Leica CL : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Luigi_1

sent on 18 Giugno 2020

Pros: Robust body, massive and compact at the same time. Bright viewfinder. Processing raw files. Ready-made jpeg. Mechanical and electronic shutter. Times up to 1/25000 which with maximum openings allows impossible shots. Value over time, guarantee of reliability.

Cons: Cost, but you know what you buy. APS-C, but once you try it you forget, so much so the results look like a full frame.

Opinion: I used it with the Summilux 35mm f1.4 and was amazed by the quality! Excellent! Photos of the interior with low f1.4 light with 400 iso and times of 1/30 - 1/25 using the electronic shutter have come out of stratospheric files! It must be tried to believe! It will never get out of the machine body. And it's easy to port. I think of the weight of a full frame body with the fifties! Basically it's a "beautiful toy", from a great pleasure! Sure it costs, but you can find great used and being worth it! Then each one evaluates their needs or, like me and my son, the desire to try the various possibilities that the photographic field proposes. Each of us has our hobbies! A certain fact, irrefutable is the quality of Leica products: from CL to various L and M. A must!

Massimo Passalacqua

sent on 16 Maggio 2020

Pros: Aesthetics, file quality, immediacy of use, optical quality, system compactness

Cons: The only negative element may be the price, but, considering the quality of the whole, I consider it appropriate.

Opinion: In the past I have owned various M's, from the M7 (to film), up to the M240. Then, following the worsening of my vision, which made it difficult for me to seal with the telemeter and given the approximate results of the external electronic sights (at least for the M240), I passed with satisfaction to Sony a7r3, which I still own and of which I am very satisfied. I bought the CL to have a more compact system with the AF lenses and, in fact, the pleasure of using it with the minuscule and qualitative 18, 2.8, or the practicality, in travel photography, of the compact zooms 18-56 and 55-135, not bright but also of great quality, I was thrilled. In addition, the quality of the files is such that the need to intervene in post production and frankly almost always comparable to that of the best full frames. In short, a small masterpiece.

Photolucio

sent on 25 Agosto 2019

Pros: Excellent materials and excellent construction, essential line.

Cons: Cons: AF only contrasting, few goals and extremely expensive, price out of all logicOpinion: Tried with 18mm , it is very pleasant to use and offers excellent results especially starting from the raw. Unfortunately the autofocus is only contrasting and the price of goals and body is absolutely insane. Prices disproportionate to quality, although excellent but similar in the final result to a fuji Xpro2 with 23mm f2

Opinion: The quality of the materials, the essential line and the charm put them at the top of the range, but if you want similar results in photographic terms saving a few thousand euros (They are not peanuts), then the most sensible choice is a fuji Xpro2 with fixed optics or a fuji X100F, which offer excellent black and white with excellent range and sensitivity similar to the film, in short the alternative for those who have no money to throw away is fuji, which is not lacking compared to the Blasone Leica.

Roberto Piloni

sent on 08 Luglio 2019

Pros: Aesthetics, construction materials, sensor, file quality, customizable jays

Cons: Poor ergonomics, no cable connection including USB for image download, native optical cost, battery life

Opinion: The quality of construction, the materials used and assembled as always are indisputable. The essential design in my opinion is remarkable and common to most Leica. A matter of taste, I find her beautiful. Practical, lightweight and paired with lenses such as the Elmarit 18mm f2.8 ASPH or the Summicron 23mm f2 ASPH becomes a great companion for street and light exits. Optional hand grip is strongly recommended. I prefer the electronic sight to that of the Fuji from which I come mainly because unlike the latter that of the CL never "flickers" never. The files (especially the Raw) are very good and in my opinion the black white is exciting. Now I use especially that. Tonal variety and unparalleled microcontrast. For now I am using it with the Summicron 23mm and I have to say that the overall result satisfies me very much. The images are always balanced and never too digitally defined or artfully arted. Maybe a little closed the shadows but absolutely manageable in post. Very natural and engraved details without ever being too cut out. That's what I appreciate most. The AF is fast and accurate even if only at contrast detection. For now I found myself without problems. What I don't like instead is the total lack of cable connections of any kind (external microphone, HDMI, headphones, etc.) including USB. To download images to PC, in fact, you always have to open the lower compartment that houses the battery and remove the memory card that is next to it. It doesn't seem like a very happy choice, but you always sacrifice everything willingly to keep the design of a Leica essential! The menu I thought was easier but you get used to it after a while. I would have liked some more command at hand and less hidden information. Very very short battery life, too in my opinion. Too bad. The small top display and the two customizable keys with the dials for editing are convenient. In short, a high-end mirrorless that definitely deserves attention. An elegant and reliable tool that does not disappoint at all. I think it's a flying pass.

Chin8

sent on 29 Maggio 2019

Pros: Design, speed, sensor quality

Cons: AF only contrast, few lenses and extremely expensive, price out of any logic

Opinion: Tested for a week with the 23 F2 and the 18-56, it is very pleasant to use and offers excellent results in both JPEG and raw. Unfortunately the autofocus, excellent in AFS, is only contrasting and the price of targets and body is absolutely insane. Pass the name Leica, pass the Red badge, but it would have cost no more than 1/3 of the current price. Not to mention the 18-56 kit to 1500 euros...

Marco Patassini

sent on 28 Maggio 2019

Pros: Speed, dexterity, construction, DNG file quality, fabulous black and white

Cons: Nothing

Opinion: Purchased for 3 months, this small camera only has the shapes. The quality of DNG files that the Leica churn is exceptional and in the 24MP of CL you see it all. For those like me mainly shoot in bw this machine offers blacks, whites and greys that sorry to say, but do not exist in other machines. I also shoot with Fujifilm Xpro2 and already only from the optical viewfinder you will notice the difference in the graygradation of Leica and Fujifilm. The DNG are files that working them ask you 5 steps, with the bad RAF Fujifilm you have to do 20. One wonders too often why Leica has important prices, but the quality you pay and just try to argue that Fujifilm (the competition for street with the X100F or the Xpro2) holds up "to the big comparison" is quite ridiculous. I bought it with an Elmarit 18mm f 2.8, fast and high quality lens, the only flaw is the absence of a hood, but it is true that inserting one would be difficult to avoid a slight vignetting effect. This camera pulls out files comparable quietly to a non-Leica full frame machine. Advice for those who have big hands to buy a hand grip.

Apodigital

sent on 26 Settembre 2018

Pros: compactness, sharpness, 4k video, build quality, accept premium optics, batteries equal to Leica Q and Leica V-Lux/Panasonic FZ-1000, excellent viewfinder

Cons: menu to study, lacks the video stabilizer

Opinion: I purchased this machine with two zoom 18-56 and 55-135 (which correspond to a 28-80 and a 80-200 respectively), already possessing a Leica Q and therefore wishing to have a camera body that accepts interchangeable. At the time of purchase is a bit ' skeptical because I had bought a Leica T time, and I was not at all satisfied, so much so that I had to resell. This Leica CL is entirely different. A fantastic viewfinder, the typically German build quality, a beautiful all-new sensor and the ability to shoot amazing 4k videos, make this camera the beginning of a whole new era for those who love the red sticker. I also own a Panasonic GX8 that I had taken exclusively to make excellent quality video pairing the excellent Olympus 12-100. I have to say though that the 4k videos of the Leica CL are nicer and sharper, and the photographs of this camera are actually comparable to those of a non-Leica full frame. The compactness of the more optical Leica CL system makes the ensemble a true Mini-Leica-M kit. And on the other hand, the price of a similar kit being remarkably expensive is not so much the competition and also consider the tightness of the price of the used.