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Saturday, 23 June 2018

Leica SL (Typ 601) VARIO-ELMARIT-SL 24–90 f/2.8–4 ASPH. Simply the best.







OK. This is the third (and last you'll be glad to know) of my whining 'Why is everyone so nasty to us Leica owners?' posts.

The monster combination above is easily the best camera I've ever used, in terms of image quality, colour and sharpness. The images this beast produces are seriously good and the 24MP files are just the starting point for me. I always upsize my picture library shots to at least 40MP anyway, but decided to see just how far I could push this.

I sent the above file of the half timbered buildings off to a picture library recently. It's a Leica SL (Typ 601) VARIO-ELMARIT-SL 24–90 f/2.8–4 ASPH. image upsized to just under 80MP, using Preserve Details 2.0.  in Photoshop. As you can see, it's sharp and full of detail. despite the interpolation. Now a good deal of this is down to the groundbreaking Adobe software, but doing this produces better results for me than from my Canon 5DS R and other samples I have tried from cameras such as the Sony A7R III and the Nikon D850.

Now those who chosen to seriously review the Leica SL (Typ 601) VARIO-ELMARIT-SL 24–90 f/2.8–4 ASPH. combination, have conceded that these FF Leica TL lenses are simply magnificent. Seriously heavy, seriously big and seriously expensive they may be, but seriously good as well.

Because of this I always want to use this camera / lens combination and it's only when I can't face carrying it that I don't. Until Leica come up with something better, then this will always be my primary outfit, since the files it produces are simply breathtaking in terms of the IQ I want.

Again, in the scheme of things on the photographic internet, this seems to matter little. I'm beginning to believe that the actual quality of the image is becoming secondary to the amount of 'bells and whistles' a camera has. And as far as Leica is concerned, for many, it's all about the price. But then the top of the range Sony A9 costs £4299, brand new with UK warranties etc., here in the UK, which is £99 more than I paid for my SL. OK, so it has a lot of options, but those are pretty much all related to the onboard software. And it's a choice. Camera manufacturers choose what to put in their cameras and we decide whether we want it or not. And I simply have no use for much of what the A9 offers. My primary concern and seemingly that of Leica is to produce the best stills image quality that it's possible to achieve, and with no compromises. Plus I really do baulk at paying £4000+ for a knob and button infested mass produced polycarbonate body that looks and feels like a toy to me. And yes I have bought, owned and used a lot of the Sony's. (And sold them on pretty quickly, I might add)

Now I would never say anything remotely similar to everybody should buy a Leica. But what I seriously object to is the notion that Leicas are overpriced evidence of how much money you have and are really no better than cheaper cameras. And yes I make a decent living, but I am in no way rich and still have to work for a living. What seems to be ignored is that Leica have always and still do strive to produce the best they can, with quality of image right at the top of their list of priorities.

For me they are the ultimate 'photographers company'. And while others make decent cameras, they are often part of large multi nationals. For example, which would you think gets the highest priority, Sony's Camera Division or it's Playstation division? In the end it comes down to personal choice and our own priorities and that should be respected. And while I suspect that many of Leica's detractors would jump at the chance of owning one should the financial opportunity arise, people are perfectly entitled to buy and use what they want. And if you have the odd £4300 sitting around, then by all means go and buy an A9.  As ever in this blog I only ever write about the choices I make.


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