Here is the Leofoto G2 geared head supporting my Canon EOS R7 with Sunwayfoto L bracket. The tripod is off level but the top module is level for panning.

Last week I reviewed the Sunwayfoto GH-Pro 2 Plus geared tripod head. While trawling through online presentations I noticed several positive reviews of the Leofoto G2, an even lighter and more compact geared head. So I bought one and have been running initial tests with it.

The Leofoto G2 can be used as a standalone head (remove the safety screws first) or as a levelling/panning module mounted on top of a ball head with standard Arca Swiss mounting system.

The Leofoto G2 unit works a bit like a tilt/shift lens to achieve movements. This allows it to be very light, compact and strong but the downside is a limited range of movements compared to most other geared heads. There are workarounds for some of these limitations which make the G2 head entirely serviceable as an (almost) all purpose head  mounted directly onto the tripod.

The Leofoto G2 is made in China to a high standard. It is all metal  and appears very carefully machined. The unit is very stable in any position. All movements are smooth with just the right amount of damping and no free play.

Mine cost AUD263 from Ebay. Delivery was prompt. The head comes with a nice padded drawstring bag which can protect the device either on or off the tripod. It weighs 326 grams and is very compact, smaller than many ball heads. The maximum load is given as 20 Kg which is much more than most other tripod heads around this size.

Tilt and yaw movements are geared with a maximum deflection of +/- 10 degrees. This might not sound like much but I find that is plenty for the great majority of my requirements. Panning takes place at the upper module of the head. It is ungeared with a locking screw. Panning is very smooth with no free play that I could detect.

There is a spirit level on the top of the panning module. The idea is to level the top with the geared tilt and yaw adjustments so level panning can be done. This works well.

The G2 head cannot flip over so we must fit an L bracket to the camera for portrait orientation shots. This is good practice anyway as it keeps the camera directly above the tripod. I use the Sunwayfoto L bracket on my Canon EOS R7.

We cannot tilt the camera downwards any more than 10 degrees with the gears. I find it easy enough to get about 20-25 degrees by shortening one of the tripod legs. But for any more than that we need a three way or ball head. The Leofoto G2 can be mounted on top of a ball head for fine adjustments when pointed in any direction.

The instructions supplied with the head feature diagrams of a geared head different from that in the box. Given the care with which the head itself appears to have been crafted this seems like an odd slip-up. Fortunately no instructions are really necessary as operation of the unit is simple and largely self evident.

Summary

My initial assessment of the Leofoto G2 geared head is very positive. It appears to be very well made and is a pleasure to use. I plan to make it my default tripod head for the next few months. We shall see how it stands up to general usage over time..

  

The padded drawstring bag is welcome

This is the camera mounting plate supplied with the head. The captive D ring is welcome. This is only for mounting the camera in landscape orientation.

This is the underside of the head showing standard 3/8 inch tripod mounting thread for direct mounting to the tripod (remove the safety screws) and Arca Swiss type flange for mounting onto a ball head.

Camera on L bracket for portrait orientation

 

 

 

Sunwayfoto GH-Pro 2 Plus as seen by the user standing behind the tripod

Geared tripod heads have been used by studio photographers for many years. But those studio heads are large, heavy, expensive and not really suitable for photography on the go.

Hence the popularity of compact three way heads and in recent years ball heads for landscape and location photography.

The problem with ball heads is that when we release the locking lever the camera is free to move about in any direction. This can make accurate composition frustrating especially with a long lens which magnifies the effect of small movements of the ball.

In addition both three way and ball heads are subject to the problem of droop/creep because we have to support the body/lens while making adjustments then release the unit after the head is locked. Invariably the framing settles to a new position so we have to guess the extent of this settling when making the initial adjustments.

The solution to these problems is a geared head which makes tilt, level and pan adjustments with the weight of the camera and lens already on the system so there is no framing shift after the adjustments are made.

Sunwayfoto in Guanzhou, China, has been selling their GH-Pro geared head for several years. The device has been through several iterations although the basic design appears to have remained largely unchanged.

I found several positive user reviews online which encouraged me to buy one. I ordered it from Amazon Australia mid morning and it was delivered on the same day in Sydney. The price is AUD390.

Initial impressions are positive. The device comes well packed in a bespoke box with cut-out foam padding. The main components are metal. All the movements feel smooth with no apparent free play.

Main specifications

Manfrotto/Benro style geared heads are larger than the Sunway, with the camera mounting plate off axis from the tripod center column. They also have de-clutch wheels which allow large movements to be made quickly. The Sunway locates the mounting plate directly over the center column which is potentially more stable and is certainly better for panning and panorama creation. The Sunway also dispenses with the de-clutch wheels in favour of flip-out winding handles on the tilt and level adjustment knobs. This allows the size, weight and complexity of the unit to be reduced.

The GH-Pro 2 (without the Plus) has an un-geared panning top plate. The [Plus] version as reviewed here has the GC-01 top module which allows free or geared panning. Both have an un-geared (free) bottom panning movement. We can pan with either the top or bottom module. If the bottom module is not level we can level up the top one using the tilt and level adjustments and the spirit level built in or the level gauge in the camera. 

The side-to-side level has about +/- 45 degrees of movement. The tilt action offers about 100 degrees of movement. This can be used to tilt the camera forward or back with the camera mounted in landscape orientation or can be used to flip the camera over for portrait orientation. In that case the main side-to-side knob controls panning and the panning knob on the upper rotating module controls tilt.

A better way to manage portrait orientation is to use an L bracket on the camera instead of the standard mounting plate. This allows the camera to remain directly above the center column. From the Sunwayfoto shop on eBay the L bracket cost me AUD84.

Sunwayfoto L Bracket.  This is the best way to secure the camera for portrait orientation. The Sunway L bracket has a flip out captive D ring for camera attachment. Attachment to the head is by Arca Swiss style clamp in either landscape or portrait orientation.   All movements of the flippy screen are possible when the camera with L bracket is off the camera.

Camera connection is by an Arca-Swiss type clamp system which is very secure.   Unfortunately the plate supplied does not have a captive D ring so attachment to the camera uses an Allen key. This works well enough but Allen keys are easy to lose and fiddly to use. I converted mine to a mini-driver by fixing plywood to the Allen key, as shown in the photo. This is easier to use and less likely to get lost.

 Summary

The Sunwayfoto GH-Pro 2 Plus geared head is a welcome addition to the catalogue of tripod heads on the market. This one could be of particular interest to photographers on the go who would like to enjoy the benefits of a geared head but find traditional offerings too large, heavy and expensive or suffer from design limitations.  

 

Allen key mini driver used to affix Arca-Swiss style mounting plate

Flip out winding handles on two control knobs

If the center column is not vertical use the top module for panning adjustment

Canon RF 100-500mm lens at 500mm on Canon R7 body. A stable and easily adjustable setup even at 800mm full frame equivalent with no droop or framing shift

 

 

Although the total number of cameras sold each year has declined dramatically since 2010 there are still many makes, models and types of camera available. This can make the process of deciding what to buy quite challenging.

In this post I summarise my own decision making process in the hope that this might be of interest to camera buyers in a similar situation.

The first consideration is usage. What do I want to photograph ?

Professional sports photographers will gravitate towards the top end of each maker’s catalogue. They need the speed, weather sealing and ruggedness provided by top tier professional  bodies and lenses. This full frame gear also allows backgrounds to be blurred while keeping the subject sharp. This is important at many venues which present the photographer with a very busy, visually cluttered background.

But most of us are not professional sports photographers.

My own requirements are quite diverse. I like street, documentary, lifestyle, urban scenes, landscapes, amateur sports, close-ups, wildflowers and some wildlife including birds perched and in flight.  I do not record video with my camera but will occasionally capture a few video clips with the iPhone.  I am 81 years old and disinclined to lug about a backpack full of heavy gear.  I also hate changing lenses but find that in 2024 there are no fixed lens offerings which can meet all my photographic requirements.

