastic Leica Digilux 3 second hand. A great and very underestimated camera. As usual I wanted to learn a lot more and started to look for a nice course. I went to the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam for the ‘basic training. After that I was so eager I also finished the advanced training 2 years later on the same school. So accidentally I became a professional photographer.
The school is very nice and I certainly enjoyed it tremendously. But when you enter a training like this, they teach you to be an allround photographer. With allround….comes an allround camera-system. That means, Canon or Nikon DSLR. Wich is a good choise. Everyone, teachers and students, has these cams so it is easy to learn all the skills this way. I had a Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 105mm, and everything that belongs to the complete outfit. I had a great time and graduated in 2 years with good results.
But……. I never forgot the first love….the Leica M.”
But……. I never forgot the first love….the Leica M.
2) How did you get into the Leica system?
‘In fact, I never got out of the Leica system. It was always in my mind, somewhere in the back of my head. But, you always read on the internet: ‘It has some limitations…, it is expensive (very)’ and so on and on.
After the training I started to develop my own interests as photographer and found out that the equipment I had from Nikon was not very suitable for the photo’s I wanted to take. In fact…. it is not the Leica system that has it’s limitations but the Nikon system had its limitations for me. In the streets it is not a good idea to take pictures with a D700 and the 70-200! People start talking to you all the time and ask: ‘’What magazine are you working for?”
To be quite frankly, I hardly earned a dime with photography, so one morning i woke up and I KNEW IT. ‘I sell all my Nikon stuff, the whole shebang and I follow my heart and buy myself a second hand Leica M’. And so it happened.
And what beauty I discovered!
I sell all my Nikon stuff, the whole shebang and I follow my heart and buy myself a second hand Leica M
3) Which camera and lenses do you have?
‘Leica M 240 | 28 elmarit | 35 cron | 50 Lux | 90 elmarit.’
4) What kind of pictures do you take and why?
‘I mostly take pictures in real life and real moments. No studio, no fake, no scenery. Natural light (if possible). Action in the street or whatever is happening. Portraits (environmental). Landscape and Cityscape. Reportage and photo-essay.’
And two more questions for students of mine.
5) Why did you participate in a workshop with Joeri and which workshop did you take?
‘During the time I was selling my Nikon stuff and made all the preparations to get into the Leica-world, I searched on the internet for people who made the same big change as I did. I still thought about it as a bit riskful and final decision and I was desperate to find people like me. I did all the research all alone and had no one to share thoughts with. While searching the internet I saw Joeri’s website and was happy to find his online story. There are more, also in Holland and there are also some books about it.’
It has to be in focus!!! No escape!
‘When I finally had a camera and a lens I started to practice and work. I was amazed by the images. But why I chose the workshops with Joeri? When you shoot with a “M” you have to focus everything manual in a time where everyone has auto focus. It gives a lot of stress in the beginning when you have to shoot a very special and crucial moment. It has to be in focus!!! No escape!
To be honest, I was in heaven with my M-dream come true. And was happy I could sell my Nikon stuff pretty well, BUT, I can’t say I’ve never looked back for some time. For a while I had some serious feelings of uncertainty whether I was good enough with focusing. I’m now done with those feelings. The focusing is for me the usual trick and if you work hard you will get there.
Look at the focusing at 100% in Nikon or Canon shots and you will be amazed how often the auto focus is not exactly where it should be. I was shocked when I saw so many profs in photography neglecting the correct focus point in their shots.
I think that I made from my weakness and uncertainty my absolute strongest point. My focusing is always on the right spot where it should be.’
‘Joeri wrote a fantastic book. (It’s for sale on his website) and if you do the exercises (not just one day, but for a certain amount of weeks) you will see that you will improve enormously. But if you also do the workshops with Joeri, he adds more different skills to your technique like ‘understanding light’ so you are aware of what your lightmeter in the camera does and how to manipulate it the way you want this to affect your images, but of course also to be able not to use your (camera’s-) lightmeter anymore. In the workshop we went out in the streets to shoot. I liked to see someone working (beside myself) with the M cause I never saw that before….. (yes!).’
Thanks for your time Marian! You can find more of her work here.
