What I Do Before I Buy Gear 

"Just make sure you're not buying dumb shit." Best closing line in any photo gear review, ever.

Damn, that model is fantastic. She moves wonderfully.

So many great lenses and photos. Was surprised the TT 0.95 wasn’t terrible.

I always learn something from your videos. Glad things are picking up. Kudos to you and your team.

I really like hearing your thoughts on what your looking for in your renderings. I appreciate someone reviewing the image quality versus basing a purchase on the specs. Thank you for sharing.

Well that's why we ask Peter the professional what he thinks. Isn't that why we ask professionals? Their opinions and thoughts are vital in any beginners or even other professional photographers.. Peter you're the best. Love your work. Ur inspire me to be better...

Peter, having spent over 25 years working and managing pro camera stores I think if anyone is looking to add or switch to a new camera manufacturer that going to a good camera store where you can see and handle multiple cameras, lenses, accessories within a short time frame is ideal. It's so easy to pick up one camera, see something you like or don't like about it, grab a different camera and quickly compare them. Also in your particular instance where you want to use vintage lenses, a store with a good used department can make your decision easy. Well, easier. For most photographers who live in major cities there are usually one or more stores that fit the criteria. Those in smaller towns and rural areas might see if there's a local camera club where you can find members who might let you come over to see their gear.

Thanks for not pixel peeping Peter, honestly half the time with reviews I can’t see the point and who cares if a lens isn’t razor sharp in the corners in the real world ? Completely agree, your camera has to feel good in the hand and be easy to use.

Thanks for sharing Peter..... interesting video - some great shots with different gear....I am only a hobbyist but I enjoy seeing good videos on gear & their results... thanks to the model for her quality work.... cheers 😀

"I like wine." best gear review ever!!

Agreed. I am currently using Sony A6400 bodies mated to old Nikon F lenses via an adapter for my portrait shooting and it has given me great results. The A6400 may not be considered a 'pro' camera due to the APS-C sensor by those who use a full frame unit but the weight and ease of handling suit my needs.

Thanks for always giving practical and useful information!

Always something to consider, thanks guys enjoy the week

Really nice shots, of both Bec and RaRa, Peter!

I love the shirt photos! I think that last photo in this video was my favorite! FYI, I think the girl with the glasses is amazing, too. I love to see more shoots with her!

Great video. Love the content and the shots. Rara is a beautiful subject. I totally agree with your thought to rent the gear before buying it. I was thinking about buying a cinema camera for my business. Rented it over a holiday weekend. So for a one-day rental fee, I got to use the camera for four days. By the end of the test my conclusion was this cinema camera is very heavy and I am tired of carrying it around. Better to rent it for each job, hire someone to lug it around rather than purchase it. I understand why Leica gives you the look you want. It is great kit. Canon meets my needs so I am sticking with it. One thing you don't mention is support. In my opinion, the best thing about Canon is Canon Professional Services. You have to pay for the service but it is money well spent. Real human beings answer the phone, service your gear, and repair if necessary. Can't say enough good things about Canon Professional Services.

Wow, that was a great video as I love how you just took their beauty of there skin and made it just be the beauty of which you seen in the lens no photoshoping or changing them just pure beauty out of the lens. Rah Rah was looking so beautiful in the white slip at the beginning I hardly recognize her till I seen those beautiful eyes. She must have let her hair grow out or something but she was looking even more beautiful in this shoot as all these would make great shots of the beautiful woman she is. The Lecia SLR did do a beautiful job of showing her natural glowing beautiful skin that looked so pure and natural and without the shimmering glow that so many other photographers I see that feel those are the better photos of their models. Kudos to Rah Rah for looking so pure and naturally beautiful in these photos as truly a lot of keepers for her portfolio. Thanks again Peter for another great video and the tips of on lens and for the beautiful Rah Rah and Bec's lovely modeling in this shoot.

Ra Ra's hair looks AMAZING!!!

Good advice. After owning a camera (or system) for a while, you generally have an idea of what you need & want in your next system. Downloading & looking thru the owners/user/operation manual before renting can help also. I would think once you custom the camera with the buttons for the features you use, the Sony would be pretty easy to use. Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who hasn’t set up @ny of the 4 shooting/menu banks on a camera I have owned for 6.5 yrs.

AMAZING WORK GUYS!

The Panasonic S1R uses the same sensor and EVF as the SL2 (albeit without fine-tuning for M lenses). It was a special project by Panasonic before they sold their sensor business. I was going to go for the 24mpx S1 as well, but the rendering of the S1R just amazed me -- especially when I saw the first images with the 50mm S PRO. I never got the S PRO lens, I got the Sigma 40mm ART instead, but I LOVE the S1R, and I'll try and get an SL2 as well in a few years when the prices are much lower.

