L-Mount L-mount pictures, open thread

[BruceRH]

You can get a new S5D in the UK plus 18-40 for £699 at the moment!

LUMIX S5D Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera - Black DC-S5DNE-K

LUMIX DC-S5DN (Kit with S5D Body and LUMIX S 18-40mm / F4.5-6.3 Zoom Lens) Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera featuring 24.2MP MOS Sensor, 4K 60p/50p 10-bit Video, and More — All in a Compact, Lightweight Body. 18-40mm lens kit

store.panasonic.co.uk

Thank goodness I don't live in the UK 🤣

One can get an S5, body only for $998 USD right now. Then there is the whole Leica SL2-S rabbit hole but having played with one once I just don't see using it much because of the size and weight.

 

[pdk42]

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The Delights of a Japanese Garden by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

 

[pdk42]

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Covered Bridge near the Tofuku-ji Temple by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

 

[christilou]

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[christilou]

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Got myself a new Sigma 50mm 1.2 .... very sharp and nice muzzy bokeh. Focus a bit faster than the 35mm. May be able to sell my Sony A7IV and 50mm 1.2 GM now. I have softened these a bit as I often do for people pics.

 

[CraigC]

Lovely as usual @christilou, both in your subjects and the portrayal of them through their look and your edits. Many photos to be cherished down the road.

The SL2-S is definitely a camera that has piqued my interest, but the size is a tad too large. I really wish Leica made an Q sized/rangefinder styled L-mount ILC.

 

[pdk42]

Lovely as usual @christilou, both in your subjects and the portrayal of them through their look and your edits. Many photos to be cherished down the road.

The SL2-S is definitely a camera that has piqued my interest, but the size is a tad too large. I really wish Leica made an Q sized/rangefinder styled L-mount ILC.

Of course, the SL2S is pretty much the same camera as the Panasonic S1. And the S5, from a sensor and image pipeline point of view, is pretty much the same as them both.

 

[pdk42]

View attachment 519179



Got myself a new Sigma 50mm 1.2 .... very sharp and nice muzzy bokeh. Focus a bit faster than the 35mm. May be able to sell my Sony A7IV and 50mm 1.2 GM now. I have softened these a bit as I often do for people pics.

Lovely shots Christlou! That Sigma certainly delivers the goods. I love the 50mm fov for portraits. Superb shots indeed!

 

[rayvonn]

Of course, the SL2S is pretty much the same camera as the Panasonic S1. And the S5, from a sensor and image pipeline point of view, is pretty much the same as them both.

What's your view and/ or the feedback in the L Mount community as to how to the Leica and Panasonic L mount lenses compare? Put simply, is there more to it than just the badge?

 

[pdk42]

What's your view and/ or the feedback in the L Mount community as to how to the Leica and Panasonic L mount lenses compare? Put simply, is there more to it than just the badge?

I’ve not used any Leica lens- ever! Reading the reviews, it seems that some are absolutely top drawer (esp the APO ones), but at the prices they charge I’d hope they would be. Others are clearly re-engineered Sigma lenses (e.g. the 100-400 or the 24-70 f2.8), or joint developments with Panasonic (e.g. their “cheaper” 35 and 50mm f2 primes). But they are all good lenses without any obvious duds in the range.

Sigma lenses are the jewel in the L Mount crown in my opinion. Nearly all are top quality and decent prices. The 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8 zooms are superb, as are all the ART primes. The little iSeries primes are also wonderful; and the 100 macro is the sharpest lens I’ve ever used - just amazing.

The Panasonic lenses are a mixed bunch. Some are really top class (e.g. the 24-70 f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 70-200 f2.8 and f4), many are very good but not top tier (e.g. 24-105, 100, 85, 50, 35 primes), and some are remarkably good considering their price (e.g. 20-60, 14-28). Some are dogs (e.g. 28-200, 28mm f8).

But overall, aside from a good superzoom like the Tamron 28-200 or the Nikon 24-200, there’s pretty much everything anyone could want in the line up now. It’s a very good system in my view.

 

[BruceRH]

Lovely as usual @christilou, both in your subjects and the portrayal of them through their look and your edits. Many photos to be cherished down the road.

The SL2-S is definitely a camera that has piqued my interest, but the size is a tad too large. I really wish Leica made an Q sized/rangefinder styled L-mount ILC.