When the Leica Summilux-SL 50/1.4 was released, it was not the lens that some SL shooters had hoped for. While most SL shooters love their cameras, they wanted something considerably smaller and more light weight than the excellent, but heavy Leica 24-90 zoom lens. Something they could mount on their SL and walk around with all day long. The new Summilux-SL may not be the lightest, smallest and fastest lens, but it has some other extraordinary qualities.
The new Summilux-SL may not be the lightest, smallest and fastest lens, but it has some other extraordinary qualities.
First things first: Leica didn’t plan to build a 50mm lens which somehow, during the development process got bigger and heavier. No, they developed a lens from scratch to compete with the best 50mm(ish) lenses in the world, like the Zeiss Otus 55/1.4. But the Summilux-SL needed auto focus as well, a feature that the Otus doesn’t have. Finally, the new 50mm also had to fit in the SL approach: sturdy, weather sealed and aimed at the pro user. The result is impressive: the Summilux-SL 50 is the sharpest lens I ever worked with. Having said that: I never tried the Summicron-M 50 APO. I wouldn’t be surprised if those two come close IQ wise. As for the comparison with the Summilux-M, the MTF graphs show that the SL 50 has quite a bit more resolving power.
Build quality and ergonomics
So yes, the Summilux-SL 50/1.4 is heavy and big. It’s not that much smaller or lighter than the 24-90. I carried this lens for two full wedding days in my Billingham 225 and the increase in weight (and size: I had to fiddle around with my layout) was quite noticeable. The good news is that it feels well balanced on the SL, even better than the already well balanced 24-90. The lens feels very sturdy and the rubber focus ring offers extra grip on the lens. The downside of these rubber rings is that they tend to get dirty with use, but some regular maintenance will prevent that from happening.
The lens feels very sturdy and the rubber focus ring offers extra grip on the lens.
While the unique feature of this lens is its auto focus, you’ll want to know how it focuses manually as well. To be honest, if you’re used to real manual focus lenses, this lens doesn’t quite do what I’d like it to do. You can spin the focus ring endlessly if you want to, because there is no physical ‘end’ or ‘beginning’ of the focusing scale. That’s nothing new if you’ve ever worked with any Canon USM lens, but a second difference with the SL lens is that this Leica lens had a ‘focus-by-wire’ design, which means nothing more than that there’s not a physical connection between the focusing ring and the actual focusing mechanism as there is in other lenses. In reality this means that the speed of your focusing determines the focus throw of the lens. Still with me? If I move the ring very quickly, the focus throw decreases, but when I move the ring very slowly, the throw becomes much bigger.
In reality this means that the speed of your focusing determines the focus throw of the lens.
This focus by wire has some good and bad points. It makes very precise (but slow) focusing possible, while it also enables the photographer to change its focus rapidly with a quick turn on the ring. The downside however, is that there is no feedback at all. Changing focus by hand is difficult enough if you’re in a hurry, but if you add another variable (the speed you’re using to turn the ring) things get impossible. If you’re a videographer and want to do a focus pull: good luck. Use the focus scale maybe? Too bad, it’s not there.
Focusing a Noctilux is much, much easier than manually focusing the SL 50.
Focusing a Noctilux is much, much easier than manually focusing the SL 50.
Auto focus
Any regular visitor of this site knows that ‘build quality and ergonomics’ is followed by ‘sharpness, bokeh and rendering’. But here we have an auto focus lens, so we’ll need to talk about that as well.
But when I uploaded my pictures I noticed that all my shots were in focus…
My first impression with the SL 50 AF was slightly disappointing. Slow is the word you’ll be looking for if you give this lens a try. Even in situations where contrast is abundant, the lens is slow. And sometimes I wasn’t sure that it actually locked focus when the shutter kicked in. But when I uploaded my pictures I noticed that all my shots were in focus, with the exception of a few shots where I shot a subject walking towards me, quite closely and quite fast. Not bad at all, to be honest.
Curious about the slowness of the AF-system, I asked my contact at Leica Netherlands Rob van Keulen and he said the following: “The 50 SL is made to optical perfection and that means that heavy and exotic glass is used. All that glass has to be shifted during focusing and that simply takes time. Secondly, with the SL 50 the DOF can be quite small and Leica decided they wanted the SL 50 to be reliable first and as fast as possible second. It’s not they can’t make fast AF lenses, this is a deliberate choice.”