I use Raw capture and process images in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop.

A proper camera

Over the last 70 years I have used almost every type and design of camera that has come onto the market from 4x5 inch large format to subminiature. This has led me to settle on some definite preferences based mainly on ergonomics and the long term user experience.

For me a proper camera in 2024 is a mainstream mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) utilising the popular SLR/DSLR/MILC  shape and controls. There is an anatomically shaped handle and thumb rest which harmonise with the functional anatomy of the hands and fingers. The shutter button, on/off switch and front and rear dials are optimally positioned where my fingers can locate them by touch and operate them without looking at the camera.

It has a built-in EVF of good quality over the lens axis, hump style. In long term use I find this location preferable to top left, rangefinder-style for two reasons. First the camera/lens combination is more stable with the EVF over the lens axis as the push of the eyepiece onto the eye is in line with the lens, keeping the rig straight and stable. This is especially an issue with long lenses. The second reason is that top-left EVFs are fitted to flat top rangefinder style bodies which are trying to be as compact as possible. So the EVF gets squeezed into the little space between the top of the screen and the top of the body so it has to be smaller than the hump type and to make things worse it has a smaller, less effective eyepiece and eyecup.

Some models have no EVF at all. I have found the process of using these things to be an exercise in frustration especially in the bright sunny conditions which prevail in Sydney.

My proper camera utilises the Mode Dial + Unmarked Control dials user interface which is standard issue on Canon, Sony and Nikon models. This arrangement which includes Custom Modes on the Mode Dial allows us great flexibility in setting up the camera to personal preference and allows us to change many camera parameters simultaneously when moving from one use case to a different one.

Some users prefer a camera with separate, marked, controls for aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation. This arrangement is logical and conceptually straightforward. It can appeal to the user who likes to adopt a deliberative approach to camera work with no expectation of being to change a large number of exposure and focussing parameters simultaneously.

The monitor screen must be touch sensitive and fully articulating for maximum versatility.

The camera must have in body image stabiliser (IBIS). Some of my favourite lenses do not have an optical image stabiliser. 

I want an optimally positioned thumb stick with optimal grippy haptics.

Lenses

I have also decided to go with a kit based almost entirely on zooms. I have spent most of my life using primes because for many years that was the only way to get decent image quality with compact size.

Now we have some wonderfully sharp, compact, f2.8 zooms. The Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and 10-18mm f2.8 for Fuji, Sony and Canon APSC are very good examples of these modern zooms which really do make primes irrelevant for most of my uses.

I have retained one prime lens, that being the Canon RF 100mm f2.8 L macro. None of the zooms currently available allows me to photograph tiny things as effectively as this lens.

What’s available ?

* Phone cams.

Most people use their phone cam for still photos and video. For snapshots and  memories of people and places the phone cam is ideal.  But the lack of a viewfinder, zoom lens, handle, controls and Raw capture limit the smartphone’s range of capabilities.

* Compacts

I have owned many compacts over the years and enjoyed using some of them. If our photographic use cases fit within the limited range of capabilities which a compact can offer, that’s fine. But I want something more versatile.

* Bridge type

A bridge camera looks and in many ways works like a MILC but  has a fixed superzoom lens offering the possibility of considerable versatility. This would be my favourite type if camera makers had continued to update their bridge cams with the latest imaging technology. Unfortunately they appear to have abandoned this camera type to my great disappointment.

* MILCs

And so we come to mirrorless interchangeable lens models which in 2025 offer the features and capabilities which I want, although it does mean changing lenses.

* Sensor size

We can have medium format, “full frame” (the sensor is nominally 24x36mm in size), APSC and Micro four thirds.

There are endless discussions on user forums about the merits of each.

Digital medium format is an expensive niche which could be appealing to some studio portrait and fashion photographers.

Full frame (24x36mm) was the most popular film format throughout the 20th Century and has made the transition to digital quite well. However I find that when I put together a full frame kit, even when I use consumer grade bodies and lenses, I still end up with a more bulky lump of stuff to carry than I want.

APSC size digital sensors deliver very much better image quality than the original APSC film format could ever manage. 

The Micro four Thirds format was introduced in the middle of the 2008 global financial crisis which was soon followed by the dramatic decline in camera sales from 2010. So the format never really gained enough market share to be self sustaining. With Olympus' exit from camera making and Panasonic's move upmarket to full frame the M43 format has been starved of R&D with negarive consequences for the M43 products currently available. 

Having used each of these over a period of many years I have settled on APSC as the sensor size which provides the best balance of image quality, performance, ergonomics, size, mass and price for my requirements.

* Image processing software.

The appeal of APSC crop sensor cameras has been boosted considerably in recent times by the availability of noise reduction software driven by artificial intelligence. I use Adobe Denoise AI but similar offerings from DXO and Topaz labs also work well.

These post-capture processing programs have had a greater impact on photographic output quality than any advances in the technology inside cameras in recent years.

Basis of choice

Camera gear reviewers often go to great lengths to compare various camera models as to which has the best image quality as measured by technical criteria, performance in frames per second, autofocus on still and moving subjects, pixel count and other technical characteristics. But in the real world of photography most of these differences are minor and brands which are lagging behind on some specific capability will probably catch up in the next model cycle if they want to stay in the business.

I find the most significant differences between various brands and models is the ergonomics, handling, viewing, operation of the controls and the long term user experience. These are the main factors which determine my buying decisions.

Brands

Four camera makers offer a range of APSC camera bodies and lenses.

* Fujifilm

With no full frame catalogue Fujifilm offers the greatest number and diversity of APSC bodies and lenses. They use the X-Trans sensor filter array which we find only on Fujifilm models. Having owned several cameras with the X-Trans sensor I am yet to be convinced it offers any advantage over the Bayer filter array used by most other camera makers.  Although Adobe Camera Raw works better with X-Trans in 2024 than it did in the past I am still not altogether happy with the way fine green foliage is rendered. I am still reading complaints on user forums about Fujifilm autofocus which is playing catch-up to Canon, Sony and Nikon.

Two models feature a Mode Dial + Control Dial layout.

* X-S20 looks good in the specification list and has been decently well reviewed. But they deleted the cross keys and replaced them with a sad little nubbin of a thumb-stick which is in the wrong place and has poor haptics. It is too small and has no grippy surface with which the thumb can engage.

The X-H2 is larger, heavier and more expensive. The thumb-stick is in the right place and has good haptic design. They got it right on this model. However the front control dial is located in front of and below the shutter button and facing forward. This configuration is also seen on the Sony a6700  and Nikon Z50.2 models discussed below. The problem as seen in the photo is that when using the camera the third finger of the right hand takes up a position which is so close to the dial that in order to bring the right index finger to bear on the dial we must shift the third, fourth and fifth fingers down about 10mm. This need not be a deal breaker but is a niggling nuisance, repeated many times.  Canon puts the control dial behind the shutter button where it can always be operated by the right index finger without having to move any other finger in the slightest.  It is possible to achieve quite good ergonomic design with a control dial in front of the shutter button as seen on the Pana-Lumix S1. On this camera we can see the dial is higher and points about 35 degrees upwards so the index finger can work it without disrupting the other fingers.

* Sony

The a6700  meets most of my criteria as to specifications.  In typical Sony style the a6700 packs a lot of well developed technology into a very small package.    Image quality, performance and autofocus are all reported to work really well.  

The problems I have with the a6700 and the whole a6xxx line are ergonomic.

They forgot the thumb-stick.  Really ?  At this price point ?  Go figure.

The handle is too short so my little finger hangs off the bottom. We can purchase an aftermarket baseplate/grip extender which helps with this problem but I would much prefer a taller handle to start with.

The EVF has good specifications but the eyepiece is very small and the eyecup very shallow. This makes for a much less enjoyable viewing experience than we will have with a larger,  over the lens axis hump-type housing and eyepiece.