The size is what keeps me at bay. I played with the SL2-S and the SL3 at a Leica shop and I just can't see myself using one very much. I would love to have an ILC Leica with a zoom or 2 and my M mount MF lenses but the size and weight... I do use my Sony A7CR (occasionally) with the Techart AF adapter for my M lenses but I just do not like using the Sony. I love the simplicity of the Leica menus and controls. I have daydreamed of the SL the last few days so this is a timely comment. I have looked at several used SL2 and SL2-S postings on FM and even a very nice SL3 for a good price but I have resisted so far. The Panasonic L mount bodes are tempting but then I lose the Leica simplicity. B&H has a great price right now for the S5 which is tempting, but I really don't want a flippy screen.

 

[pdk42]

The size is what keeps me at bay. I played with the SL2-S and the SL3 at a Leica shop and I just can't see myself using one very much. I would love to have an ILC Leica with a zoom or 2 and my M mount MF lenses but the size and weight... I do use my Sony A7CR (occasionally) with the Techart AF adapter for my M lenses but I just do not like using the Sony. I love the simplicity of the Leica menus and controls. I have daydreamed of the SL the last few days so this is a timely comment. I have looked at several used SL2 and SL2-S postings on FM and even a very nice SL3 for a good price but I have resisted so far. The Panasonic L mount bodes are tempting but then I lose the Leica simplicity. B&H has a great price right now for the S5 which is tempting, but I really don't want a flippy screen.

I ran Canon DSLRs until I got into m43 in 2013. My last Canon body was the 5dii and It was a revelation to get pretty much the same IQ out of a little EPL5. So I went on a ten year crusade for small camera bodies. The first time I saw the Panasonic S1 I laughed openly at the the folly of making such a behemoth.

But I got an S1R in 2023 and I have grown to absolutely love it. It’s the same size, more or less, as the old 5dii and it feels good to be back using a meaty camera. It feels good in the hand and it’s easier to operate than the m43 cameras I’ve been used to. Sure it’s a bit heavier, but what’s 300g in the big scheme of things?

Try renting an SL2 or SL3 and see what it’s like with a longer period to adapt to it. Or even pickup a used S1 - they are now very cheap. If you like it and if you’ve got the cash, go for that SL3. YOLO!

 

[BruceRH]

I ran Canon DSLRs until I got into m43 in 2013. My last Canon body was the 5dii and It was a revelation to get pretty much the same IQ out of a little EPL5. So I went on a ten year crusade for small camera bodies. The first time I saw the Panasonic S1 I laughed openly at the the folly of making such a behemoth.

But I got an S1R in 2023 and I have grown to absolutely love it. It’s the same size, more or less, as the old 5dii and it feels good to be back using a meaty camera. It feels good in the hand and it’s easier to operate than the m43 cameras I’ve been used to. Sure it’s a bit heavier, but what’s 300g in the big scheme of things?

Try renting an SL2 or SL3 and see what it’s like with a longer period to adapt to it. Or even pickup a used S1 - they are now very cheap. If you like it and if you’ve got the cash, go for that SL3. YOLO!

Yeah, don't encourage me 😬 🤣

Renting has never really appealed to me. I would rather find a nice used one at a good price and then, if I don't like it, sell it for little to no loss. I just looked on Lensrentals and they want $312 for 7 days. I could buy a used one, use it for 6 months and probably do better than that. And then of course is the part that I have the OM-1 which does everything I need in AF body. The SL series is certainly tempting though. I'll keep an eye on the used market this coming year and maybe give one a shot.

 

[rayvonn]

I’ve not used any Leica lens- ever! Reading the reviews, it seems that some are absolutely top drawer (esp the APO ones), but at the prices they charge I’d hope they would be. Others are clearly re-engineered Sigma lenses (e.g. the 100-400 or the 24-70 f2.8), or joint developments with Panasonic (e.g. their “cheaper” 35 and 50mm f2 primes). But they are all good lenses without any obvious duds in the range.

Sigma lenses are the jewel in the L Mount crown in my opinion. Nearly all are top quality and decent prices. The 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8 zooms are superb, as are all the ART primes. The little iSeries primes are also wonderful; and the 100 macro is the sharpest lens I’ve ever used - just amazing.