My confidence in the AF of the lens grew with time…
My confidence in the AF of the lens grew with time. I shot only a hundred frames with it on my first wedding that week, but when I saw the results I took it to another wedding where I shot a few hundred frames more, even though I was already familiar with the weight penalty.
Sharpness, bokeh and rendering
When I returned the lens to Leica and I was driving home, I suddenly realized I forgot to take my ‘standardized’ shots with Fowley. Too bad, but fortunately there are enough pictures that show its sharpness, bokeh and rendering.
Yes, it is razor sharp…
So, is it sharp? Yes, it is razor sharp. The sharpest lens (or most resolving) I’ve ever worked with. But it’s not clinical, like some very sharp lenses tend to be. True, there are no visible lens errors, but I think this lens does have some character, especially wide open (ish). About those lens errors: there has been written a lot about internal correction of these errors on the internet. To be honest, I don’t really care if lens errors are corrected in the camera, or because of a physical thing inside the lens. The fact is, I didn’t need to correct for CA, distortion, or anything else.
Luckily, it does flare mildly when shot against the sun. I don’t like lenses that don’t flare at all. If you take the hood off, it’s not that hard to get some nice flares. In the in focus areas there is still a lot of detail. Really plenty.
Bokeh is super nice. Soft, a bit Noctilux like. Creamy. Transitions from in focus to out of focus are fast, but lovely when you open up the lens and get close to your subject.
Conclusion
The Summilux-SL 50/1.4 is a superb lens. Optically, it leaves nothing left to be desired. It is very sharp and has a lot of character. The interesting question is: who will buy this lens? If you bought the SL for its auto focus, you probably already have the 24-90. If you need a fast 50 with AF for darker circumstances, this is the best (and only) 50 you can buy, if you don’t mind the extra weight and volume. Having said that, if you’re already used to the SL with the 24-90, the SL and the SL50 make an even better combination. If you leave the 24-90 in the safe, it does make sense. If you bring both lenses in your bag, you’ll notice the difference.
The interesting question is: who will buy this lens?
But what if you already have a fast 50mm in the M mount? Is the SL 50 still a good choice? That depends on how much you’re willing to spend and carry and how much you need the AF. For me, this is how it works: I can focus my Nocti more reliable on the SL than I can on the M. However, focusing the Nocti with the M is faster than with the SL. Focusing my 50 (either Cron or Nocti) on my M is also slightly faster than focusing the SL50 on the SL (with AF on). Focusing on a moving subject with any M lens on the SL is definitely much, much harder than focusing the SL50 on the SL (with AF on). Focusing any M lens on the M with a moving subject depends a lot on your skills and the situation. I’d say that also with moving subjects I’m a little faster with the M, but the SL with the SL 50 will be slightly more reliable. In fact, on the weddings that I shoot these days, I still use my M for all the fast action. When things slow down, I grab the SL, usually with the 50 Nocti. If I were to shoot an assignment (that involves any action) with the SL alone, I’d want an AF lens and probably the SL 50. If I’d be doing more portrait assignments, I’d buy the SL50 immediately.
Focusing on a moving subject with any M lens on the SL is definitely much, much harder than focusing the SL50 on the SL…
It’s a tough call. When the SL was released everybody asked who this camera was for. With this lens, I get that same feeling again. Until you give it a try. It will be hard to give it back.
I’m very curious about the new Summicron series that will be released. If Leica manages to make these lenses light and small enough, but with the same high optical standard as the other native SL lenses, the SL might actually start to sell really well.
Last week I visited the only supplier of occasion Leica lenses that I can reach by bike. This guy has a very broad collection of old and new(ish) Leica lenses, plus lots of other interesting brands. Always cool to stop by and check out some lenses. One of the new lenses that he just was putting up for sale was a Leica R 180 APO-Elmarit 2.8, first version. This is one of the ‘pearls’ from the R-range and this lens is famous for its sharpness.
This lens is insanely sharp, already at 2.8…
I noted three things about this lens, before I took a shot. It’s very light, considering its focal length and speed. Second, the focus ring is incredibly smooth and with a large focus throw. Third, the lens focuses internally, which looks nice and is great for videography.
