Photography News issue 26

Photography News Issue 26 absolutephoto.com

News

It is not every day a whole new camera system is launched so it is a real privilege to spend a couple of days with Leica’s latest arrival Preview Leica SL

Specs

News in brief

Price Leica SL body £5050, 24-90mm f/2.8-4 £3150 Resolution 24 megapixels 6000x4000 pixels, APS-C 10 megapixels 3836x2624 pixels Sensor CMOS, 24x36mm, IR filter but no low pass filter with Maestro II processor File formats 14-bit DNG Raw, 8-bit JPEGs, MP4, MOV Storage 2GB built-in (enough for 33 Raws), two SD cards slots – slot 1 writes at 100MB/s, slot 2 at 30MB/s ISO range 50-50,000 EVF

Newarrival Garmin has launched the babyCam, the first in-vehicle video monitor that works wirelessly with a compatible satnav. It even has night vision so you can keep your eye on your young passengers on journeys. It costs £159.95

(not including a satnav). garmin.com/babyCam

Sony firmware Firmware version 2.0 is

available for the Sony A7R II. This enables uncompressed 14-bit Raw capture. esupport.sony.com Manfrotto get busy Manfrotto’s BeFree One is an ultra compact, four-section travel tripod, folding down to just 32cm. The tripod is priced at £124.95. Inspired by selfie sticks Manfrotto has launched the Compact Xtreme, a four section monopod that can be turned into a pole. It is lightweight but it can hold up to 1kg of kit thanks to its aluminium and Adapto construction. It comes in at £39.95 and is available now. That’s not all from Manfrotto though, and the NX bag collection is designed to carry CSCs. There are nine models, ranging from a small and simple pouch right through to highly organised multipurpose backpacks, prices start from £15.95. Lastolite by Manfrotto is a co-branding project with Lastolite’s product range. Here, two new products have also been announced, the Ezybox Speed-Lite priced at £49.99 and the Perspective Collapsible Backgrounds are priced at £169.99 manfrotto.co.uk Stay powered up With action cameras so popular, this new PNY Action Charger powerpack will prove very popular. It has two battery bays so you can charge two HERO4 batteries and a phone at the same time via the USB output. The battery can charge a HERO4 battery three times before it needs recharging. An LED display shows the battery power level. It costs £39.95 and that includes micro and mini USB cables. PNY also has microSD Elite performance cards available. Capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB – the 16GB costs £19.99. pny.eu

4.4-megapixel resolution Dimensions (wxhxd) 147x104x39mm Weight 771g

The SL uses a totally new lens mount but adapters for Leica T, S, R and M fit lenses will be available. With many M-system users out there, the good news is that Leica has optimised the SL for M lenses. The SL is a great-looking camera in a chunky, minimalist and, dare I say it, manly sort of way. I like its looks but am slightly perplexed by the raised plinth on the left-side top- plate which seems to have no useful purpose – apart from giving extra headroom for internal components – and it does tarnish the look. Much as I like the minimalist design, Leica has put form over function. Only three controls have any markings – the on/off switch, the dioptre correction control and the movie record button. The lack of markings does slow down handling to start with but with familiarity and practice this should not be a long-term issue. The feel of the controls is excellent. Solid, responsive and a pleasure to use. That includes the multiway control joystick placed

Written by Will Cheung

There is no getting away from the fact that the Leica SL is an unexpectedly large camera considering that it is mirrorless. In fact the first thing I did when unpacking the body was to peer inside to confirm the lack of a reflex mirror – there definitely isn’t one, and you get a lovely, slightly scary view of the full-frame 24-megapixel CMOS sensor. There is a built-in cleaning systembut its effectiveness has yet to be confirmed. One good thing is the large sensor and wide lens throat mean that if the sensor needs a clean, it is easy to get at with swabs – if you’re brave enough! Fit the 24-90mm f/2.8-4 zoom and you have a combination that weighs in at 2.02kg, so it’s quite a weight – well into full-frame DSLR territory here. You certainly know it’s around your neck, and hold the camera up to your eye for any reasonable length of time and it’ll give your muscles a good workout.

The SL is a great-looking camera in a chunky, minimalist and, dare I say it, manly sort of way

to the left of the input dial. For navigating and selecting menu items it is very good indeed. Push the shutter button and the exposure is made accompanied by a decisive and very low-pitched shutter sound. If a shutter noise ever sounded like quality, this is it. The large LCD monitor provides an impressively bright image and you have the option of whether you want live view, the EVF or auto switchover between the two when the camera is raised to the eye. Leica makes much of its EVF and it is good and highly detailed. It has a resolution of 4.4 megapixels giving a highly detailed viewing image and that is helped by the big eyepiece. The image is clear but not the brightest I’ve seen. Also, on my sample the image was not totally flicker-free but it wasn’t bad enough to be off-putting. Camera data is aligned across the top and bottom of the image and out of the picture area, in the case of the EVF. There is plenty of information if you want it and there is also the option of image only. The focus zones can be shown or hidden so you have plenty of choice. One anomaly is that the menu is not visible in the EVF so if you are using the EVF only and need a menu item you have to make the monitor active. In this short preview, the camera’s multizone meter and AF system performed very well giving excellent-quality images. The AF system has 49 or 37 zones that you can set for all to be active, in zones

or just the single zone. AF area is moved with the joystick or with the touchscreen and the focus points can be visible or switched off. Exposure mode is changed by pressing in the input dial. This shows the set mode on the top-plate LCD and rotating the dial alters the mode. The same dial is used to alter aperture or shutter speed, depending on which mode you’re using – it’s aperture in manual too. I didn’t have much time with the SL but took enough shots in a variety of lighting and at different ISO settings to know that image quality is excellent. I shot in DNG RawandLarge JPEG, andprocessed files in Lightroom CC. The 24-90mm lens is a corker, too, and no concerns using it at maximum aperture. Just make you sure your handholding skills are up to it – or use a tripod. I did a quick test of the camera’s stabilisation system with shutter speeds down to 1/8sec. The weight of the camera/lens helped and I was getting pin-sharp shots at this speed which I thought impressive. To sum up the preview, I enjoyed my short time with the SL, probably more than I thought when I first clapped eyes on it. I thought it would be too big and clunky, especially with the 24-90mm lens, and the unmarked controls seemed bizarre but the quality of the results and the camera’s overall feel did impress. I’m looking forward to testing it more fully next issue.

Above There is much to enjoy in the Leica SL and it showed itself to be a very capable, consistently good performer. For a mirrorless camera, though, it is big and heavy – and highly priced, too.

leica.co.uk