About – Page 4 – Joeri van der Kloet

Q&A: Will the Leica SL still be a good camera in 5-7 years?

Today I received this email:

Dear Joeri,

I’ve enjoyed your website, in fact your comments helped me to decide to purchase a Leica CL last year and I’m very happy with it. I also appreciated your comments on the SL cameras.

Could I ask for your opinion please? I’m an expat residing in The Hague and will be retiring next year. I’ve been considering a Leica SL (coupled with the TL 24-90mm) to take with me into retirement back to Australia with the hope that an SL could last me for at least 5-7 years for documenting Australians at work and play (I guess digital storytelling might be the phrase). Would that be a reasonable expectation or would the SL2 be the better long term choice?

I realise this might be a difficult, highly subjective question to answer but any perspective you feel comfortable offering would be greatly appreciated.

All the best,
Terry

Hi Terry, thanks for checking out my site. It’s been a bit quiet here lately. I’ve been involved in all kinds of things.

I think it’s a pretty good question actually and I do have an answer that might help you out. In the old film days you’d buy an M6 and expect it to last for the rest of your life. And it did, as long as you serviced it every now and then. When digital photography was introduced, the body became a ‘disposable’ product with very, very high depreciation. The only camera bodies that didn’t depreciate to almost nothing, were Leica bodies. For example, a Good Leica M8, almost 15 years old now, still sells for around 100o euros. The M9, eleven years old, still holds about 40% of its original resell price.

My favorite camera of all times still is the Leica M9. Why? Because of all my cameras, it’s the most unique and Leica-esque. It will probably work in 5 to 10 years and if it doesn’t, I can have it repaired. So, that’s an eleven year old camera. The SL is much younger. I bought mine in 2017 and put it through some serious use. As a pro, it’s my preferred camera for any assignment. It’s incredibly versatile and rugged. I have shot a wedding where a solid brick dropped for 2,5 meter dead on my camera. It could have killed me (or the SL) and even though there was a huge dent in the housing, it kept on working.

I’m pretty sure the SL will still work in 5 to 7 years. It’s not a car, which tends to need more repair when it gets older. It’s a well made camera, that still gets updates. Also, I’m not sure if your other option, the SL2, is a better camera. Personally I don’t like being forced to work with huge files that I don’t need. And even if it breaks down, you can probably get the SL2 for a much lower price in a few years than it will cost you now.

My advice: keep the SL, shoot it, enjoy it…

And a few more images with the SL as a bonus…

Plenty of pixels with the SL, even for pro assignments.

Q&A: Does the CL work with remote triggers?

Last week I received this email:

Hey Joeri!

I’ve been poking around your site for a couple years for now and your insights on the Leica CL have lead me to pick one up for myself back in late 2018.

I’m wondering if I can trouble you with a quick question, referencing this post you made a few years back?

Have you ever connected your Leica CL to a remote trigger system?
If so, any insights on what works and what to avoid?

I rely solely on natural lighting in my photography, but I’m curious to try out flash/strobe lighting. My thoughts are that I’ve bought the wrong camera system – I’m wondering if your experience proves otherwise.

Thanks very much!

William

Well, thanks for mailing! Yes, I have used the CL a couple of times with a remote trigger system. Whenever I use flash, I use my Broncolor Siros 800L system. One of the best self powered flash system you can get. Broncolor sells the Siros kits with two different kinds of transmitters: one that is brand specific for Canon and Nikon (maybe Sony too nowadays) and one that works with all systems. I have the last one and it’s a brilliant piece of technology. It simply always works. I can fire a test shot from the trigger, adjust the flash output and that’s it. Don’t need anything else.

Even though for most of my portrait assignments I bring the SL, I have used the CL in combination with the Siros too. To be honest, it doesn’t really matter. It works flawlessly on both systems. Head photo: Leica T (works too with the transmitter) with SL75. Great combination with the CL too.

Photo below: Leica CL with 35/1.4 TL.

Featured #8: Dirk Marwede

Dirk visited The Netherlands some time ago for a workshop with me. We had a good time and I loved reviewing Dirks work. He’s a very talented photographer. I was surprised to see how many good shots he took in just one night. Enjoy!

1) Can you tell a bit about your background (as a photographer)
‘I am a self-taught photographer and I take photos for over 25 years .
At the beginning I took photographs of my surrounding which included
my family, the nature and landscape around me and later on I took
photos of basically everything which attracted my attention. I began
to take a camera regularly with me and in recent years, leaving the
house without a camera became a rare occasion. Photography always has
been a very personal and emotional endeavour for me. Even if my
photography evolved during the years, I found it hard to put it in one
or different genres. I have never asked for permission taking a photo
or offered my services to anyone. In 2015 I suffered a life
threatening disease and this definitely had a great impact on my
photography and way of life. Three years later I became, against all
probability, a proud father of a son. For me, the decision to take a
photo is a result of emotions, attention, interest and meaning. It is
still hard for me to define it in a more concrete way. In my
professional life, I am a radiologist so even if this has no obvious
relation to photography, you see images are around me all day.’

