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Author Topic: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL  (Read 16655 times)

Kevin Raber

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I just published a new review of the Leica CL camera. I had this camera for a few weeks and really enjoyed using it.  I have included numerous images of the camera and its operation as well as a number of sample images you can zoom in to see at 100%.  You can find the review on the HOME PAGE
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Mark D Segal

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2017, 09:26:48 am »

The bottom line of course is image quality and this is fabulous. It has the sharpest corner to corner detail rendition I've seen - certainly better than Sony's for the a6300 using a Zeiss/Sony 16~70mm f/4 zoom, which is a very good lens. For the rest of the photo, sharpness/detail rendition seems similar between the two. Image cleanliness at very high ISO also beats the Sony a6300 sensor. The Leica provides a more usable photo at ISO 50,000 than I've seen from the Sony, which itself is not too bad. One is buying additional image quality for the price difference. Lack of image stabilization (IS) in either the lens or the body would be a downer for me - I depend a lot on this, as I would presume do many photographers; not clear why Leica would not have built this feature into the line from the get-go. Sony's IS in its many supported lenses is excellent. The dream would be a 16~70 zoom of Leica quality with IS for the CL camera. That could possibly start tempting fate in the bank account.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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Rob C

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2017, 10:21:17 am »

Pretty camera, but does "kit" imply that you have to buy the camera with that kit lens included?

That could be a real turn-off, especially as part of the Leica mystique is German-made optics. From that perspective, it wouldn't matter that the Japanese one may be superior. It's also a stretch to imagine that wider aperture lenses would not be even more of a need with small sensors, just to get shallow DOF which, for many creative photographers is an indispensable tool.

Price aside, for anyone starting from scratch, it appears it could be a very nice place to be. For me, shame about having video; just another useless feature to bump the price and have another possible fault line develop...

Seems there is nobody making a really simple, generally affordable camera with marvellous performance; everything is over-endowed with features some people may never want to use. Just like my old digi Nikons.

Rob

KLaban

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2017, 10:26:43 am »

Pretty camera, but does "kit" imply that you have to buy the camera with that kit lens included?

That could be a real turn-off, especially as part of the Leica mystique is German-made optics. From that perspective, it wouldn't matter that the Japanese one may be superior. It's also a stretch to imagine that wider aperture lenses would not be even more of a need with small sensors, just to get shallow DOF which, for many creative photographers is an indispensable tool.

Price aside, for anyone starting from scratch, it appears it could be a very nice place to be. For me, shame about having video; just another useless feature to bump the price and have another possible fault line develop...

Seems there is nobody making a really simple, generally affordable camera with marvellous performance; everything is over-endowed with features some people may never want to use. Just like my old digi Nikons.

Rob

Well, Rob, Leica are still making really simple, unaffordable cameras with marvellous performance.

You can't have it all you know!

:-)

Mark D Segal

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2017, 10:30:31 am »

Pretty camera, but does "kit" imply that you have to buy the camera with that kit lens included?

That could be a real turn-off, especially as part of the Leica mystique is German-made optics. From that perspective, it wouldn't matter that the Japanese one may be superior.

Rob

I've long stopped associating "mystique" with where things are made. In this day and age with such portable technologies as exist it really doesn't matter any longer. What matters is the quality control wherever it's made, and I would assume ANY lens Leica puts on their cameras must meet Leica's stringent QC standards - that's essentially what one is paying the higher bucks for. But yes, I suppose there are still many customers out there swayed by "mystique" whatever the logic  :-).
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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KLaban

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2017, 10:35:17 am »

I've long stopped associating "mystique" with where things are made. In this day and age with such portable technologies as exist it really doesn't matter any longer. What matters is the quality control wherever it's made, and I would assume ANY lens Leica puts on their cameras must meet Leica's stringent QC standards - that's essentially what one is paying the higher bucks for. But yes, I suppose there are still many customers out there swayed by "mystique" whatever the logic  :-).

QC is of course important and desirable, but what I pay the higher bucks for when buying a Leica lens is optical excellence.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2017, 10:41:50 am by KLaban »
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Rob C

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2017, 10:45:53 am »

Well, Rob, Leica are still making really simple, unaffordable cameras with marvellous performance.

You can't have it all you know!

:-)


I know, Keith, I know! And weep gentle tears into the keyboard as I read...

;-)

Rob

Mark D Segal

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2017, 10:54:43 am »

QC is of course important and desirable, but what I pay the higher bucks for when buying a Leica lens is optical excellence.