As for the front dial the good news is that the a6700 is the first of the a6xxx series to have one. The not-so-good news is the dial  is suboptimally located in front of and  below the shutter button and facing forward.

I had an a6500 a few years ago and did not enjoy using it at all. The problems were mainly ergonomic but that particular model also had AF problems with some lenses.

* Nikon

Unfortunately Nikon has yet to produce a Z-mount APSC model which meets my requirements. The Z50.2 is a nice camera in several ways but lacks IBIS, has that front dial in the suboptimal location, the handle is too short, there is no thumb-stick  and it uses an old 20 Mpx sensor.  I had the Z50 original version for a while a few years ago and found the back of the camera a bit cluttered with 10 buttons and the 4-way controller.

* Canon

The EOS R7 meets almost all my requirements. This model has some well documented flaws, none of which has proven to be a deal breaker for me.

The R7 has very good image quality, autofocus, performance and ergonomics. Setup, Prepare, Holding, Viewing and Operating are all well implemented. It  offers two card slots, IBIS, weather sealing, closed shutter curtain when the lens is removed, nice menus, big buffer, pre-burst, big battery (same as R5) and much more.

Of all the cameras on my list this one offers me the best combination of characteristics and capabilities for my requirements. I have used the camera extensively and keep coming back to it.

It might not score best in class on all or even any of the rating parameters which camera reviewers use but it is close to best in all categories and for my uses is the best all-rounder.

The flaws include the thumb stick co-located with the rear control dial  (memo to Canon: Don’t you ever do this again), shutter shock with the fully mechanical shutter, shutter shock at slow shutter speeds with EFCS, EVF blackout at H drive speed with EFCS and strong rolling shutter with the electronic shutter.  It all sounds messy but in practice there are work-arounds for each of these issues such that a good user experience can be had.

There are also issues with continuous autofocus mostly reported by bird and wildlife photographers. There is a fix for this which involves avoiding H+ (30fps) with E-Shutter and setting Case 1 with Tracking sensitivity and Accel./decel. Tracking both to minus 2 on screen 2 of the AF menu.  Thanks to the reviewers who have spent considerable time and effort to work out the best settings for the R7.

* Lenses and kits for the R7

I rate the Canon RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 the most versatile all purpose, compact light, moderately priced one lens kit in the whole RF mount catalogue. The full frame equivalent focal length range is 29-240mm. It has IS, fast autofocus, works well indoors at 18mm and f3.5 and gives a maximum magnification of 0.4x for close-ups.

An alternative with constant f2.8 aperture is the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 without IS and less close-up capability. I rate this lens the preferred option if the longer reach of the 18-150 is not required. It is ideal when mostly indoor, low light work is planned and soft backgrounds are desired.

Either of these one lens kits travels easily in a LowePro Toploader Zoom 45 AW 2 bag although there are plenty of alternatives.

For a two lens kit I nominate either the Canon RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 or the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 plus the Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 ultrawide zoom.  The latter is a little gem of a lens, compact and sharp with no real faults or problems. It is ideal for interiors and anywhere we need to hand hold a compact ultrawide in low light.  This kit fits nicely in a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20 bag with one lens mounted and facing up.

My three lens kit uses either the Canon RF-S 18-150mm or the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8, the Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 and the Canon RF-S 55-210mm f5-7.1 IS STM. This medium tele zoom has been largely ignored or dammed with faint praise by reviewers and user forums. I suspect that some potential users might look at the somewhat pedestrian aperture range and make no further enquiry.

My experience using it outdoors in good light is very positive. The full frame equivalent focal length is 88-336mm which is a bit unusual but very useful when we want more reach than a standard lens can provide. On all my tests sharpness is very good at all focal lengths, autofocus is fast and accurate even on birds in flight and the combined IBIS/IS works very well. The lens is only 8mm longer than the RF-S 18-150mm so it is very compact.

The three lens kit fits into a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 25i carry bag.

When a longer reach is required I find the Canon RF 100-400mm f5.6-8 IS USM works very well on the R7, giving a full frame equivalent focal length of 160-640mm which is just long enough for birds is they are fairly close.

I have also used the excellent Canon RF 100-500mm f4-7.1 L IS USM on the R7 with very good results for birds and wildlife. The full frame equivalent focal length is 160-800mm. This lens is neither compact nor inexpensive but having used it with both the R5 and 1.4x extender and the R7 without the extender I prefer the latter.

What comes next ?

There are plenty of rumors about an EOS R7Mk2 maybe coming in 2025. I await further revelations about this with considerable interest.

And that is the end of this post. Thank you for reading.

 

 

 

 

Canon introduced the RF-S 10-18mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM ultrawide zoom for APSC RF mount cameras in 2023. This is a nice compact stabilised lens but is constrained by the small and variable aperture which limit its appeal indoors and in low light.

The constant maximum aperture Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 DC DN/C STM became available for Sony E mount around the same time and now in 2024 is also available with Canon RF mount.

Some people say an ultrawide lens is good for landscape photos but that is not my experience at all unless my subject is actually an eye catching foreground with the background being relegated to minor status in the frame.

I find ultrawides most useful for architectural interiors, with or without a madding crowd.

For handheld interiors a very useful lens is a compact ultrawide with a wide and preferably constant maximum aperture (small f number)  and either an image stabiliser in the lens or in body image stabiliser (IBIS) in the camera body.

When mounted on a Canon EOS R7 the Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 DC DN/C meets these requirements in fine style. This light, compact, moderately priced body/lens combination is capable of delivering high quality professional results equal to or better than anything we could produce a few years ago with much larger, heavier more expensive gear which required a tripod for best results.

Aspheric elements, special types of glass and post capture corrections have enabled lens makers to produce smaller, lighter and optically better lenses than was previously possible.

Description

The Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 is remarkably light and compact. Diameter is 72mm, length 62mm, mass 260 grams.

It is designated Contemporary which in Sigma world is the entry level  with models designated Art and Sports being more expensive.  Entry it may be but the quality is nevertheless very high.  The full frame equivalent focal length range is 16-29mm. Unlike the Canon RF-S 10-18mm it does not have to be unlocked for use.

Build quality, fit and finish are very nice. The zoom action is very smooth and rotates the same way as other Canon lenses.. As with several modern zooms the lens is physically shortest at the longest focal length. There is a focus/function ring but no switches on the lens barrel. The mount is metal with a rubber O ring seal around the edge. 

A standard 67mm screw in filter can be fitted. I have a Hoya HD.2 UV filter mounted on my copy of the lens permanently and all tests were done with the filter in place.

A petal type lens hood is supplied. This mounts with a straight push-in-click action and is removed with a tiny little twist. There are markings to show how to orient the hood for outwards and reverse mounting. Align the bar for hood out, the arrow for hood reversed. It’s a system I have not seen before and it appears to work well with no problems thus far.

The constant f2.8 aperture of the Sigma lens is 1.3 stops wider than the Canon RF-S lens at the short end of the zoom and 2.3 stops wider at the long end. 

The Sigma lens has no image stabiliser.

Function

Single shot autofocus is very fast and consistently accurate even in low light and with heavy backlighting, even with the sun shining directly into the lens. Human/animal/face/eye detect all work just fine with no problems encountered by me.

The lens supports the maximum frame rate of which the R7 is capable.

Optics

There are 13 elements in 10 groups. Four elements are aspheric including the front element, three FLD, one SLD.

The lens is sharp in a large central circle right from f2.8 at all focal lengths.

At 10mm the long sides of the frame and corners reveal mild softness and contrast loss on the test chart although this is less obvious in real world photos. The softness improves at f4 and is almost gone by f5.6.

The peripheral softness at f2.8 becomes less evident as we zoom out to 18mm focal length.

Overall sharpness is excellent on this lens which can be used at f2.8 with confidence.