Really nice model. She is a pro indeed! Love her! Subscribed!

Thanks for sharing, what a beautiful dress (Becky). I loved the images as allways.

I love sticking vintage glass on digital bodies. I bought a cheap apsc mirrorless a couple of years ago just shoot my collection of pre war and post war rangefinder commie glass. I went cheap so i didn't get a model with a view finder. i worked with a tripod. The way your working it looks so easy and natural. I've had an rp for months and never thought to try and shoot like that. I bought that rp just so my 20 year old 85mm would have a full frame home. I did the same thing in 2017 for a 25 year nikon 85mm with a used full frame nikon dslr. I've lusted after those two german lenses for almost 20 years. There is all ways a bit of kit that i need more than vintage german glass. Such delightful imagery. I'm going to change my outlook. Set up a swear jar for a sumicron. shouldn't take long i was in the army.

Peter and Bec , exellent work as always and I appreciate simplicity of presentation. We all admire your hard work Peter and constantly learn from you. Many of modern cameras are like mini computers without any soul. Camera manufacturers are catering mass markets and most people want features which they never need or never use . I picked up SL2 2 years ago and fell in love with everything. Looking forward to see more and more photoshoots .

I love seeing what others like. I also have peculiar taste and am lucky my assistant has tons of cameras and lets me play with them. I plan on trying an H2D when it comes to the Philippines unless my assistant buys one first. That SL2 looks awesome

This was great info. Thanks! Simplicity is best!

Well, love the kookie presenter from the off! Good start to whatever follows!

Great video, shows real life working in the out doors with a wide variety of dynamic range & how the camera's handled it.... A very interesting video.. 🤗

You have managed to capture some stunning images of Becca !

I'm also preferring the SL-2....and I'm a Sony shooter! Great portraits, I especially liked the ones of Bec.

Hi Peter I’m Alex I’m from Mexico and I love tequila and photography, I think that’s what we have in common 😊happy new year !

Those are some really nice shots of bec. Whether it’s the lens, wide aperture, Leica, way you are feeling or bec is or all those things together just lovely pix 👍🏻 Sony I think doesn’t use a low pass filter in front of sensor so tends to look slightly more digitally sharp.

I couldn’t afford Leica. Ended up with the Lumix S1R(all most same camera, give it a try) and I am so happy with it. And I could recommend the Lumix 50 1.4 and the 85 1.8. Give them a try if you can get one. They fit on the Leica. I promise, you will be happy with the results. Great video again! Thx!

So true of 'equipment'. An important video. I could never get on with Canon SLR gear. Even when I started in the 70s. Just felt 'wrong'. Now, more so with digital Canon.

If I could afford one of those bodies I might have bought one because I also like vintage lenses. Although, I'm not using lenses like you have here. They are out of my budget. I ended up with a Fuji XT-3. It was the most bang for the buck based on my budget. It's been a lot of fun. Just bought my first Fuji prime. Waiting for it to arrive. Have a great week!!

I always like the portraits you take and the way your work comes out, it has a consistent look which is your style. As per gear lt is important to have that feeling. My Sony is usually best for my images but somehow my Fuji film XT series feels great to use and very good images with vintage lenses 🙂🇦🇺📸

Outside photography 😀Great video 👏 Make more please 🙏

I love your job

Great video you two (Peter & Bec ) make a wonderful team! Having shot thousands of photographs with a Sony A7R4. I have to compare it to another similarity of like working on a Windows PC for hours sure gets the job done but from a technical standpoint you get to experience more of its technology then completed the task at hand. Perhaps why I always edit my photographs on a Mac, I want to spend time working on the photographs not the operating system. That's the same exact comparison I have to make with my Leica SL2, I get to focus on the photography not the tool. I'm in 100% agreement I have never use the camera platform in the digital age that makes it so easy to manually focus.

Whoa! I love that dress Bec! Seriously. I believe it is a dress.

Love the approach and yes it is absolutely right there is not one camera for everything as well a camera might be technically superior from the specs if it feels not comfortable the pics will not be as good as with a camera which fits.

To answer at 1:10 Nikon, Nikon, Nikon and Nikon...everything else is just secondary!

You know what they say about, gear doesn’t matter and generally that’s true until it does. I’ve been very lucky in that for the most part I was able to try the gear I have before buying it and that is a big plus when you are changing makes of cameras or one that you’ve never used. Lovely images. I wish I had your level of comfort working with the models. I’ve mostly shot sports , animals and landscapes and have always been a lot self conscience about pointing my camera at people.