Long story short, check out this picture and the crop. This lens is insanely sharp, already at 2.8 and even at this close distance. Yes, the 3.8 version is loads and loads cheaper, but not as sharp wide open en also not as sharp in the short range.
There’s one downside: it’s 2500 Euro….
The Leica SL is all about versatility. Any lens can be attached to this camera, as long as you have an adapter that fits. But what about auto focus lenses, does that work too? If you want to use Canon lenses on your Leica SL and want the auto focus to work, there is currently only one adapter that works: the Novoflex EOS to Leica SL (or T) adapter.
I still have a bag with Canon lenses that I like to keep for occasional use with a Canon DSLR. My wife also uses these lenses if she has an assignment that requires auto focus. So I was quite happy to see that Novoflex produces an adapter that might give these lenses a second life on my SL. I had the adapter for a week and spend as much time with it as I could.
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the Novoflex adapter is sturdy, doesn’t have any play on the mount and some Canon lenses work reasonably well. The bad news is that in built stabilization doesn’t work and that some lenses don’t focus at all. Here’s a summary:
The only lens that I thought I could work with was the 28/1.8. With the Novoflex adapter AF was quite fast and snappy, reasonably reliable and actually fun to use. The 28/1.8 isn’t a bad lens either and while it doesn’t come close to the Q, this camera-lens combo could justify the purchase of this adapter. Would I shoot a wedding with it? No, I wouldn’t. For that I need to be able to rely on my equipment for 100%.
Would I shoot a wedding with it? No, I wouldn’t. For that I need to be able to rely on my equipment for 100%.
The second best combination was the 85/1.8. While the AF seems to work OK, it tends to hunt with this combo and isn’t as reliable as I’d like it to be.
So there’s more lenses on the list that don’t work with the Novoflex adapter than lenses that do work. Isn’t that disappointing? Well, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed first, but I think my expectations were too high. For example, the Metabones Canon to Sony adapter (mkIV) is regarded to be the best adapter if you want to use Canon lenses to work on a Sony body. We sometimes use the 24-70 with this adapter for video shoots and while the image stabilization of the 24-70 works, AF doesn’t work really.
Another thing that I noticed is the lag when using this adapter. This adapter is capable of focusing wide open and stopping down just before the exposure is taken (just like with a DSLR). I think that the slight (but noticeable) lag is caused by this procedure. It’s not too bad, but still a thing to consider when buying this adapter.
If you need 100% reliable and fast auto focus on any camera, just get a native lens. If you want to use non-native lenses on a Leica SL, the Novoflex isn’t a bad choice. Just remember that AF doesn’t work with all lenses and that it’s not as reliable as they are on a Canon DSLR body. Hopefully, a second version of this adapter will provide a better AF with non-native lenses and till that time, we can enjoy the highly praised Leica 24-90.
If you want to use non-native lenses on a Leica SL, the Novoflex isn’t a bad choice.
The 7-series is one of the newer series of the famous British bag manufacturer and the 107 is the smallest version. If you’re into Leica photography, this is probably the bag that will attract your attention. The individual members of the 7-series have a few things in common: they’re all made out of Fybrenite (meaning they’re quite waterproof, yet light) and they all have a ‘press-top’ opening, a feature that reminds me of the bags most general practitioners carry around.
The 107 has a somewhat ‘compressed’ appearance. It is quite tall, but its width is quite small. It’s bigger brothers look better to my eye, but the 107 is still a gorgeous bag to look at. Like all Billingham bags it oozes quality and unlike some other brands that stepped into the hype of the mirrorless camera bags, this Billingham will outlive you. I have been using Billingham bags for more than ten years now, and they’re all still fully functional. My most beat-up Billy is the Hadley Small. I carried this bag multiple times around the world and it still is working perfectly. Billinghams don’t wear out, they just age. The leather is so thick, it will never tear. The bottom of the bag is protected by brass feet: this will keep the contents of your bag dry, even if you put it on a whet surface.
The bottom of the bag is protected by brass feet: this will keep the contents of your bag dry, even if you put it on a whet surface.
The top of the bag is protected by a large contoured flap, which will keep the nasty stuff out. On top of the flap is a nice leather handle, which can be left clipped together (unlike the 5-series), because you don’t need to unclip it to get into the bag. When you fold away the flap, you can open the main compartment with a two-way zipper. Opening can be done with just one hand, for closing you’ll need both hands. With the press top opened, it’s very easy to reach the contents of the bag, because the frame keeps the bag open. This system makes the bag somewhat taller than a bag without this top.
