(High credibility rumor):
Image on top shows the Leica SL with 24-90mm zoom lens.
Rich Leica fans be happy! If you don’t know hot to spend your $$$ the Leica SL will certainly help you. A Highly trusted source told me the Leica SL with 24-90mm kit lens will cost a little bit over 10.000 Euro! It means it costs more than a Leica M camera.
Reminder: Along the SL Leica will also announce those three lenses on October 20.
– Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 1: 2.8-4 / 24-90 mm ASPH.
– Leica Apo-Vario-Elmarit-SL 1: 2.8-4 / 90-280 mm
– Leica Summilux-SL 1: 1.4 / 50 mm ASPH.
40 Responses
It will be interesting to see which arguments (or features) Leica will be able to bring forward to convince people to choose the SL in favor of one of the existing, already expensive Sony A7 models…
If the Summilux is as sharp as the current M-mount version (competitive with the Otus), that’s one enormous incentive right there.
I have the feeling that Panasonic will follow up with a cheaper body and more mainstream lenses.
I might be wrong, but I don’t think Panasonic will follow with a cheaper body: if I was Leica I would have Panasonic signing an agreement to avoid so. (This assuming that Panasonic makes the SL, which I don’t think)
And the current 55mm FE is as well.
Not a bad lens lineup, something different from the usual 24-70 and 70-200 which are always too short. But of course they need UWA ASAP. 90-280/2.8-4 can work as a portrait lens for now.
For wideangles you don’t need AF as much, so they probably had in mind that M-mounts would be used before they make AF wides.
I think with this camera Leica tries to reach those dentists and sheiks who are too lazy to MF. 😉
24-90 is very good, 24-85 is the way I always thought it should be, 70 really gets people nowhere.
And 90 mm is a traditional focal length for Leica. They never had 85 mm lenses, both the M and R systems had 90 mm as their fast portrait lens. Ditto for 280 mm instead of 300 mm.
They still don’t want my money…
I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now.
Admin, there are no 24-90mm zoom lenses for the M system.. If you still need to compare them, look at the tri-elmar lenses, but it’s apples to oranges.
Anyway, this is more expensive than I thought (7000 to 8000 euros max for the kit), let’s see if there’s some trick up Leica sleeve or if it is something aimed at collectors..
Why would someone buy this over say…the S? At that price for the body, I’d be looking at PhaseOne then.
Faster operation, compact size and all?
Hopefully that’s the correct price. Samsung FF sensor should not be used by photographic plebs! Leicasung has produced THE tool for the photographic elite.
Ok what are the specs? Price without context means little.
Perhaps they are repackaging the latest S into a smaller body. Sure it will sell just as well … the lens lineup is even less inspirational than the T lenses. At least now there is something to look forward to in a few weeks.
It’s a mirrorless camera, no DSLR. Also has a Samsung sensor that leaves Canikons spazzing around with their mirrors in their death throes.
Sony FE ? Oct 20, 2015
Price seems right. R 28-90 f2.8-4.5 was €3599 in 07. #imricherthayou #youcantaffordthis
http://www.summilux.net/r_system/VarioElmarit28-90.htm
And the R lineup was so successful ….
Troll
Stop dreaming, Samsung R&D, Samsung is still a joke in the camera industry
🙂 a good one, lol
This will force Sony / Zeiss to build a decent 24-85 zoom. I agree with @disqus_FXxb8dsLcr:disqus that 70mm is too short for a portrait lens and really too short for an always on the camera travel lens. I shot for a long time with a Canon 5D and then Mark II with the 24-105 and found it perfect except for size and weight and to some degree quality. I now travel with the Sony A7RII ( previously with the A7R) with 24-70 and find it just doesn’t have enough reach and isn’t very sharp on the edges. I keep a Minolta 85 F1.4, the Sony 55 FE and 35 FE in the bag but changing lenses is a pain when doing travel photography. I have the Canon 70-300L and find it much better that the Sony FE 70-200 on the A7RII but both are big and heavy. The Canon has better IS and IQ is about the same. I returned the Sony FE 70-200. Exotic travel is expensive and lenses last a long time so 10,000 Euros isn’t that bad a price when you amortize it over the life of the system – if the sensor matches the A7RII and the lenses are up to Leica’s usual standard. The 90-280 will likely be big and heavy too but the range is very nice. They just need to add a super wide prime and you have a complete system.