I use and love the SL2. I've used SL601, M10, M9M, even Fiji GFX100, but I have found the images to be exquisite and amazing from the SL2. My go to lens is the Sigma 85mm f1.4 (or the Sigma 105mm f1.4). I also use the TTA 90mm f1.25, 7A 75mm f1.4 and TTA 59mm f0.95. Cannot ask for a system to do more

Really cool to get this peek into your process, Peter. I'm curious why you don't consider the Leica M 11 vs. the SL2, especially since you enjoy the classic M-mount lenses. I get that the rangefinder experience is inherently different (and maybe that's a good thing) but the Leica Visoflex EVF would seem to do what you're after, as well. Thanks for what you do.

adapters for old lenses nice to play with

The images from the 90mill on the Leica were stunning

Rare looked great

I switched away from Sony a little over a year ago. If you think there is "something missing" with Sony in B&W try the same test in color. I love everything about Sony except the final results. I could absolutely see what you were talking about comparing the Sony and SL2 B&W files.

Did you notice less CA and better color rendition on the Leica SL, when using the Sonnar 50mm F1.5, compared with the Sony? I never used M-mount lenses but while I was testing the Leica SL with some Leica R lenses, I saw a huge difference in terms of CA and color rendition when comparing it with the Lumix S1/S5. The SL was a pure joy to use it and it's probably the best camera I tried...one day I'll buy one. Great video as always, ciao!

love this guy .. proper pro

I have the SL2S sand I love it especially with M Lenses. What is your favorite this far? I use my canon R5 for most pro work.

Yes, on the equipment and all…but I’m stunned by how the outdoors & daylight make RaRa (sp?) incredible. I didnt think that was possible.

Many thanks for this new backstage session!

Always learn something, thanks to RaRa & Bec

I would love to hear your take on your medium format camera.

Great review Edward! If budget is not a criteria to differentiate the systems and dynamic range is important, why not going with a medium format for BW portraiture? Beautiful models in the review as well.

I once watched an interview with a German WWII ace on the BBC. Its a very long time ago and his name alludes me. He said that although the Spitfire was technically a better warplane than the ME109, for him the 109 was The Plane, because it fitted him like well made glove. I guess it is the same with cameras. Persoanlly, I prefer cameras that give me a good feeling when I shoot them, even though all my digital cameras are atleast 7 years old. I too, do not care about all this mega pixels, Focus Modes, Two thousand focus points, 25K video, etc etc. I still use a lot of film in all formats. My old eyes are beter than any auto focus system. I love my Nikon F3& F4 becaus eof the viewfinders, WYSIWYG. Very good advice Mr Coulson and lovely photography.

Nice I wish I would have gotten a full frame camera instead of gh6..

M-mount lenses are unmatched.

Nice video Peter I like the older lens but my favorite lens is my 85mm and my 50mm keep up the great work rara is a beautiful young woman ❤️ Paul

Great vid

RaRa's hair is stunning.

Sony just looks more digital! I think that's it... And that's one of the reasons of why I use Canon instead of Sony. I now want a Leica SL2 for personal art 😍

Try the Techart pro adapter for Sony or Megadap MTZ for Nikon if you're into vintage lenses. You can adapt manual focus lenses to work with autofocus and is perfect for portraits (too slow for sports and wildlife though). I love manual focus lenses but I don't always get the focus correctly, the techart pro adapter (old version) solved that issue for me. I hear the new version is even better. Both only work if your camera has phase detect AF though.

I'm not familiar with the Sony system, does it tend to naturally over saturate the blacks even when you change lenses? The big difference that I saw was that the Leica had much more natural darker hues where the Sony's shots seemed as you said to be darker. Over all I thought your decision on the Leica SL2 coming down to a personal choice on how you feel shooting with the set-up, it's ease of use and how it was working with your selection of vintage lenses was inspired. When I left working in Television I knew I wanted a fairly decent camera, but had a very limited budget to play with. I tried a friends Nikon, a make I usually love but I was maybe expecting too much coming from my film cameras and never seem to capture the essence of what I wanted to see. I also used an EOS Canon system and found it better in the way it carried itself in the hand, but it was also quite heavy. My least favourite of the bunch was lighter and the images I took looked like I expected them to look, so for my meager budget of about $850 CDN I chose the Olympus OM-D E-M5 with 2 Zuiko lenses to start with, a 12-50mm 3.5-6.3 and a 40-150mm 4.0-5.6. I know the lenses aren't very fast but I'm also not a highly regarded Fashion/Glamour Photographer with a good whack of years experience behind him. I shot news on big old Betacam and other Sony/Ampeg professional ENG units, and this has been a very interesting switch. I'm very interested in looking at Medium Format Digital cameras or Medium Format with a Digital Back in place of a traditional film back, which would give me the ability to shoot digital or shoot film. It's just a goofy idea I have which affords me an excuse to build a darkroom and a studio in my basement. Being an amputee sucks, but having a great "hobby" or I think I like, Source of inspiration and reason to get out of bed, much better. Thank-you so much for all your videos!! This was a great episode with a load of information in it, as are all your videos. Be well - Dave from Canada.

