Hands on CL test - jpg vs RAW w/ MF lenses

My justification for the CL is because I like it ergonomically. However, I can't justify it new... in 2-3 years, used ... I will see how I feel.
 
I don't justify anything. :D

I'm interested in the CL because of what it might bring to my photography:

  • an even more compact body for my M lenses
  • a reduced format body to extend my SL lenses use @ 24 Mpixel
  • another body appropriate to use with my R lenses and macro equipment
  • a very compact and light weight three to four lens travel kit

That said, I'm a little ambivalent because I honestly don't want/need another camera. But I'd enjoy having one for the advantages it poses.

So: I placed an order for one with my favorite dealer. If it gets here before I depart on my holiday travel, it will be the camera I travel with—for the fun of it. If it doesn't, I take my M-D and re-evaluate whether I want the CL when I return.

Keeping it simple...
G
 
The only thing I really dislike about the camera is the name. The Name Recycling is a bit confusing. The IQ of the Olympus and the Leica is more than good enough for most applications. And it's great that Leicas is still making new cameras and hasn't gone the way of the Dodo like so many other mfg.
 
So: I placed an order for one with my favorite dealer. If it gets here before I depart on my holiday travel, it will be the camera I travel with—for the fun of it.
The dealer told me that it is delayed because they are re-designing the EVF eye detection sensor. The thing that knows you are holding the camera to your face. The current design apparently collects dirt and is difficult to clean.
 
The dealer told me that it is delayed because they are re-designing the EVF eye detection sensor. The thing that knows you are holding the camera to your face. The current design apparently collects dirt and is difficult to clean.

Wow, that's really bad...but then again, some people already have them I thought.
 
The dealer told me that it is delayed because they are re-designing the EVF eye detection sensor. The thing that knows you are holding the camera to your face. The current design apparently collects dirt and is difficult to clean.

I have no idea what the truth of that might be.

My dealer is pretty transparent with me ... He has no idea when he'll get his stock in, but expects a few units soon. "Why" is a question that he just shrugs about ... how the hell could he know?

As I've said elsewhere, I don't see why everyone is so anxious to get the camera NOW NOW NOW all the time. I just put an order in for one and wait until it shows up. It's not like all my other cameras disappeared into a puff of non-relevance instantly when the CL was announced.

Patience returns good things. :)

G
 
The only thing I really dislike about the camera is the name. The Name Recycling is a bit confusing. The IQ of the Olympus and the Leica is more than good enough for most applications. And it's great that Leicas is still making new cameras and hasn't gone the way of the Dodo like so many other mfg.

Why? The Leica CL film camera has not been manufactured or sold,*other than used, since the 1970s. The new Leica CL is much in the same aesthetic as the original: a smaller, lighter "Compact Leica" that can use the same lenses as other Leica models. I can easily keep them apart in my mind by understanding that one is a new digital camera and the other is a forty-year-out-of-production film camera.

The name seems a good fit to me.

G
 
I have no idea what the truth of that might be.

It was directly from the Leica rep. He said the demos that you are seeing are not the final production version as Leica is adjusting the design of the eye sensor.
I only see this as a positive, they are not going to release it until all known flaws are addressed. I'd be happy to wait for that.
 
I use the eyedrop tool to select the white mat part of the CL picture to do a customize WB, take the temp (number), and then put that in the WB temp for the Pen-F.

you should have used a colorchecker passport. you're not going to get the same colors with that technique since all sensors give different results, even if they're the same camera model.
 
It was directly from the Leica rep. He said the demos that you are seeing are not the final production version as Leica is adjusting the design of the eye sensor.
I only see this as a positive, they are not going to release it until all known flaws are addressed. I'd be happy to wait for that.

Not to disparage, but honestly: I used to know two Leica reps personally, knew one of them for two-plus decades. I often told them more than Leica did, because I had other avenues of information from the company than just them.

The CL is currently shipping and selling in small quantities; a number of people (not testers, dealers, reviewers, etc) have them and are taking photos with them now (just wander around the various Leica forums and you'll find dozens of folks who've bought one...). The notion that the units that they've bought and are using now are all "not final production" implies that Leica ought to be planning some enormous recall and replacement ... which I'm sure isn't the case.

I'm sure the camera has been finalized and released. It's early in the production run so quantities are limited as yet, and demand is high. That's why they're scarce right now.

G
 
@BlackXList. I chose this comparison because if I was to buy the CL, it will be to replace the Pen-F because of the similarity in size and also of focal length that I like. My justification to get the CL would be because of IQ. Thus the comparison...

I wasn't criticising the comparison choice, if anything it surprised me how small the difference between M4/3 and APS-C was.

It's definitely visible of course, but the Pen surprised me.
 
I wasn't criticising the comparison choice, if anything it surprised me how small the difference between M4/3 and APS-C was.

It's definitely visible of course, but the Pen surprised me.

Actually I'm surprised that the difference is so visible with such small images.
Normally when you show full sized examples is when it becomes obvious.
 
Not to disparage, but honestly: I used to know two Leica reps personally, knew one of them for two-plus decades. I often told them more than Leica did, because I had other avenues of information from the company than just them.

The CL is currently shipping and selling in small quantities; a number of people (not testers, dealers, reviewers, etc) have them and are taking photos with them now (just wander around the various Leica forums and you'll find dozens of folks who've bought one...). The notion that the units that they've bought and are using now are all "not final production" implies that Leica ought to be planning some enormous recall and replacement ... which I'm sure isn't the case.

I'm sure the camera has been finalized and released. It's early in the production run so quantities are limited as yet, and demand is high. That's why they're scarce right now.

G

Kai Wong was another reviewer who mentioned it. Just because a very few have them now does not mean the problem did not exist. Perhaps they are the few that got the 'fixed' model which is why the roll out is so slow.
The Leica rep showed me what was wrong with the eye sensor on the model that he had.
 
Kai Wong was another reviewer who mentioned it. Just because a very few have them now does not mean the problem did not exist. Perhaps they are the few that got the 'fixed' model which is why the roll out is so slow.
The Leica rep showed me what was wrong with the eye sensor on the model that he had.

Kai obviously had a pre or early production sample, as did all the reviewers. What is shipping now is the release camera, which allegedly does not have this problem.

Whether that change is what is slowing down deliveries now ... I find that very difficult to believe. Having worked for a hardware manufacturer, the ramp up to production for release last week or so when the first units were available over the counter meant that the final release camera was completed at least four to five weeks ago when production, packaging, and distribution commenced.

It's just still a camera in early production. Production ramp always takes a few weeks to smooth out, and how many to have in the pipeline on "the day" is always a matter of educated guessing on the part of the company. Leica tends to guess conservatively which usually means scarcity for a while as they sort out the production line and ship in small batches to distributors and thence to dealers.

Dealers conjecture all the time when a desirable product is scarce; so do the tech reps, in lieu of real information that they can be quoted as saying... Happens all the time. They mean well, but like most marketing fluff it isn't particularly believable.

G
 
@BlackXList No worries I did not take that as a criticism at all.

@aizan Yes I agree that would be a more scientific comparison, but I was just curious.

@Huss The Leica rep didn't mention any of that EVF problem in the store. I guess it's better for them to catch and fix it now, than to have the cameras be recalled later. But I am still quite intrigued by the camera, and will probably take a look at it again next year when it is more available (and hopefully fixed).
 
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