Leica SL Review with the M-Adapter T 

it's a controversial design departure, but I like that Leica takes risks with design. I personally think it's a beast of a camera and I enjoyed reviewing it.

@@bigheadtaco Not really a beast compared to, say a Nikon D5 with a 24-70... in fact, the images from it are at least as good, and in my experience even better.

ha ha.

+Mykoue Yang I know 100% that the Sony A7 series is the best bang for buck on any mirrorless series. But as I mentioned using a car analogy, when someone wants to buy a Bentley or a Rolls Royce, it's hard to convince the buyer to look at a Lexus or even a BMW. There's more to a purchasing decision than just features or performance. The only person I would recommend the SL to is an existing Leica camera owner with an investment into their lens system, or someone with lots of money who wants a luxury camera. For the the rest of us, the Sony, Fuji and Olympus/Panasonic mirrorless systems are the best value :-)

Lets hope the owner who wants to buy a Bentley or Rolls knows how to use a camera and compose photographs.

+roadracer247 if you already own Nikon lenses, stick to Nikon. This is for those who already shoot Leica.

+Christopher Bell thank you for this info. I initially had a pre-production sample copy and perhaps it is different but didn't double check the production copy. Thank you and I will put in a note in the video. Thanks!

+Calvin Chann I probably won't revisit the SL again until the 50mm Lux comes out. However, in each video I have mentioned using the M adapter with the SL. A local Leica user shoots exclusively with his M lenses on his newly acquired SL and he loves it. He is in the process of selling his M240 because he loves shooting with the SL so much. It's much easier to focus (focus peaking, zoom, the beautiful EVF). The only issue really is shooting in low light and having the lens stopped down, but that's a very specific thing to studio photography. Is there anything specific you want to know about shooting the SL with the M Adapter T?

@@bigheadtaco Looking at a second-hand SL with a manual focus 75mm Summicron.. Just wondering whether shooting portraits wide open will be too difficult focus-wise? Currently own Fuji with 56mm and a Q2. Looking to go all Leica..

if you consider the older lenses, people used them in all sorts of weather, but that was back in the film days. No electronics. So my guess is if you're shooting digital, I would be weary of using in inclement weather, more so the body versus the lenses

the SL is easier in general, but it depends on your background, skill level, focal length used and subject matter your shooting. I say if you haven't come from a rangefinder background, and you're shooting anything over 50mm, go with the SL.

Wish it was fast like a 1.8 tho...

True, all British, all classy (well, I guess we can debate the McLaren)

+Bryan Campbell because the camera does not read the aperture info on non-Leica pre-digital lenses, it doesn't show. My guess is f/4 or f/5.6. That's the sweet spot of that lens. As long as the sun is behind you, the lens has no issues. If you're shooting towards the sun, this lens has really bad flare. It was Minolta's first generation lens coating, which the Leica versions did not have. My 28mm is completely unusable. The 40mm is fine as long as you stop down, and the 90mm is perfect wide open.

Thanks Take Which other lenses are you going to try with the SL for the next review?

Bryan Campbell I'm really looking forward to the R-mount adapter since there are tons of very cool lenses out there. As for M-mount, I'm going to try some Voigtlander and maybe some classic screw mount lenses. Stay tuned!

obvious IQ, dynamic range and high ISO performance upgrade with the SL. However, I prefer the handling, size-weight-to-feature ratio and IBIS on the X-H1. Manual focusing is also easier on the X-H1. I love both cameras though and wouldn't hesitate to use either.

The Leica adapter has a reader for the six bit coding on the lens. Camera software has baked in lens profiles for automatic corrections

+Arnd san thanks for your comment and you bring up a good point. One perspective is that whatever camera a professional photographer gravitates towards using makes it into a 'pro' camera. Another perspective is that a manufacturer builds a specific camera that targets 'pros' and the features they are looking for. Then there are those that feel that if they by a 'pro' camera then they are professional or that it adds more legitimacy to their work. I think all 3 perspectives in isolation is totally the wrong perspective. Personally I don't really care what anyone calls any camera. In my commercial work, I've made more money using my iPhone, which makes it my most professional tool for me. But I would never call my iPhone a 'pro-camera'. At the same time, just because you buy a Nikon D5 doesn't make you more legit or make your images better. A camera is only a tool. The only thing professional is that fact you make money from it. Saying all this, many cameras are clearly targeting professionals in specific fields due to certain specs. This doesn't make the camera better than other cameras that don't have those same specs, and people shouldn't be fooled into thinking that buying a pro-spec camera makes them better photographers. The opposite is usually the case. Pro-spec anything tends to be narrowly focused and rarely accommodates a variety of applications. Most pro photographers I know leave their pro gear at home when they are not working because they are too cumbersome to carry and too narrowly functional for everyday use. I hope this clarifies my review of the Leica SL. I'm not saying this is better just because it has pro specs.

+bigheadtaco thank's for the long reply. I find it great how you care for this cameras : ). Really like your "different" reviews. but I found it a bit "not so good" how you repeat Leica's marketing vocabulary. I just wonder where we have the 'Pro Specs" at this camera. Seems it's very average for 2016. Can't do anything special then feeling sturdy. Got problems you have to work around... Feels that the camera is so expansive that Leica tell us that this is because it's "pro". I wonder why photographer have to pay this price. In Hong Kong the camera most used by pros is the canon 5. Mark 3. Seem that this covers "pro spec".

