NCD: Leica CL and NLD: Sigma 105mm Macro L-Mount

[Rob MacKillop]

Clearly there must be a Leica CL2 on the way, as prices for the CL are tumbling. In the UK John Lewis has them with £1,000 off. I've been wanting a camera for the occasional colour shot. I had the TL2 briefly, but found it too light in the hand. I like a bit of heft.

The CL is a relatively poor man's M10, and has the L-mount system. Leica lenses are beyond my budget, so I got a Sigma 105mm Macro. Together they make a great combination, though I might add a 35mm lens in due course. The only problem with the 105 is that it is twice the size I thought it would be, once the lens hood has been attached. Quite hefty now!

They both arrived yesterday, so I took a few shots around the house before the battery ran out. These are just test shots. The last two are of reflections from a metal food mixing bowl.

 

[Dave Farnes]

Look great to me, the quality of the detail is amazing. I look forward to seeing more.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Chris Bennett]

Nice shots Rob
It's a great lens, that Sigma. I bought one for Mischa to use with her Pentax MX many years ago and she still gets great use out of it with her DSLR. My preference is for the Tamron Adaptall 90mm f/2.5. It's super sharp and small for use as a short telephoto lens and still fairly compact if you add the tube or teleconverter to make it 1:1. Cheap, too!

 

[Brian Moore]

I can't tell if the strings were moving on the lute but that's what it seems. Lovely colors in that one, Rob.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

That was a dark room shot, very low light. As I said: a test shot. I find it quite interesting, but to be honest I’m not happy with the camera. Too many options for a Leica, and a complicated way of finding simple settings. In short, I don’t like it, am disappointed, and have returned it and the lens. What I like best about the Q2 Monochrom is how simple and intuitive it is, somehow as if made for my brain, which belongs to a technophobe. A second-hand Q might be in order.

 

[Pete Askew]

Nice colour rendition though although it looks like you were struggling with the points of focus.

I really do not like cameras where you need to 'learn' your way through menus and functions (especially those from Sony!). Most Leicas are absolutley intuitive to use I find, but their 'simpler' offerings rarely seem to be.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

So I've learned. I feel completely "at one" with the Q2M, and "at 6 or 7" with the CL. Not for me.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

And, of course, with Leica: the less there is on the camera, the more it costs.