How do you figure anything Leica releases will force Sony to react? It takes years to make a lens a reality and this doesn’t put pressure on the A7 in any way. Nobody is cross-shopping a $1600 A7II or even the $3200 A7rII with a $10,000+ Leica. I would like to see a better FE standard Zoom, but this isn’t going to be what pushes Sony to produce one.
Yes, “force” is probably to strong a word – maybe “encourage”. I bought the A7R because it had the best image quality of any FF camera and upgraded to the A7RII for the same reason. This includes the lenses – 55 FE and 35 FE. The $3,200 A7RII becomes over $1,000 more expensive when you add the zoom lens so it’s almost 40% of the cost of the Leica. I’m after the best image quality in the smallest package so that’s why I would consider the Leica. Sony needs to make sure its zoom lenses match its sensor. I’m hoping their new 24-70 F2.8 isn’t too big and heavy and greatly improves on the image quality of the 24-70 F4.0. However I’d rather trade one stop for smaller size. If you’ve never shot with a Leica you may not appreciate how much better they are than lesser cameras. My experience comes mostly from the film era (M3 with 35 & 50 Summicron and 90 Elmarit). Image quality far surpassed the Japanese cameras. I’ve had some experience with the M9 and several new lenses but it isn’t nearly the camera the M3 is. We obviously have to wait and see what the new SL system really is but I’m hopeful that they will return to their roots and build the very best camera in the smallest package. The A7RII sets the bar really high with the outstanding viewfinder, IBIS, excellent 55 and 35 lenses (including their size) 4K video, etc but has a terrible menu system and not very fast handling and slow writing to the card. A camera should be enjoyable to use in addition to having good IQ.
Best IQ in the smallest package will likely still be the A7rII, given how Leica tech is a generation or two behind Sony. My guess is DR will not be close and the AF will not be as sophisticated as the PADF on the Sony.
I’d be surprised if it’s even competitive with the A7II, which lowers your costs considerably. We’ll see.
Cheers
Q is far more advanced in EVF and AF speed/accuracy.
I was in the Leica store with my A7rII, nothing about the Q AF was more advanced, Sony’s PADF, tracking and Eye AF blows it out of the water. Easily. Q’s contrast AF is a joke. EVF is better, but the rear LCD is junk too. From samples I’ve processed Sony’s DR easily outclasses it as well. It’s a great camera, but really nothing special. .
Now that the Leica SL has been announced I agree that it isn’t in the same class as the A7RII or even the A7R. It’s huge and so are the lenses. I just looked at the image gallery on DPReview and the IQ is very disappointing. The only thing that seems leading edge is the EVF. I did an architectural shoot last week with the Canon 17 and 24 TS-E II lenses on the A7RII and the images are just astounding. These lenses work far better on the A7RII than they do on Canon’s own bodies. When the lenses are shifted on Canon bodies the exposure goes way off so manual exposure and manual ISO must be used. They work perfectly on the A7RII even when fully shifted. Let’s hope the new Sony FE 24-70 2.8 is a good lens.
I doubt the sensor will match the one in the A7RII. I’d love Leica to source more of it’s sensors from Sony, but to date, their use of Sony sensors has been limited. Of course, I live in hope. I don’t think anything will match the A7RII sensor-wise until the Nikon D900 is launched.
I don’t think any of the Sony sensors are good. The colors are bad at best. So what good is high MP and high ISO when you have shit colors? Just look at how the tones transition in any of the Sony sensors. Awful!!
That and the lenses are all focused on sharpness and nothing else. Bokeh is digital/artifical looking. None of the lenses match color wise.
Steve Huff special. Sharp lens, smooth bokeh. Prints huge. Shoots in crap light. Nothing else matters.
Maybe Leica will do better then it’s current offerings. That would be great, as the current offerings are fantastic. But don’t compare the two. And don’t wish for Leica to use more of Sony sensors. Sony has already ruined Nikon.
Pricing will below 10k. Body only will be close to price of the Q, 24-90 will be around 3.5k, so 50% more than Canikon 24-70 2.8 glass launch prices
“Body only will be close to price of the Q..”
Sportsmans bet – I bet it isn’t.
Well if they can sell a high quality Body lens combo for 4k, they can also offer a MILC body for 4k.
We shall see.
Sportsman bet – Your mom’s oral services for a month are less than the Leica 😀 lawl
Real classy.
Guess we’ll agree to disagree.
Never had a problem with the colours from my Nikon or Sony cameras. I’m glad Nikon use Sony sensors. Each to their own.