With the press top opened, it’s very easy to reach the contents of the bag…
You can organize your gear in the main compartment with the supplied Superflex flap (an insert with velcro on one side) and a 8-15 Superflex insert. In my lay-out I only used the Superflex insert and this allows me to put two M cameras on the sides and the insert with 4 (stacked) lenses in the middle.
At first sight it looks like the front pockets are the only places to store non-camera stuff, but in fact there’s a lot more room than you’d think. On the long sides of the main compartment there’s (padded)room for an iPad, but this storage option is large and flexible enough to throw in a backup HD, a wallet, some food, etc. While this bag would be slightly too small for my wedding kit, it is pretty close.
While this bag would be slightly too small for my wedding kit, it is pretty close.
On the back of the bag there’s a zippered compartment for small stuff and I like to store my keys, a phone and other things that I don’t want to lose. You can also clearly see the attachments for the Billingham Pack Harness (BPH), which turnes the bag into a backpack, but which is no longer available. I never tested this system, but it looks like it could work on longer walks with a heavy pack.
Talking about carrying the 107: it is equipped with a very comfortable shoulder pad, the SP50. But besides the nice padding, this bag carries pretty well, even with quite a bit of weight in it. Another nice feature is that when wearing the bag and opening the press top, the contents of your bag are still very well accessible and can be taken in and out quite easily, because the bag is stiff enough that it doesn’t deform (if loaded properly). Wider bags, like the Hadley, tend to follow the contours of your body a bit more, which is nice for carrying, but makes it harder to get your stuff in and out of the bag.
But besides the nice padding, this bag carries pretty well, even with quite a bit of weight in it.
Conclusion
The Billingham 107 is a very stylish, versatile bag with a very high level of protection for your camera gear. If you’re used to the 5-series, like I am, you’ll need to get used to the press-top opening and the slightly different top cover. Using the top handle is much easier than with the 5-series: all you need to do is close the top cover and you’re ready to go.
I just received this email from Leica:
Following the successfully begun and largely completed replacement programme for corroded sensors that affected M9, M9-P, M Monochrom and M-E camera models, we would now like to inform you about how this programme will be handled in the future.
Until 15 August 2017, we will continue to offer free replacement of sensors for these camera models if they are affected by the corrosion problem. This will also apply after 16 August 2017 for the models listed above, but only in cases where the cameras have been purchased as new products within the last five years.
From 16 August 2017, and until further notice, we will offer our customers the following new programme for all camera models mentioned above that were purchased longer than five years ago. Here, the customer pays a share of the replacement costs for the affected CCD sensor amounting to 982 euros (825 euros plus 19% VAT). Included in this programme is a free general overhaul* of your Leica M camera and a one year warranty on the same terms as for new products. This offer expresses our commitment to conserving the value of your camera.
We have also revised our upgrade offers with more attractive terms for our customers. Instead of a sensor replacement, we offer our customers the alternative option of sending us their camera affected by sensor corrosion in part payment for the purchase of selected Leica M camera models of the Type 240 generation at even more attractive terms. Leica Customer Care will be pleased to inform and advise interested customers about the terms and conditions of the upgraded offer.
With regard to the above, we would like to remind you that the replacement of CCD sensors and the upgrade offers apply only to cameras affected by this concrete problem, and only to the models of the Leica M-System we have listed above. Preventive replacement of sensors is not included in this programme.
*The general overhaul of the Leica M-camera includes the following items:
• Cleaning and overhaul of the shutter cocking mechanisms
• Cleaning and maintenance/repair of the multifunction wheel
• Cleaning of the main switch and shutter speed dial
• Adjustment of the baseplate locking system
• Refurbishment of engravings
• Renewal of the protective film on the baseplate
• Maintenance/repair of viewfinder displays
Well, to be honest, this sounds very reasonable. The actual costs for the replacement are probably a lot higher than 982 Euros. Besides that, a warranty of five years on a sensor is a lot more than Canon or Nikon offer. Will this policy make the M9 less desirable? I don’t think so.