2) How did you get into the leica system ?
‘My first camera was a Leica M6 and I still love it‘s simplicity and
pureness which helps to concentrate on the essentials, what you
observe, how to arrange it and what you see in it. Any progression of
this model somehow changed the process and also complexity of taking
photos. In the digital era, I often enjoy to use a camera in its most
simplistic way, to deactivate and ignore features for the sake of
simplicity. Personally, I like two major features in the Leica M
system which might seem contrary in the first instance, but underlines
the versatility of the system: to slow down the process of
photographing and concentrate on the essentials, and to use zone
focussing for moments where just there is no time to get a shot.’

3) Which camera and lenses do you have ?
‘For my type of photography I use the most general purpose setting:
Leica M6 or M10 paired with a summicron 35mm and 50mm. I also own a
24mm Elmar and a 90mm Elmarit, but I rarely use them. For some of my
longterm projects I have used all those lenses but for my everyday
photography and don‘t carry them with me. I tried a Leica Q for wide
angle shots and I really liked it, however, it is a different camera
concept concerning operation.’

4) What kind of pictures do you take and why?
‘I found it hard to classify my photographs in categories, however, I
love to document anything which attracts my attention, which provokes
an emotion, or where some interesting meaning or relation shows up and
I feel the need to photograph it. Eventually, I would classify it as
street or documentary photography in the broadest sense. Beside my
everyday photography I work on different long term projects and
series. For example, I documented the life in and around an antique
bookstore as I was fearing those beautiful stores will disappear one
day. In another project, I reflected on my commuters life which merges
the views of citylife (where I live) and the countryside (where I
work) in double exposures on film.’

Q&A: 50 SL Cron or 50 SL Lux?

I got this mail last week:

Hi Joel,

Quick question, I can’t decide between the Summilux SL 50 and the Summicron SL 50.
Price is much the same, and I can handle the bulk of the Summilux – but my hesitation is based on the slower focus speed of the Summilux. Understandable as it is a bigger lens, but in practice have you found this any issue at all?

Many thanks,
Jeremy

It’s Joeri, not Joel, but you’re forgiven for that. If the slower focus speed of the Lux is your only concern, than I’d say, get the Lux. I haven’t worked with the 50 Cron, but I have used the 50 Lux on a couple of weddings. If I can make it work on a wedding, it’s good enough. What I found is that the 50 Lux seems slower than it actually is. While shooting I often got the impression it didn’t really focus quick enough to nail a shot, however when I reviewed my images, it turned out to be pretty perfect. There were only a handful images out of focus (out of at least 1500 shots).

You might also consider the Panasonic 50/1.4, or even the Sigma…

The Leica SL2 is out. Is the SL still a good choice?

Yes, the SL finally has a successor and it’s called (unsurprisingly) the SL2. I haven’t had the chance to shoot with it in person, but I might say a few words on it. First of all, now that the SL2 is out, the SL can be bought for slightly less than 5000 euros, which is a steal for someone who paid 7000 euro three years ago (me). I suspect prices will drop even further, so stay tuned for that.

People will ask: now that the SL2 is out and the SL is getting cheaper, should I get the SL or SL2? Well, the question boils down to basically one thing: resolution. Do you need (or want) 47Mp, or do you think 24 is enough? I don’t need 47, knowing that I can easily print 2×3 meter (yes, that is 6 square meters) with the 24Mp Leica SL. To be honest, I always missed the option to compress DNG’s in camera, like the M9 and M240 could do, drastically reducing the need for ever bigger, faster and more expensive HD’s, computers, SD cards, etc.

So, no, I don’t need 47Mp. But maybe the SL2 will work just fine on a wedding at the 24Mp jpg setting, as long as the light is not too critical. And for landscapes, more pixels is usually a better thing.

But let’s continue a bit, because there’s more than just resolution. First, the SL2 has image stabilization. That is truly fantastic, even more when you’re using the SL with M lenses often. Second, the SL2 has an improved AF system. Makes sense if you use AF-lenses. Then there’s a better video mode (which only matters if you shoot video obviously) faster frame rates (I never used that really) and a viewfinder with a higher resolution, which really does matter.

So, what should you buy, the SL or the SL2? If you ask me, the original Leica SL is still a perfectly fine camera in 2019. Even if you’re a pro. If you need the pixels and or the IS, or the better video specs, get the SL2.

Will I buy it? Maybe, I’ll try it first. I’m glad Leica is continuing to expand the L-mount platform. For me, the SL is still the most versatile camera I have ever used. It’s not an M, but for me it just works.

some Leica SL2 specs confirmed!