With Raw capture and conversion in Adobe Camera Raw, the distortion present in uncorrected files is almost perfectly corrected, making the lens very suitable for architectural subjects.

Corner shading is also largely corrected.

Some mild blue/purple fringing is sometimes seen at high contrast boundaries such as foliage against a hot sky at the wide end of the zoom and wide apertures. This is easily corrected in Adobe Camera Raw.  In most cases however color fringing is insignificant.

I can induce veiling flare by placing the sun at or just inside or outside the frame however focussing and image integrity are retained. It is possible to induce a few shaped and colored flares but I have to deliberately  place the sun in the worst possible position relative to the frame to achieve this.

I also note some bleed-over flare of very bright highlights into adjacent dark shadows in areas where there is very high subject brightness range locally.

With sensible camera work flares are not a serious problem with this lens. This is quite an achievement for Sigma as ultrawide zooms have in the past tended to be quite flare prone.

The out of focus rendition (bokeh) such as it is with this type of lens looks smooth with no nasty artefacts that I have seen.

I did notice a bit of coma towards the corners in photos with a lot of tiny Christmas lights in the frame. This could be relevant to astro work which I have not yet tried with this lens.

I saw no apparent focus breathing when racking focus back and forth.

I test the front-to-back and side-to-side distribution of sharpness of my lenses by photographing cut grass at 45 degrees and applying the find edges filter in Photoshop. Some wide and ultrawide zooms exhibit very substantial shifts in the shape and distribution of the zone of sharpness as the lens focal length and aperture are altered. Fortunately the Sigma 10-18mm is well behaved in this regard and will not present the user with any nasty surprises.

When using Raw capture and Adobe Camera Raw the field of view in the output photo at 10 mm focal length is 4% linear larger than we see in the viewfinder. This suggests that the actual focal length of the lens might be around 8-9mm at the wide end. The JPG output size is the same as that seen in the viewfinder.  I see this behaviour quite often with current model wide angle zooms.

Summary

The Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 DC DC/C is a very welcome addition to the catalogue of lenses compatible with Canon RF mount APSC cameras. It is particularly suitable for the R7 which has IBIS and a high pixel density sensor.

Some enthusiastic reviewers have described the lens as “perfect” which it is not quite, but it comes very close with no substantial faults or failings in any aspect of optics or operation.

Alternatives

* The Canon RF-S 10-18mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM is a compact, well behaved alternative with a stabiliser at around half the price of the Sigma. The Canon lens is smaller when not in use but has to be unlocked for use so it ends up almost as long as the Sigma.

The Sigma is sharper than the Canon at all focal lengths and comparable apertures, but only on the long sides of the frame and the corners. On my tests they are equally sharp in the center and on the short sides of the frame.

* As I write this in November 2024  Tamron has just announced that its  11-20 mm f2.8 Di III-A RXD (do they actually pay someone to come up with these confusing designations ?) for RF mount is now in production.

This lens has been available in Sony E and Fujifilm X mounts for some time and has been favourably reviewed many times.  It is not stabilised.

It offers a slightly longer focal length range and is both longer and heavier than the Sigma. I have no personal experience with this lens.

Suggestions

I suggest the Canon when price is an issue, when usage will be mainly in reasonably well lit locations and when mounted on a camera body without IBIS (R10, R50). The Canon is actually a very good and useful lens, better in practice than its modest specifications might lead us to expect.  It can be used in very low light if there is not much movement in the frame. On the R7 I have gotten sharp pictures hand held at 0.4 seconds with this lens in near darkness.

The Sigma is best used on the R7 which has IBIS. The wide aperture and overall slightly better image quality make this the preferred option when a wide aperture and/or best optical quality is required. This is the preferred option for the user who regularly photographs interior architecture and similar subjects.

At this point I am not sure what the Tamron has to offer which might make it preferable to the Sigma.

Conclusion

Three years ago I thought that Canon might be on a pathway to eliminate APSC models from their catalogue. Their support for the now defunct EF-M mount was tokenistic and their initial offerings for the RF-S catalogue were underwhelming, to put it mildly. To make it worse Canon refused for a long time to allow third party lens makers access to the RF mount.

But the entry of Sigma with two zooms and four primes and now Tamron with one zoom initially has given a new lease of life to the Canon crop sensor system.

There are rumors of an EOS R7.2 coming sometime in 2025 with a stacked sensor.  I think such a model if well executed as to performance and ergonomics could prove very attractive to many photographers.

I hope these rumors are correct because I have sold off all my full frame RF mount cameras and all my compact and bridge cameras and fully committed to the R7 and crop sensor lenses.

 

 

 

One of the main complaints by users and reviewers about the Canon RF mount crop sensor system has been the paucity of lens offerings.

When the EOS R7 and R10 were announced in 2022 only two zooms were made available. Since then Canon has added two more zooms. But each of the Canon offerings to date is a utility style model with compact dimensions and a small variable aperture diaphragm.

Eventually Canon decided to license its proprietary lens mount and autofocus technology to selected specialist lens makers with Sigma being first to offer attractive products.

Sigma has announced a roadmap of autofocus crop sensor (RF-S) lenses for Canon starting with the subject of this review,

* 18-50 [FF equiv 29-80mm] f2.8 DC DN/C followed by a

* 10-18mm [FF equiv 16-29mm] f2.8 DC DN/C and in due course  four primes,  

* 16mm [FF equiv 25.6mm],

* 23mm [FF equiv 37mm],

* 30mm [FF equiv 48mm]

* 56mm [FF equiv 80mm].

The primes are f1.4 DC DN/C models.

These lenses have a rubber O ring around the edge of the metal mount and are stated by Sigma to be dust and splash resistant.

They do not have an optical image stabiliser. They can be used on any Canon RF mount camera but are best mounted on the EOS R7 which has IBIS.

In one move Sigma has provided most of the previously missing  lenses needed to make the Canon RF-S system attractive to enthusiast photographers.

This move is a win-win for all concerned.

Canon’s crop sensor bodies, especially the R7, become  more attractive to buyers, Sigma gets to sell more product and us consumers now have access to a larger and for some, more appealing range of lenses than had previously been available.

Like the other lenses in this list the 18-50mm f2.8 has already been available for Sony E, L Mount and Fujifilm X mount for several years, so its optical characteristics are well known and favourably reviewed.

Of greater concern is the autofocus performance. The background to this is that many consumers have reported that third party lenses often fail to focus correctly on modern mirrorless cameras due, presumably to the complexity and proprietary nature of the many high speed calculations involved.

I am pleased to report that  autofocus performance of the Sigma 18-50mm on my Canon EOS R7 is absolutely fine with no problems appearing after several hundred test frames in bright light, near darkness, low and high contrast, on people, places and things.

Single AF is snappy fast and reliably accurate. Human and animal face/head/eye detect works just fine, as it does with Canon branded lenses.

Servo AF also works very well with face/eye detect and accurate focus being achieved even in low light and when the subject is backlit.

On the R7 in dark mode

Description

The RF mount version of this lens is styled like Canon’s own RF-S models, with an angled step up from the 61.5mm outside diameter of the lens barrel to the 69mm diameter of the outside of the mount. This allows us to distinguish on sight between the RF mount version of the lens and versions for other mounts which is handy as there is no label on the lens telling us which mount it fits.

Sigma lenses are made in Japan to a high standard. Even those in the “Contemporary” class which is Sigma’s consumer level designation are well made and finished.  The barrel is polycarbonate and the mount metal with a thin rubber O ring around the edge. As with Canon’s RF-S models, there are no switches on the barrel. AF/MF is selected in camera.

There is no optical stabiliser in the lens.

The zoom action is very smooth and works “backwards” as do all Canon zooms. The focus/control ring turns smoothly. The supplied lens hood ( Canon, are you paying attention ??) fits with just the right amount of resistance.