Arnd san I know the SL is marketing pros because of both the build quality and also feature set, such as full size HDMI and USB 3.0 connections, high 2gb 11fps 33 DNG RAW burst mode, highest resolution EVF on the market, highest level weather sealing on any mirrorless camera currently available, etc. This is a pro-mirrorless, not to be confused with DSLR which is different. The number one spec of a professional camera that is targeting professional photographers is the build quality. I've personally used a camera so much that after 2 years the non-pro camera fell apart. That's after 2 seasons of shooting pro sports, shooting countless weddings and commercial assignments, etc. My pro body lasted 10 years, and it still works today. When new cameras came out with better and faster features, the pro body still lasted longer and could handle the abuse of daily use. This is something you can't read off of a spec sheet. The second feature is usually in the input-output accessories, both support from 3rd party and the manufacturers. The price of the Leica is inconsequential to Leica when it comes to being professional or not. There are many Leica cameras that costs more than the SL that are not categorized as pro by Leica themselves, and neither do they market it as such. Leica is like Bentley or Rolls Royce. They are a luxury brand and it is marketed to a very small segment of pro photographers. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist or that the SL is not designed for professional use. If you can't afford it, it's not meant for you. As a working professional, if you are not making enough money to pay for the equipment you are using, then you shouldn't buy any system you can't afford. The Canon 5D is a great camera because it has the features that professionals need at the price they can afford. The 1D has always been the model above the 5D, but who cares? Also, Canon and Nikon are probably 80% of the pro market so it's easy to see why you see so many Canons around, considering their EOS legacy goes back to the 1980's. I am not defending the Leica SL, there's no need to. A camera is a camera is a camera. I am only defending my assessment of it. It is my viewpoint based on my experience with many cameras over many years, which you have every right to disagree with. The Leica SL is marketed towards professionals. I don't say it's pro because Leica tells me to say it. I say it because I've used and shot with enough pro equipment to know when a camera is being marketed to pros or not.

Arnd san but hey I don't want to seem grumpy or argumentative. I do appreciate your polite comments and opinions. I enjoy it very much. I also appreciate your support as you've been commenting for a very long time so thank you very much!

+bigheadtaco sure - I like your boutique stile reviews (would not comment on your reviews if not). I own a Nikon D800 and a Fuji Film X100s and understand how this 2 cameras make you shooting different images. I would like to get the new Leica m262 if i could justify a new (pricy) camera for myself (unfortunately I have less and less time to walk around and enjoy myself this days). Thanks

that's a big financial upgrade. But if you can afford it, the M series is probably the purist upgrade to the Leica system. But that's an optical viewfinder and manual focus lenses. Are you okay with that? If you want AF and interchangeable lenses, then the SL or Leica TL are your two main options.

+Vladislav Barsov on request with Leica, along with the M262. I must patiently wait...

I may do a long term review of the SL, but I do have a TL2 on its way

+Kenneth Kum I messed up the S-log post processing. My producer usually does it for me but I decided to do this one myself. It looked fine on my computer but once I uploaded to RU-vid it looked funny. Either I rendered it too high a resolution, or I was too aggressive in my colour grading. I'll have to play with it more but will get better at it.

+epicmap I have not tried with any Zeiss or Voigtlander lenses. I will do so on my next review with the SL.

+bigheadtaco it is not only appears with 3rd party brands, but with some wideangle Leica lenses too. I'm sure it is not an issue on leica SL (lice on others leica cameras), but it is very big advantage against Sony, cos you literally can't fully use some wide LM lenses with a Sony A7R/A7R2/A7/A72. Leica cameras and the Sony A7S/A7S2 is the only exclusion from the color-shift issue. Please google it and you'll have something more to tell in your next video. Anyway, thank you for review!

+epicmap you can't even use the 35 cron ASPH on the A7RII. The smearing is insane.

+W Hanson that's unusual. I would contact Leica directly and make sure there is a way to perhaps reload the update and see if that will fix the problem. Sorry that you're having issues.

+bigheadtaco thanks a lot :}

+Pablo Ledesma my guess is the SL is the Q with interchangeable lenses. I don't see them going cheaper than this. I could be wrong, but we'll just have to wait and see. Leica is very hush hush about their current development projects. Some cameras come out of left field like the Leica Q. Even my local rep had no idea until a day before, which is when I was notified.

+Ezra Pages either the sensor-processor combo, or else develop a new higher resolution sensor, either by increasing the megapixel count or by removing the AA filter.

+bigheadtaco I might be mistaken but didn't Leica already remove the AA filter in all their M's

t mount is the old name.

+Scott MacWatters I've requested it from Leica, but it takes time to make it's way to Canada. There is no official Leica Canada yet.

+bigheadtaco thanks for the update!

+bigheadtaco You have not done it yet , any plan?

Pretty good battery life. Shot all day and still had juice. However, I wasn't using the AF lens which will use more power. I'm waiting for the new 50mm to review.

there is focus peaking on the SL, but I don't know what the Novoflex does. The non-Leica lenses attached to the SL worked with peaking, so I don't see an issue unless it's the mount adapter

ok i got it i have to push any button to activate it

+Abdullah Jamil thanks for at least giving me a chance. There are a lot of other reviewers you can watch on RU-vid so enjoy them too. I'm sure many of them will suit your taste.

yes, quite agree, and that "click" noise he makes is quite annoying, just press the SHUTTER BUTTON !!, and show us the camera , not all this twat, the net isn't a talk show or a romance drama for heavens sake!!

You’re too nice to him….I’d tell him to go fck himself 😉