Member Mark Gowin

Thanks for the reminder on how to update. I needed it.

Fascinating interview, questions and answers, thank you David. Did I read correctly that an electronic viewfinder M is a consideration? I couldn't agree more that 24mp and 37mp are sufficient for most applications. quality pixels and lenses from Leica continue to amaze me when looking at images from the S2 and M240.

David, delightful that you held this one back for nine months and it reads as fresh as if you had breakfast with him yesterday. Sounds like there is a lot of life still in the S system. Oh, and nicely done with the photographs of the good Doctor. Did he share the shots he got of you?

This was a good read. Lots of between the lines nuggets of info. For instance, I believe I had read some time ago that Leica’s lens designer felt his lenses were good for up to 200MP sensors. Dr. K. seems to indicate half or a little less than half.

Wonderful interview and photographs, David. I think Dr. Kaufmann's greatest gift is his instinct for what is best for Leica. It seems his instinct is calibrated by his willingness to listen to what Leica users want (i.e., the development of the M10 without video). All that makes for a great brand.

The V-Lux 5 zoom range is still 25-400mm (equiv). There is no 25-600mm version announced or available.

Are the Q's thumbs up, hand grip and Arte di Mano half cases compatible with the Q2?
Very good introduction by David Farkas.
Thank you in advance for your answers.
RFG.

A few comments:
The crop modes are a *huge* improvement over the Q, due to superior resolution.
The bigger battery is a very welcome change.
I'm able to get to all necessary functions with the default settings.
The lens hood is perfect, and the Thumbs-Up lens cap with string is superb.
The optional grip is excellent – highly recommended, and very easy to mount/dismount.
The Macro ring is very convenient.
The Menu system is easy to navigate, with good shortcuts.
The look and feel of the Q2 is exquisite.

David,
Wow, I think you nailed it. I'm glad you took your time.

These kind of reviews are what makes this site so good.
I bought a CL two months ago, with the 18 thanks to your Leica deal. I already had the 11-23 for the first T.
Then I just bought the 55-135 last month. All from Josh of course at Miami.

I was eager to see what lenses you used in Santa Fe. You explained why you stayed with primes for the most part. I suspect my next lens will be the 60mm, seeing what you did with it. I admit I remain curious as to what you may have loaded into your “User Profiles”?
I enjoyed the T, as love the design, but in choosing which camera I wanted for an update, I went with the deal on the CL plus 18mm as I had a friend who showed me his CL and I wanted the built-in EVF. That's even though the articulating EVF on the T was very handy. The CL with the 18 fits in my pockets: the TL with the external EVF is more difficult. But both are light weight. Regardless, the real happy news is the lenses extremely good, regardless of the camera body, oh yes they are. And as you said, the camera is fun to use.

I agree the SL is an amazing camera and look forward to seeing what Leica does with the SL2, but I have already been in the S system for years. If I am going to bring a bigger heavier camera, it will remain the S. The CL to me is the equivalent of the M with relatively smaller AF lenses, with twice the resolution and a lot more DR than I had with the M8.

Thanks for the effort you put into this review, and all your reviews.

Jack

This has to be one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive review I've read of any camera (not just a Leica camera). To say well done is an understatement. Thanks!

Yes. I used single field AF for all my shots.

Your comprehensive review was the final trigger to buy the CL. Thanks for this great work.

Thanks Ken.

I shoot exclusively in DNG (RAW) format, then process in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. I created a default CL preset and apply it to all CL images upon import. So, I generally never see OOC rendering. With the preset applied, I usually don't need to do much further editing – just tweaks to exposure, WB, highlights and shadows. The CL DNG files handle extremely similarly to those from the SL. Very malleable.

ive used Nikon Pro SLR's and DSLR's my entire life, starting with the F2

After a recent trip to Italy with my D5 and a few lenses, i was ready for a change.

I spent a bunch of time at the Leica showroom in Los Angeles over the weekend, and yesterday purchased the CL kit, i was a little frustrated at first, but Ive already gotten a little comfortable with it and have taken a few reference pictures I am really happy with.

Im seriously looking forward to exploring what this CL can do. I agree with the users above, this review is spot on, in depth and super helpful

Barry,

You wouldn't have any issues printing 24×36 inches from the CL. I have prints at 20×30 inches that look as good as ones from the SL. In fact, it's near impossible to tell them apart at this size.

Well this was very helpful and your photos inspiring. My CL arrives tomorrow. I ordered also the Leica Hand Grip and M adapter as I intend to shoot my M lenses on it. I think it will be a nice compliment to my M bodies. I travel to Italy about 3 times a year and sometimes my carry on weight is restricted, so this will lighten my load and my worries about the issue. Great review overall, and quite substantive.

I really like the smaller size and faster aperture of the 18mm, so that's the way I would go personally. The zoom is a very flexible option if you only want to carry one lens though.

The APO-Vario-Elmar-TL 55-135mm is equivalent to an 80-200mm in full-frame, yet only weighs 500g or around one pound. Really, that would be your best option.

Leica APO-Vario-Elmar-TL 55-135mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH

Thank you so much!

Thanks a lot for your review. But is the 35mm Summilux an APO ? Considering the CA issues I believe it isn`t, right ?

Glad you found it helpful. I still continue to use my CL for more casual endeavors and am always pleased by the ease of use, compact size and resulting image quality.

So, I posed the question of an APO tele extender to the lens designers when I was at the factory last summer. The answer was that they already have a 1.5x extender that doesn't result in light loss or reduction in quality. “It's called a Leica CL.” Actually makes sense. You still get 24MP and the equivalent of a 135-420mm while retaining the f/2.8-4 max aperture. Also, AF and OIS work perfectly on the CL. If Leica sold an L tele extender it would probably cost the same as an entire CL camera. So, you get an extender and a backup body that can take all the SL lenses. Not so crazy, right?