The lens cap is nicely designed with grippy edges on the center pinch tabs. This is welcome  as removing the lens cap is an action we must perform thousands of times.

The filter is 55mm. All my tests were done with a Hoya HD2 UV filter in place.

Mounting onto the R7 was quite stiff initially but freed up a bit after being removed and re-mounted a few times.

The overall size of the lens is very compact for a constant f2.8 standard zoom. At 74mm in length it is the same length as the Pana/Leica 12-35mm f2.8 for Micro Four  Thirds and half the price. It is dramatically smaller than the Canon EF-S 17-55m f2.8 which was my standard lens on the EOS 20D and 40D for several years.

Just for reference the R7 + Sigma 18-50 f2.8 is also very much lighter and more compact than an approximately equivalent full frame kit such as a Canon EOS R5.2 with the RF 24-70 f2.8 and is a quarter of the price.

Optics

There are 13 elements in 10 groups with 3 aspherics and one SLD element.

Sigma has posted a schematic of the lens construction and MFT charts.

Like almost all current model zooms the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 relies on post capture processing either in camera for JPGs or in post processing for Raws, to rectify distortion, aberrations and corner shading.

In Adobe camera Raw the results are pleasing with almost complete elimination of distortion and partial correction of corner shading and aberrations. Full correction is usually not too difficult in Camera Raw.

On the test chart the lens is very sharp in a large central area of the frame at all focal lengths right from f2.8. Corners and edges on the long side are a bit soft at 18mm and f2.8, becoming sharp by f5.6. This softness is much less evident when photographing normal subjects than it appears on the finely detailed test chart.

The edges and corners are sharp at 24, 35 and 50mm right from f2.8.

Diffraction starts to affect rendition of fine details from around f10.

The bokeh looks nice to me with no obvious ni-sen or unpleasantness at any focal length or aperture.

Various types of flare can be induced when the lens is pointed towards bright lights. Against the sun this is mostly veiling flare although shaped and colored flares can be induced if we deliberately try to do so.

Some reviewers have reported a bit of longitudinal chromatic aberration at wide apertures although I have not found this to be a problem.

Lateral chromatic aberration in the form of mild purple fringing can be seen on foliage against the light at 18mm. This is easily corrected in post processing.

Focus breathing is sufficiently well controlled that it is rarely an issue in practice.

I tested the effectiveness of the R7 IBIS with my usual protocol. I found that with the IBIS ON I am able to get sharp pictures hand held at a shutter speed about three EV steps slower than is possible with the IBIS switched OFF.  This is quite significant and makes the R7 the preferred camera body for this lens as the R10, R50 and R100 do not have IBIS.

18mm f2.8

28mm f2.8

50mm f2.8

I like to explore lens characteristics further by photographing cut grass to reveal the distribution of sharpness towards and away from the focus point at each focal length and aperture.

An ideal lens is equally sharp from one side of the frame to the other in an even relationship to the plane of focus at each aperture. In the real world some lenses depart markedly from the ideal, exhibiting variable complex distortions of the zone of sharpness as the focal length and aperture are altered. 

In Canon RF world I have found the RF 35mm f1.8 and  the RF 24-105mm f4-7.1 STM  are lenses which do have troublesome shifts in the distribution of sharpness as the focal length and/or zoom alters.

Fortunately the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 is one of the better zooms which I have tested with no extreme distortions or shifts in the field of sharpness.

Comparison with Canon RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3

The comparison between these two lenses is an instructive example of lens design in practice. The two lenses are about the same size, mass and price and each takes a 55m filter.

The Canon prioritises focal length range over wide aperture and adds an image stabiliser.

The Sigma prioritises wide, constant aperture but must accept a much smaller zoom range in order to achieve this.

On the test chart the Sigma is slightly sharper at all comparable focal lengths and apertures except 18mm at f3.5 where the Canon is a touch sharper at the edges.

The Canon is better for close-up and semi-macro work, with the ability to render small subjects about twice as large on the sensor as the Sigma at a workable distance from the subject.

Both lenses are routinely capable of producing excellent results on the R7 in just about any photographic situation.  We cannot really say one is better than the other. They are both very good within their envelope of capabilities.

I recommend the Canon lens for outdoors, close-ups, travel with a one body/one lens kit, amateur sports and action, and on the  R10 or R50.

I like the Sigma for indoors, low light, softer backgrounds and best possible image quality on the R7.

Conclusion

The Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 is a welcome addition to the range of lenses suitable for Canon RF mount crop sensor cameras (RF-S). It is particularly suitable for the R7 which has IBIS and the lens has enough resolution to make good use of the high pixel count sensor on the R7.

 

 

 

 

 

The most versatile type of photographic device in my experience is a top-of-the-range bridge camera with a built-in EVF and a full set of controls for an enthusiast user.

But this camera type has been almost completely abandoned by camera makers. The remaining few models still on the market use outdated autofocus and image processing technology.

So my quest for a versatile, do-most-things-with-one-lens package has turned to the mirrorless interchangeable lens (MILC) sector which provides an abundance of options using the latest technology.

Our requirements for an all purpose photography kit will depend on our preferred subjects and photographic endeavours.

Those who specialise in professional sports and similar pursuits will be best served by high end camera bodies and big, expensive telephoto lenses.

But for general photography, travel, social occasions, street, documentary, amateur sports, casual portraiture and lifestyle photography a more compact and versatile kit is desirable.

I have no allegiance to any camera brand.  Nobody lends me cameras to review. My preferences are independent and beholden to nobody else. 

My current preference for this role is the Canon EOS R7 with RF-S 18-150mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM lens.

Neither the camera body nor the lens is perfect but I remind myself that perfect is the enemy of good and in practice I find the R7+18-150mm kit is easily good enough for a wide range of photographic purposes.

For landscapes we need enough pixels to render detail. The R7 sensor has 32.3 megapixels which is plenty. 

The sensor needs enough dynamic range to render both highlights and dark tones faithfully.

Photonstophotos measures dynamic range at ISO 100 in the order Sony ILCE6700 > Canon EOS R7 > Fujifilm X-T5 > Pana-Lumix G90.  The actual difference between these crop sensor models is so small that we are unlikely to notice it in practice. Although most full frame cameras have a bit more dynamic range it is my experience that the DR of the crop sensor models is quite enough in all but the most extreme conditions.

In front of the sensor we need a lens good enough to resolve all the pixels on the sensor without degradation by uncorrected aberrations. The RF-S 18-150mm does an excellent job of this. Even though it is a compact 8.3x kit zoom which some reviewers like to damn with faint praise it is in fact optically very capable, with high resolution across a large central zone at all focal lengths and a bit of softness in the corners where it mostly goes un-noticed.

For street photography we want a compact kit which does not attract too much attention to itself. After spending a lot of time on the street I have noticed that if I go forth with the Canon R5 with the RF 24-105mm f4 mounted, this kit does attract attention and comments from passers-by about professional looking cameras.

But when I use the R7 and RF-S 18-150mm, people notice that I am taking photos but appear no more concerned than they are about people making photos and selfies with their smart phones.

The R7 uses a recent version of Canon’s excellent dual pixel autofocus system which makes it very suitable for photographing and tracking moving subjects of all kinds. The only downside is that the smaller than full frame sensor and small lens aperture make it difficult to render backgrounds out of focus.

The camera can fire at very high frame rates making it possible to capture the decisive moment even with fast moving subjects.

The RF-S 18-150mm lens can focus very close with good image quality. With the added benefit of body and lens stabilisers working together, hand held macro photography  is easily managed.

Some reviewers and commentators have offered the opinion that the R 7 + RF-S 18-150mm kit is not suitable for indoors and low light work, because of the small aperture of the lens.  And in past times this might have been true. But now we have Adobe Denoise AI and other AI driven de-noise editing programs which allow us to make high quality pictures even at very high ISO sensitivity settings.  I frequently use this kit in low light and have no problems producing good pictures provided I use Raw capture and Denoise AI.