Hi Peter - Always enjoy your videos, and it was especially refreshing to see you shoot outdoors in natural light here. One thing I wanted to know, since you were comparing the density of the shadows between the Sony and the Leica and such, was whether you had the cameras set to shoot in black and white or were you using a conversion formula to obtain the monochrome images? If the latter, then can't the settings be tweaked a tad to open up or darken shadows to achieve the same look no matter which camera you used? If so, then it comes down to personal preference for which camera is more fun or easy to use.

Thanks for sharing! You mentioned you enjoy shooting on some vintage lenses. You specifically mentioned a couple of Leica M lenses. I wonder if you ever shoot on Leica R lenses and if you have any feedback on your perspective between the two. Additionally whats been your experience with the Leica R lenses specifically on the sl2/s

Interesting insights, thanks for sharing! Only one remark: This seems to be the 7 Artisans 50mm f/0.95, not the TT Artisans 50mm f/0.95. Is that right?

Thanks for another great video. The shooting experience should always trump the tech specs.

Nice video. You are right on the blacks rendered by the cameras, or I am very suggestible. I think it is you are right. I am with you on the Sony vs Leica. I have the M8.2, M9 and M240. I favor the M9 with retro lenses. a '42 5cm/1.5 CZJ, '57 KMZ 5cm/2.0 J8, Cooke 2" Amotal and a nice Skyllaney Bertele Sonnar. I do have a 35/2.0 LTM Canon but am mostly with the 50's. As for camera hand feel and comfort/confidence I agree, Sony > Leica > X2D HB. I still shoot crap but do it with better cameras now. ;o)

Much appreciated

How did you focus at 1.5 without zoom in? Only with peaking? For me is impossible on my A7rII with the Sonnar 1.5 ZM

Hello! Have you ever shoot using the screen instead of the electronic view finder?

Peter since you have discussion and questions about how you capture sharp picture with RaRa constantly moving, can you tel us what was your exposure speed on that session? That is more important then manual focus...

How does the Leica menu compare to the Hasselblad menu? They both seem minimal compared to Sony.

I love my Sony A7R3 I get stunning photos with it I use a Sony 55mm on it

Peter, if I can. Those are wonderful professional cameras but, I want to know what kind of work can you do with a cellphone camera?

If you could have only one lens to mount on the SL2, which lens would it be ?

I know you like to focus manually and, obviously, doing so doesn’t slow you down much, but I’m curious as to why you would want to deal with manual focus. Is it just because these old lenses don’t have AF? Are these old lenses really that much different and better?

That new Hasselblad XD2 100 MP surely would be a camera worth considering??

Are these pictures straight out of the two cameras or any photoshop being applied?

Interesting to see through your eyes Pete - if you like the 90 cron in M - do yourself a favour and try the SL version - Bec's expressions never fail to deliver the 'wow' factor. btw - welcome to the Leica fanboy Club Carlo at the store is not a bad shooter himself. atb Pete

This is an ad. Take a drink every time Peter says "like" and you can get drunk before the video ends

¡ Good Idea!

Peter, How on earth do you manage to get a sharp picture when RARA was constantly moving during the Leica test shoot?

"Make sure you are not buying dumb shit" WORDS TO LIVE BY

such a pretty dress, bec

Models don't like sharp skin. That takes me back to when a Leaf of Nikon digital back alone was a $40K conversion to your camera. High res'n digital had arrived. There was a period of backlash in the Toronto fashion imaging community at least, because the cameras picked up so much detail, the retouchers were working overtime to get rid of all the pores and follicles that were now obvious on the originals. Product photographers; no complaints as they could rattle off shots direct to computer in short order that transformed consumer goods into dazzling temptations. Be careful what you wish for I suppose.

The SL2 's are great but get your hands on some Voigtlander lenses and do it again. You get $ 5K lens performance under $ 1K. Nice to see you do something different. Have you already seen the new X2D 100, that camera is amazing and you can use Phocus developer. Karl Taylor did some side by side shots with his H6D, amazing results. Check him out. Thanks for sharing

I found it hard to tell the difference between the cameras from the photos so it boils down to user preference.

SL2 😎👍Who ever said the most expensive isn't the best 🤔

SL2👌

RaRa is absolutely perfect.... :)

If only the Leica SL had a mirror inside, otherwise a brilliant camera, the viewfinder is the best of all the mirrorless cameras, yet my biggest creature comfort is looking into reality through a mirror while I shoot, I just can't seem to shake it.

Thanks for sharing. I seriously hope there aren't idiot's messing with bec or your models.

👍

Can't afford any of this gear but I always learn something from Pete. Nice to see a model who isn't all tatted up.

One day Lecia, one day