I just spoke with a very reliable source who had first hand used the SL2 for a short amount of time. He confirmed that the leaked photo’s on LeicaRumors are correct.

He also confirmed that the SL2 has an altered Q2 sensor, indeed 47Mp. DNG files are 80Mb, jpegs are around 15Mb. He said: “The details in the images that I took with a couple of SL primes are insane! Definitely medium format territory.”

The SL2 also has built in image stabilization, a very welcome feature. The already brilliant SL viewfinder has gotten better with a higher resolution of 5,7 Mp. The buttons on the back are different than on the SL1, as can be seen in the pictures.

The release date and retail price are not known yet.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures yet. The picture above is the Leica SL1 obviously.

Erwin Puts says bye bye Leica

Interesting news from one of my fellow Dutch Leica reviewers. Writer and Leica connoisseur Erwin Puts will no longer write about Leica. He released this statement a few days ago on his website:

“For more than 35 years I have been intimately involved in the Leica world, encompassing the history of the company, the analysis of the products and the use of the products, all under the umbrella concept of the Leica World.
I have experienced and discussed in detail with relevant persons in Wetzlar (old), Solms and Wetzlar (again, new) the digital turn and how the company evolved and changed while adopting the digitalization of the photographic process and the changing world of the internet based photography. The most recent event is the evolution from a manufacturing company to a software-based company. While a commercial success, this change of heart has accomplished a, perhaps not intended, impact: the soul of Leica products has been eradicated. A renewed interest in classical products is the result. The SL and Q are currently the hopeful products for the future. The ghosts of Huawei and Panasonic can be seen all over the campus and while the M-system is still being promoted as the true heir of the Leica lineage, it is now sidelined. Once upon a time, Leica followed its own path, guided by gifted and pioneering engineers and keen marketeers. Nowadays its products are as mainstream as every other camera manufacture.
The company has sketched a future and follows a path that I am no longer willing to go.”

Erwin is known for his very, very thorough reviews. He has followed Leica for a couple of decades and knows virtually everything about Leica lenses and cameras.

I’m not really sure I can follow his statement though. Yes, software is getting more important for Leica too, as it does for all other companies. This software doesn’t affect the way I work with my M camera though. At least, not in a bad way. There’s still a shutter speed dial and the same minimalist interface as in the M9 days. Also, the M line still sells a lot better than the SL line. Even better: the M has never been so affordable as with the new M-E.

The SL and CL do feel different than the M. But for me that’s good too. The SL gives me all the flexibility that I need as a pro shooter. The L mount alliance contributes to that. Most important: the M shooter has a choice not to buy the CL or SL.

I’d say that this might be the most exciting times for Leica shooters. There’s an affordable M, lots of lenses, lots of accessories, a choice of AF-cameras and lenses that are compatible with all M-lenses and a professional SL-platform that is compatible with all lenses mentioned before and new lenses, even from different companies.

Q&A: the Leica 28 or 24 Summilux?

Hi Joeri

I hope that this email finds you well. I regularly read your website and love the pics you took with your Lux 24 and I am myself considering one.

Since I know that you also wrote a very positive review of the 28 Lux, I was wondering if you saw major differences and ended up with the 24 because you had a preference for it vs the 28 or it just so happened that you had a good opportunity to get one.

Thank you in advance!

Thanks! To be honest, I was offered a nice deal on a used 24/1.4 and not on a 28/1.4. But now that I own the 24, I really do love it. Funny enough, in my review of the 28 Lux I stated that I’d much rather have the 28/1.4 than the 24 or 21 lux, because of the lower weight and smaller size. If I’d get a good deal on a 28, I’d buy it.

But the 24 is actually a very nice focal length for my work. For weddings, it isn’t too wide to distort the image too much, while I can get a lot of things in the background. For travel and street work, I’d much rather use a 28, which I also have: the little and excellent Elmarit. I think a 28mm is a much more all round lens than a 24.

If you can buy them both, just do it, if you can have ‘only’ one and travel, street and all round work is your thing, get the 28.

Man, you can even shoot portraits with a 28, like Martin Krystynek does so wonderfully. Those beautiful shots were taken with the Q.

By the way: the Leica Store in Amsterdam has a good deal on a used one. It’s without VAT however (which makes it less interesting for me). Here it is.

Good deal on CV 35/1.2 II

Cameratools is selling a demo lens of the Cosina Voigtländer 35/1.2 ASPH II. Since it’s a demo, I suspect there’s still VAT on it, if you have a business where you can deduct. The CV 35/1.2 is a bit heavy, but other a magnificent lens that I have used (and still use) a lot. It’s great on the M, very nice on the SL (ergonomically better than the 35/2 or 35/1.4 by Leica) and IQ is pretty good.

Here’s the link. Be quick. They have only one.

Here’s a couple of images that I shot with it.