What about video ? Neither my photo practice nor this blog are about video but many reviewers have praised the video capabilities of the R7.

Is there anything the R7 with RF-S 18-150mm cannot do well ?

The main one which I have encountered is an inability to render backgrounds softly out of focus in some situations. With some subjects there can be a post processing partial fix for this. If the subject and background can be clearly differentiated in Photoshop it is easy enough to darken and blur the background. If done carefully this can produce a reasonably convincing result.

The other thing is that the lens does not give us an ultrawide or long telephoto capability. But that problem can be solved if we are willing to carry two extra lenses. The most compact solution comes with the Canon RF-S 10-18mm ultrawide zoom plus the Canon RF-S 55-210mm medium tele-zoom. Each of these lenses is small, light and capable of producing high quality images. For more reach at the long end the Canon RF 100-400mm f5.6-8 works very well on the R7 but takes us well out of the “compact” realm.

 

Can the R7 be improved ?   It sure can.

The main things I hope to see on an R7 Mark 2 are:

* A control layout like the R6 and R10 with the top rear dial where my thumb wants to find it, not concentric with the thumb stick which still feels wrong to me after extensive use of the camera.

* A new sensor with faster readout to reduce rolling shutter effect when using the E-Shutter.

* Nature and wildlife photographers have also said they would like to have a battery grip for the R7. The simplest way to do this would be for the R7.2 to use the R6.2 body, although that is 6mm wider, 8mm higher and 58 grams heavier.

Canon RF mount alternatives.

I prefer the control layout of the less expensive  R10 to that on the R7. But the R7 has more pixels, IBIS, a degree of weather sealing, uses the large LP-E6NH battery, closes the shutter when a lens is removed, has a bigger buffer and faster frame rate. This makes the R7 more capable as a versatile all-rounder.

Photo gallery   All photos were made with the R7 and RF-S 18-150mm lens.

 

 

 

 

I was an early adopter of the Micro Four Thirds [MFT] camera system starting in 2009 with the Panasonic Lumix G1. I abandoned Canon DSLRs of the time because of their woefully unreliable autofocus. The new MFT cameras had much more reliable single shot AF because they evaluated focus directly on the imaging sensor.

But over the years MFT cameras grew ever larger and Pana-Lumix persevered way too long with their contrast detect AF system which did not work well for moving subjects (it still doesn’t).

So ten years later I went back to Canon which introduced the RF mount in 2018, together with the vastly improved Canon dual pixel AF system.

Several camera industry observers including me thought that MFT would be unlikely to survive in the long term. 

I lost contact with the MFT world for a while but I did notice that Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake then with DP Review, voted the G100 the worst camera of 2020.

The problem appears to be that Panasonic marketed the G100 as a vlogging camera but then failed to endow it with precisely the things which a good vlogging camera should have, namely IBIS, Phase detect AF and a decently rapid sensor readout speed to avoid the worst of rolling shutter. 

It has a multi-directional microphone system which nobody asked for, an older style 20mpx sensor,  an old style TFT LCD EVF and a budget single curtain shutter from the old GM cameras with a top EFCS speed of only 1/500 second.

It is hardly surprising therefore that many reviewers and user forum members laughed at it.  I have no idea what goes on in the decision making rooms of camera makers but in this case it appears the product development, design and marketing people were completely at odds with each other resulting in a product which was unsuitable for its advertised purpose.

So I ignored the G100 and its marketing misadventures for the next three years.

But then some curious things stared to happen. The G100 was reported as selling well in Japan and I noticed several contributors to user forums insisting that the G100 is actually not a bad camera if we embrace what it does offer instead of whinging about what it does not.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained so I bought a refurbished G100 from the Sydney repair and service agent for Panasonic. Most things about this little camera impressed me except for the EVF which I found impossible to adjust for optimum appearance in both bright light and low light.

So I found a G100D on sale at an electronics and music outlet, not a camera store. This has a much better OLED EVF and USB-C charging plus a  few minor menu changes.

This review describes my evaluation of the G100D with the 12-32mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens as a compact camera for single shot still photos only.

I make no attempt to use it for video or sport/action/wildlife. As a compact,  the camera functions very effectively and is a pleasure to use.

It appears that the folks at Panasonic have accidentally produced one of the more appealing compact cameras on the market today.

General description

The main selling point of the MFT system is the possibility of camera bodies and lenses which are smaller and lighter than can readily be achieved with APSC or full frame models.

A secondary benefit for street, documentary, lifestyle and close-up work is the ability to hold foreground and background subject elements sharp at moderate apertures such as f5.6. 

The G100D is very compact and light, and in the spirit of the original MFT concept manages to offer very good image quality and  pleasing operation provided we stay within the envelope of single shot still photo use. 

Of course the G100D can do video with limitations as described by many reviewers and will accept any lens designed for the MFT system including super tele zooms but if I wanted to use such lenses I would mount them on a more suitable camera body. 

I have recently been using the Leica D-Lux 8 and Pana-Lumix G100D side by side. These cameras appear to use the same sensor, monitor screen and EVF so it is natural to compare them even though I could buy three G100D‘s for the price of one D-Lux 8. 

I have found that when out and about doing street and documentary photos, I prefer using the G100D which is about the same size as the DL8 but lighter and has a fully articulated monitor screen and a set of controls which I find more user friendly.

The G100D is a proper camera.  It has a very good built-in EVF located optimally over the optical axis, a very nice fully articulated touch screen, a proper built-in handle and thumb support and easy-to use mode dial and twin control dial layout.

With the 12-32mm kit lens mounted the G100D fits nicely in a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 5 bag with space for spare batteries, memory cards and cleaning cloth.

Sensor

The G100D appears to use the same 20.15 Mpx Four Thirds sensor as the G90 and possibly several other MFT models. This has a track record of being able to deliver good image quality, with very good detail, sharpness and dynamic range and well controlled high ISO noise.

My tests show that the G100D with 12-32mm lens delivers the same high ISO noise level, dynamic range and detail as the 24 Mpx Canon EOS R10 with 18-45mm lens when images from each are viewed at the same output size.  In fact my G100D and R10 test images appear almost identical when viewed side by side, even at 100%.

The G100 is delivering as much detail from 20 Mpx as the G10 is from 24 Mpx possibly by dispensing with an anti-aliasing filter.  Despite this I have not noticed any problem with moiree in several thousand photos.

Lens

The tiny little 12-32mm kit lens proves to be a pleasant surprise. Some reviewers and user forum members like to denigrate little kit lenses apparently believing none of them could be any good.

But the 12-32mm has impressed me with excellent sharpness, clarity, freedom from aberrations and good resistance to flare. On some of my photos I can see the lens is resolving down to pixel level when I examine the images at 200% on screen.

It utilises a double inner barrel extension design to keep the size down. But even when unlocked for use it only extends 23mm. The unlocking and zoom actions on my copy are fairly stiff but becoming less so with use.

The only issue I discovered is that when files are processed in Adobe Camera Raw there is significant  barrel distortion at 12mm focal length. This is noticeable with architectural subjects and is easily corrected with the distortion slider.

Single autofocus is fast and reliably accurate. I can induce some mis focussed frames by placing the AF area over a strongly backlit subject with specular highlights. But apart from that I have not encountered any problems with single AF.

On my usual test I find the optical image stabiliser in the lens provides two EV steps of shutter speed benefit. This might not sound like much when we see extravagant claims by some camera makers of 8 stops benefit.  But on my tests using the same method I rate most current model Canon EOS body/lens combinations at 3-3.5 EV steps benefit. So 2 EV steps is not so bad and is definitely worth having.

The lens filter thread is 37mm. I leave a B+W XS Pro 007 clear protect filter on the lens all the time as I prefer to clean the filter not the front element of the lens.

