Off Brand: Leica announce TL2 mirrorless camera with 24MP and 4K video ($1950)

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Leica TL2 at a glance:

  • 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • Leica Maestro II Image Processor
  • UHD 4K30 and Full HD 1080p60 Video
  • Up to 20 fps Shooting and ISO 50000
  • 3.7″ 1.3m-Dot Touchscreen LCD Monitor
  • 49-Point Contrast-Detect AF System
  • Electronic Shutter Function: 1/40000 Sec
  • MyCamera Menu; Faster Touch Controls
  • 32GB Memory and UHS-II SD Card Slot
  • Integrated Wi-Fi and USB 3.0 Type-C Port

Pre-order the Leica TL2 ($1,950) at B&H Photo | Adorama

Leica press release:

Leica Camera presents the Leica TL2: Perfected features and persuasive performance meet unique design.

Wetzlar, 10 July 2017. Based on the Leica TL-System, which has been continuously advanced in terms of speed, ease of handling and flexibility since its market launch, the new Leica TL2 embraces all the perfected features and leads the innovative camera concept into a new generation with additional innovations and new design aspects. The particular hallmark of the Leica TL2 is the unusual design of its compact body. Each camera body is precisely machined from a single block of aluminium in the Leica factory. The use of premium materials and their engineering in an elaborate manufacturing process are unique in the history of camera construction and lend the Leica TL2 an unmistakeable look, feel and solidity.

Brilliant still pictures and video footage

The Leica TL2 is equipped with a newly developed, 24-megapixel CMOS sensor in APS-C format that, in combination with an equally new, Maestro II series high-performance image processor, guarantees outstanding picture quality with impressive dynamic range, excellent contrast and colour rendition, exceptional sharpness and finest resolution of details. However, the Leica TL2 impresses not only with its still picture performance, but also with its video capabilities. The camera’s various video recording modes, such as 4K (3840 x 2160p at 30 frames per second), full HD (1920 x 1080p at 60 frames per second), HD (1280 x 720p at 60 frames per second or slow motion [SLOMO] captured at 120 frames per second), leave absolutely nothing to be desired.

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Leica SL vs Canon EOS 5Ds R size comparison

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Image © Photography Blog, used with permission

Photography Blog posted a gallery of pictures with the new Leica SL full-frame mirrorless system camera side by side with the Canon EOS 5Ds R full-frame DSLR. Well, the Leica SL is a huge piece of gear for a mirrorless camera.

The Leica SL is also big on the price, selling at $7,450 (BHphoto | Adorama). Is the Leica SL the high-tech dream-gadget of the moment? I am somehow missing scope and purpose of a mirrorless camera that’s almost the same size as a full-frame DSLR, and puts you back by $12,500 when coupled with the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 lens.

Why not get the excellent Canon EOS M3 instead?

Leica SL

Leica SL specs:

  • 24MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • Leica Maestro II Image Processor
  • Internal DCI 4K Video & V-Log L Gamma
  • 0.66″ 4.4MP 0.8x Electronic Viewfinder
  • 2.95″ 1.04M-Dot LED-Backlit Touchscreen
  • Contrast AF System with 49 Fields
  • Up to 11 fps Shooting and ISO 50000
  • Two SD Card Slots; 1.3″ Top LCD Screen
  • Weather-Resistant Milled Aluminum Body
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity and GPS

 

[via Photography Blog]

Photographer Hacks An EOS 5D Mark II To Mount Leica Lenses

Image credit: Robert Benson

Robert Benson, a photographer based in S. Diego, wanted to use his Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1 (around $6,500, ) lens. But he didn’t have a Leica for that purpose, so he decided to modify a Canon EOS 5D Mark III to mount Leica Lenses.

I modify 5dmk2 cameras and turn them into Leicas. But why? Here’s a little background: I have this $6500 exotic Noctilux 50mm f1 Leica lens, and didn’t have a camera to put it on. Couldn’t afford the M9 at the time, and wasn’t sure I wanted to afford it, so I decided to cut into a Canon 5dmk2 and modify it to accept Leica M lenses; all of them. I can do this modification for you.

He describes the procedure (isn’t that easy). R. Benson is doing this modification on your EOS 5D Mark II bodies if you want. He does everything (including getting an EOS 5D Mark II) for $2950

The modification isn’t easy; nearly impossible for the average person to do it. For modifications, the camera is completely dissasembled and the mirrorbox is stripped of its components and removed. The mirrorbox is then machined by a precision machinist – 30 years experience with hyper-minute detail – to the correct flange distance for Leica, 27.8mm.

The mirrorbox is reinforced with a two-part plexiglass frame. It is further reinforced with a 3mm thick piece of steel which serves as the lens mount. As a result, the mirrorbox is more durable than when it came out of the camera, and strong enough to hold even the weirdest, heaviest rangefinder lenses out there, from which there are hundreds. Everything is put back together by a factory trained camera technician.

Are you wondering which Leica lenses you can mount on the hacked EOS 5D Mark II?

It is custom modified to accept Leica rangefinder lenses and their equivalents. The camera has a 42mm or 39mm threaded mount – lenses – like all leica screwmount lenses, mount to the camera. If you want to use a bayonet M mount, you just use a screwmount flange, which I send with the modified camera. This goes in place of the bayonet mount on your lens(s).

There are sample images for you to check.

Image credit: Robert Benson
[Robert Benson via PetaPixel]