Sure, but you get that optical excellence from several necessary components: (1) design, (2) materials quality, and (3) manufacturing quality control.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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dchew

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2017, 10:55:53 am »

Pretty camera, but does "kit" imply that you have to buy the camera with that kit lens included?


Rob

Rob,
You can indeed buy the camera without a lens. $2795 in the US.

Dave
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KLaban

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2017, 11:03:06 am »

Sure, but you get that optical excellence from several necessary components: (1) design, (2) materials quality, and (3) manufacturing quality control.

True.

Rob C

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #10 on: November 28, 2017, 11:11:45 am »

Rob,
You can indeed buy the camera without a lens. $2795 in the US.

Dave

That makes a lot more financial sense.

I find that even the 10 mega D200 crop-format lets me go as large as I probably ever would print; the D700 with 12 of them on FF, just happens to have a great sensor, but as I was suggesting before regarding shallow DOF, I am convinced I notice the difference using the same 2.8/180mm Nikkor wide open on the smaller sensor - the effect is lost appreciably.

A fast, real 200mm on that Leica could be pretty good...

Rob

dchew

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #11 on: November 28, 2017, 12:16:19 pm »

Rob,
I agree on the 180mm. I have a 180 Leica R apo I use on the a7rii. Could be interesting on this little guy.

I am pretty excited about the CL. I have three m lenses: 28, 50 and 90. Those would make very nice equivalents on the APS size (42, 75 and 135). I could see vacationing with my wife, the two cameras and one set of lenses. She would sport the CL, I would carry either the Sony or the original MM.

I am pissed about no IS though. I don't know why Leica is so frugal with that feature.

Dave
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Kevin Gallagher

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2017, 01:54:29 pm »

 Great article Kev!! The picture of you sitting on the bench made me think of the "Sigma Quattro Pro" blooper video you guys made a couple of years back, It still brings a smile to my face.

 Kevin in CT
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Kevin In CT
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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2017, 01:54:54 pm »

I like the camera (and the TL also), but the lenses for this mount appear to be just very good, as opposed to spectacular.  That said, I wouldn’t object to a slower, smaller (but still very high quality) zoom for the Micro Four Thirds system I mostly shoot with.  Perhaps Leica is onto something there. 
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tom b

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2017, 02:15:12 pm »

No, no, no!

Around forty years ago I travelled from Singapore overland to Europe with a Leica CL. It was small, affordable and had a Leica M mount. It was one of the first Leicas to have light metering. In over fourteen months of travelling I used only two batteries. I sold it because it wasn't suited to wide angle lenses.

Hey the new camera is not FF, it doesn't use Leica M lenses and it doesn't have older Leica's M's manual advantages.

It looks like a very nice camera, but it is not a Leica CL. This camera needs a new name!

Grrrrrr,
« Last Edit: November 28, 2017, 02:53:15 pm by tom b »
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Tom Brown

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #15 on: November 28, 2017, 02:50:41 pm »

If I wanted APC-C I'd buy a Ricoh GR II.   Way too expensive for APS-C
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David Sutton

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2017, 03:23:23 pm »

Technically a good camera, but I've been trying to work out why it makes any human being appear a total dork once it is held up to the eye. I think it could be the small size of the body combined with the large silver ring around the lens.
David
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Telecaster

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #17 on: November 28, 2017, 05:01:38 pm »

Hey the new camera is not FF, it doesn't use Leica M lenses and it doesn't have older Leica's M's manual advantages.

The new CL can use M lenses via adapter. There’s no rangefinder, of course…gotta magnify the EVF to focus.

I’d also rather Leica not recycle the CL name, but it’s theirs to do with as they wish.

Personally the camera that gets my attention in this area of the market is Fuji’s X-E3.

-Dave-
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Rob C

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #18 on: November 28, 2017, 05:25:50 pm »

The new CL can use M lenses via adapter. There’s no rangefinder, of course…gotta magnify the EVF to focus.

I’d also rather Leica not recycle the CL name, but it’s theirs to do with as they wish.

Personally the camera that gets my attention in this area of the market is Fuji’s X-E3.

-Dave-

Yes, the Fuji looks pretty, but it's longer lenses are slow zooms, which I would not buy.

Rob

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Re: New Article/Review - Just Published A Hands On Review Of The Leica CL
« Reply #19 on: November 28, 2017, 06:34:29 pm »

If I wanted APC-C I'd buy a Ricoh GR II.   Way too expensive for APS-C

I have the GR I. With utmost patience, I wait for the GR III.  I doubt that pancake will beat what Ricoh came up with for their (APS-C) GR design.
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