Body and ergonomics

The overall size is very compact but many features of larger cameras have been included. The handle is small but well shaped and comfortable with a small lens mounted.  The thumb support is well positioned and shaped with a rubberised grippy finish.

All the key controls are well located with mostly good haptics. The on/off switch, mode dial, front dial and shutter button are all where my fingers want to find them.

The second dial, on the back of the control panel is co-located with the 4-way cross keys. This is suboptimal design which has drawn criticism from some reviewers who complain that they have difficulty turning the dial without pressing one of the cross keys.  I have not had that problem but co-locating controls this way is never good ergonomic practice and I hope that if Pana-Lumix ever do a G100 Mk2 they will put the second dial on top where there could be space enough if the mode dial is moved a bit.

Viewing is very nice either with the OLED EVF or the fully articulated touch screen.

Apart from the sub-optimal rear dial,  setting up, holding, viewing and operating are all achieved smoothly with no problems.

Performance

If we were to rate the G100D as a sport/action camera it would not fare well. But as a compact single shot stills camera it works just fine.  Autoexposure is accurate and reliable.

Autofocus is fast and accurate even in low light and in difficult situations with bright lights and dark shadows, very high and very low contrast and people moving about in front of the camera.

I encountered no problems with shutter shock and did not expect to with electronic first curtain being the default shutter mode which operates with minimal audible sound.  At speeds over 1/500sec the shutter switches automatically to fully electronic.

Editing small sensor Raw files.

Adobe Denoise AI has given a new lease of life to small sensor cameras including MFT. High ISO images clean up remarkably well in just a few seconds, in the process retaining and even enhancing detail.

Image size can be effectively upscaled either in Photoshop or even more capably with Topaz Gigapixel, currently (October 2024) in version 7.4.4. My practice is to process Raw files in ACR and Photoshop then output as a TIFF which appears to be the preferred file type for Topaz Gigapixel. Topaz works best with urban type subjects having lots of sharp boundaries between hard structures. It is also effective with natural subjects but with these is less convincingly better than a simple up-res in Photoshop.

Downsides ?

As a compact camera the G100D gives us very little about which to complain. The autofocus could be more reliable on specular highlights and the co-located rear dial is not ideal. But that’s about it really.

The future ?

Who knows ?  Yogi Berra said “The future ain’t what it used to be” and he was right.

I have no idea whether the G100 will become a line of models with upgrades or even if the Micro Four Thirds system itself will survive.

In the meantime the G100D with the 12-32mm kit lens  makes a very capable  user friendly compact camera which I can easily recommend as a stand alone product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In recent times the number of fully featured, enthusiast level compact cameras available new has declined remarkably.

If we want a fixed lens compact camera with built-in, always ready EVF, good quality lens, high image quality and a set of controls which the  expert/enthusiast  user might find engaging, then there are very few options.

The Fujifilm X100.6 and the Leica Q, Q2, Q3 Q3(43) offer a range of prime lens models. But enthusiast level zoom compacts are becoming an endangered species.

Over the last 50 years camera makers have experimented with a variety of camera design themes. Two of these have emerged as preferred options in today’s market. Most cameras utilise some version of the integrated handle and thumb support, mode dial and control dial layout seen on most DSLRs and MILCs.

But some camera users prefer the 20^th Century traditional approach with a flat front and  no mode dial but separate, marked dials for aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation.

Most modern cameras based on a traditional theme are actually hybrid types. For instance the D-Lux 8 being reviewed in this post has a marked ring for aperture and a marked dial for shutter speed , but unmarked button/dial combinations for ISO and exposure compensation.

It is not my mission in this blog to declare one of these styles better than the other. Camera users are entitled to their preferences for  their own reasons, whatever they may be.  

On 5 August 2024, Richard Butler, Editor of D P Review posted an opinion piece titled “Let me get my hands on a hands-on compact”. In this he outlined his personal preferences with reasons and a plea to camera makers to respond with product.

https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/1933183525/let-me-get-my-hands-on-a-hands-on-compact

The photographer who prefers a camera with marked dials will have a set of priorities about the user experience which differ from those of the photographer who prefers the modern style camera with mode dial and unmarked control dials and buttons.

The former is likely to be more contemplative, preferring to anticipate optimum exposure settings and set these in the Prepare Phase of use before entering Capture Phase. 

The latter is more likely to allow the camera’s autoexposure capabilities to change settings on the fly.

My system of measuring camera ergonomics is built around evaluation of the number and complexity of actions required to carry out each task in the Capture Phase of use.

This usually means that a well designed model using the mode dial and control dial layout will score higher than a traditional or hybrid model. 

This ergonomic evaluation  of the D-Lux 8 follows my usual schedule which I have been using for 12 years.

Setup Phase

There is good news and not-so-good news here.

The good news is that there are fewer items in the menus which we must understand and about which we must make a decision.

The not-so-good news is that in their zealous pursuit of das wesentliche Leica has removed some menu items which camera users have come to expect in a current model product.

The instruction manual has only 215 pages unlike the 900-1000 pages of some other current  models from other makers. Pressing the [Menu] button reveals a summary screen of items which are not user selectable, followed by 5 screens of menu items with no subcategories. Most of the items are self-explanatory for an enthusiast user. I managed to set up the camera without difficulty and without initially having to consult the instruction manual.

There is no [My Menu] and no [Quick Menu] but for most purposes the summary screen serves tolerably well although [Format memory card] is not on that screen but on screen 5 with no direct access so it takes 9 button presses to format a memory card.

Some functions such as step zoom and auto panorama are not available. We cannot assign any button to return the active AF area to center.

I guess Leica might argue that these are non-essential items but most other cameras have them and I think many users will expect them to be provided.

Navigating the menus is slightly quirky. Press the [Menu] button repeatedly to advance to the right,  and the [Left] cross key to retreat to the left. We can also move left and right with the zoom lever but only after getting to screen 1 with the [Menu] button.

Setup score 11/15

Prepare Phase

This is the minute or few in which we re-configure the camera for a new set of conditions. This is where cameras with a mode dial and without other fixed function dials or buttons allow us to simultaneously change many items with one twist of the mode dial to a [Custom] position.

The partial equivalent on the DL8 is a [User Profile] setting, accessible on the summary screen. We can have the default profile and three additional profiles, access to which can be allocated to a function button. This works quite well although neither aperture nor shutter speed can be included in a user profile because they are on hard dials.  In practice this is not a big deal as the range of use cases for this camera is quite limited. Nobody will be photographing sport/action or birds in flight with a DL8. Well, they might try but are unlikely to have much success.

Changing aperture, shutter speed ISO and exposure compensation  are usually actions allocated to Capture Phase of use. But when using the DL8 I find my workflow easier to manage  and the camera work more enjoyable  when I consciously allocate these primary and secondary exposure parameters to Prepare Phase.

This camera carries over the multi-aspect ratio feature from the DL7 and several previous Pana-Lumix models. It can be useful but the setting slider is small and fiddly and the options are oddly arranged in the sequence 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3.

Prepare score 11/20

Capture Phase, Holding

The DL8 comes without a handle. Some people say they are happy to use the camera this way. However the availability of aftermarket grips suggests that many users prefer the more secure experience of holding the camera with an accessory handle.

The Leica one is compact, comfortable and expensive with no direct access to the battery and memory card.

I also have a metal base, wood handle one, which does allow access to the battery and card but is uncomfortable with the thin metal base digging in to my palm.

The thumb support provided is very small presumably so as not to impede access by the thumb to the control dial. But the support is also smooth and feels unconvincing to me. After market supports which slip into the hotshoe also obstruct access to the shutter speed dial.

Holding score

without  acc grip 5/15

with acc grip 10/15

Capture Phase, Viewing

The EVF is very nice, a pleasure to use. Camera data can be displayed on screen or not as the user chooses.

The monitor screen is also very nice and resists smudging better than most.