The Panasonic lenses are a mixed bunch. Some are really top class (e.g. the 24-70 f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 70-200 f2.8 and f4), many are very good but not top tier (e.g. 24-105, 100, 85, 50, 35 primes), and some are remarkably good considering their price (e.g. 20-60, 14-28). Some are dogs (e.g. 28-200, 28mm f8).

But overall, aside from a good superzoom like the Tamron 28-200 or the Nikon 24-200, there’s pretty much everything anyone could want in the line up now. It’s a very good system in my view.

Great that Sigma's on board, as far as I'm aware the only complaint about them is that they're too perfect, which is not a bad problem to have! Wouldn't surprise me if they're on par with the APOs actually so I might have a search around (not now, there's food and drink to be consumed).

 

[RichardC]

Great that Sigma's on board, as far as I'm aware the only complaint about them is that they're too perfect, which is not a bad problem to have! Wouldn't surprise me if they're on par with the APOs actually so I might have a search around (not now, there's food and drink to be consumed).

Probably best to do your searching before the drink.

 

[BruceRH]

A brand new SL2-S with the Leica M to L adapter, an extra battery and a screen protector can be had for $2995, that is very tempting. But then I found a "used excellent" SL2 with a M to L adapter for $2600. The low light capabilities of the SL2-S is attractive. Then the extra resolution of the SL2 would also be nice and with today's denoise software I lean more towards the SL2. And no, I have only had my coffee so far!

 

[rayvonn]

A brand new SL2-S with the Leica M to L adapter, an extra battery and a screen protector can be had for $2995, that is very tempting. But then I found a "used excellent" SL2 with a M to L adapter for $2600. The low light capabilities of the SL2-S is attractive. Then the extra resolution of the SL2 would also be nice and with today's denoise software I lean more towards the SL2. And no, I have only had my coffee so far!

Bear in mind there's the faintest rumour of a FF CL next year too. Imagine if that was the same size as the current one.

 

[BruceRH]

Bear in mind there's the faintest rumour of a FF CL next year too. Imagine if that was the same size as the current one.

Even if that were to come true, which I would love by the way, I tend to buy used so a product like that will be in high demand for quite some time and used prices will also take some time to come down. I think Leica would have a huge hit with a FF CL.

 

[pdk42]

A brand new SL2-S with the Leica M to L adapter, an extra battery and a screen protector can be had for $2995, that is very tempting. But then I found a "used excellent" SL2 with a M to L adapter for $2600. The low light capabilities of the SL2-S is attractive. Then the extra resolution of the SL2 would also be nice and with today's denoise software I lean more towards the SL2. And no, I have only had my coffee so far!

You may find this post I did interesting.

LIttle ISO test EM1.3 vs S1R vs S5

I was curious to see how well these three cameras performed now that we have modern NR techniques to help with noise. So, I took shots (in raw) at increasingly high ISOs with each camera and then used LR's "Enhance" NR feature to clean each image up as best I could. The scene was a dimly-lit...

l-mount-forum.com

It compares the noise vs ISO, after modern NR, between the S1R (same sensor as SL2) and the S5 (same sensor as the SL2S). I threw in the EM1.3 for good measure.

Look also at christilou’s images above with the SL2S. That 24Mp sensor may be seen as a bit long in the tooth, but it delivers gorgeous files even at higher ISOs.

 

[BruceRH]

You may find this post I did interesting.

LIttle ISO test EM1.3 vs S1R vs S5

I was curious to see how well these three cameras performed now that we have modern NR techniques to help with noise. So, I took shots (in raw) at increasingly high ISOs with each camera and then used LR's "Enhance" NR feature to clean each image up as best I could. The scene was a dimly-lit...

l-mount-forum.com

It compares the noise vs ISO, after modern NR, between the S1R (same sensor as SL2) and the S5 (same sensor as the SL2S). I threw in the EM1.3 for good measure.

Look also at christilou’s images above with the SL2S. That 24Mp sensor may be seen as a bit long in the tooth, but it delivers gorgeous files even at higher ISOs.

There is no doubt that the SL2-S sensor is still very relevant and is excellent in low light. It all comes down to whether or not I want to add yet another mount. I have several of the Sigmas already in E mount which is why I hang on to my Sony A7CR, I just don't use it very often because I just don't like the ergonomics. I get along fine with Olympus and I love the Leica menus and ergonomics.