But camera data is overlaid on a near-black strip at the bottom of the preview image at 4:3 aspect ratio in both EVF and monitor, obscuring the user’s view of the bottom of the preview image.

The monitor screen is fixed, while  most cameras these days have a tilting or fully articulated screen.  This is sub-optimal but not entirely all bad as the screen is decently viewable from an angle in any direction.

Viewing score 9/15

 

Capture Phase Operating

I find that changing aperture and shutter speed on the DL8 is best achieved by lowering the camera from my eye so I can see the markings on the dials. There is nothing wrong with this but it does require more actions each more complex than the process of changing the same exposure parameters on a well designed mode dial/control dial model. 

For instance to change aperture on the DL8 I have to change the position of my left hand from normal shooting mode to get a grip on the turning lugs, make the adjustment, then return my hand to its usual position. On the Lumix G100D which I have been using alongside the DL8 I just move my right index finger one centimeter, turn the dial then move it back one centimeter onto the shutter button.

The top control dial is used to change exposure compensation and ISO setting. This can be done while looking through the viewfinder but the dial is quite stiff, presumably to minimise the risk of inadvertent turning so I use both thumb and index finger on the dial to turn it.  In practice this is easier to do with the camera away from the eye, viewing settings changes on the rear screen.

Overall I think that for a compact camera the DL8 provides a decent operating experience particularly for the user who prefers a contemplative style of engagement with the device.

Operating score 12/25

 

Review Phase

Like most cameras these days the DL8 does all the things I expect it to do in this Phase. No problems here.

Review score 5/5

 

Overall score

58/100 with acc grip

53/100 without acc grip

Comment

This is a reasonable score for a compact camera. It is slightly better than the DL7 which scores 55 with the accessory grip, and a bit better than the Lumix LX100 which has a small integrated handle and scores 54.

It could have been much better if Leica’s designers had  paid more attention to ergonomic details and were a bit less driven by their attention to styling and das wesentliche.  I guess the counter to this is that without the styling and the parsimonious approach to controls and menus, it would not be a Leica. Fair enough.

Summary

The DL8 is a direct descendant of the Pana-Lumix introduced in 2014.

The three main selling points of this camera were the wide aperture zoom lens,  the multi-aspect ratio facility and the larger-than-most compacts Four Thirds sensor (although the whole sensor area is not used).

In 2014 a camera with a larger sensor than most compacts and a zoom lens with an aperture range of f1.7-2.8 was quite a big deal. The wide aperture allowed us to make low light photos at a low ISO sensitivity setting for optimum image quality.

However in recent times several photo software providers have produced noise reduction programs using artificial intelligence. These have been a game changer for compact and small sensor cameras which can now deliver sharp, clean images at high ISO settings after processing.

The benefits of the wide  aperture lens are still there but are much less important than they once were.

The multi-aspect ratio sensor has been a feature of some Pana-Lumix/Leica cameras for several years. I checked the pixel count at each of the three standard aspect ratios for the DL8 using the lens slider versus the Pana-Lumix G100D and cropping digitally.

Aspect ratio	D-Lux 8 Pixel count	G100D Pixel count
4:3	4736x3552  = 16.82 Mpx	5184x3888 = 20.15 Mpx
3:2	4928x3288 = 16.20 Mpx	5184x3456 = 17.91 Mpx
16:9	5152x2904 = 14.96 Mpx	5184x2920 = 15.14 Mpx

 

We can see that in each case cropping the full Four Thirds sensor gives us more pixels to work with, leading me to wonder why Leica has persevered with the multi-aspect ratio feature.

Conclusion

The D-Lux 8 is currently the least expensive new camera bearing the Leica red dot and brand.  On that basis it will be sure to appeal to some buyers. It’s a good camera and it can make very good pictures.

But for a buyer unimpressed by the Leica mystique there are several  small crop sensor mirrorless interchangeable lens models and a few full frame ones,   offering  more features, better image quality, greater versatility and better performance for both still photos and video at a lower price point.

 

 

 

 

The unique selling point of the Leica DL8 and its precursors,  the DL7, LX100 and LX100.2 is the Leica DC Vario-Summilux f1.7-2.8,  10.9-34mm  Asph zoom lens.   

Designed by Leica in collaboration with Panasonic, the lens first appeared on the LX100 in 2014. With a focal length range of 10.9-34mm, it covers an image circle of 19.2mm on a standard 4/3 sensor which has a diagonal of 21.6mm. As there is no lens mount and no focal plane shutter, the rear element of the lens can be placed very close to the sensor. These design features enable the lens to have an unusually small f-number range of 1.7-2.8 and the camera to have a multi-aspect ratio feature in which 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 ratios all have the same effective 19.2mm diagonal on the sensor.

These two features continue a theme which has characterised PanaLumix and Leica D-Lux models for almost 20 years. Prior to 2014 smaller sensors were used, making the lens designers task a bit easier but lacking the image quality of the 4/3 sensor.

I am a long time user of these cameras. I bought the LX100, LX100.2 and D-Lux 7 as each came onto the market and took them around Australia and several other countries including Iceland.

I experienced two problems with each of these cameras. The first is unreliable autofocus in low light and when the camera is presented with bright specular highlights.  The second is inconsistent lens sharpness. Each of my cameras suffered from problematic softness in some or several parts of the zoom range and some or several parts of the image frame. This was frustrating to put it mildly especially as nobody else seemed to be reporting these problems.

So it was with some trepidation that I decided to get the DL8.

As to the autofocus I have to report that while the DL8 is more reliable than previous models, it is not perfect and in the course of a photo session I still see several mis- focussed frames in low light and when there are bright or specular highlights under the AF area.

The lens has provided a more positive experience. My copy of the DL8 lens has no obvious faults. It is well centered throughout the zoom range. It is consistently sharp in a large central area of the frame at all focal lengths with evenly distributed mild softness in the periphery most noticeable at the wide end of the zoom range.

The optimum aperture for sharpness is f5.6 at all focal lengths.

I suspect that  problems with the lenses on my previous cameras are related to quality control not design. Both Panasonic and Leica have been a bit coy about revealing the design details of the lens but as described in the DPR review of the LX100 in 2024, it appears to have 10 elements in 6 groups, with each group being able to move separately during zooming. In addition the lens has a double extending barrel design which sees it almost triple in length from 27mm at 10.9mm focal length  to 80mm at a 34mm focal length.

So we have a lot of parts moving in complex fashion and a requirement that each of those parts must be located with near-microscopic accuracy for the lens to perform as designed.

My guess is that Leica might have spent more resources on lens construction and quality control for the DL8 than has been the case with the three previous models which use this lens.

So I subjected the lens on my DL8 to more rigorous testing than usual. I photographed my usual test chart, pointed it at the sun and  gave it many different and challenging types of subject to reproduce. I also compared it to several other lenses in my ongoing investigation of compact cameras from different brands.

My overall impressions of the lens are positive. It is entirely usable at the widest aperture at each focal length.

Optically my copy is very good to excellent at focal lengths of 35-75mm (FFE) and good to very good at 24-28mm (FFE) focal lengths.

Resistance to flare from the sun in or just outside the frame is very good. I can induce a bit of veiling and color flare with the sun in the right location but in most situations sun flares are not a problem.

The lens/sensor/processor combination  is prone to color fringing in some situations. With the aperture at or near the widest available and the focal length towards the wide end of the zoom I frequently see red color fringing around bright highlights. I notice this quite often indoors with bright sources of artificial light. This is difficult to correct and is different from the blue/green color fringing which I see on high contrast edges such as foliage against a hot sky outdoors.

The built-in profile corrects Raw files well for distortion and peripheral shading.

The image stabiliser works well, allowing slow speed hand held photos indoors if desired.

Single shot autofocus is fast and usually but not always accurate. Dark subjects with a bright background and bright or specular highlights under the AF area box can produce misfocussed frames. We need to be aware of this when using the camera and check focus to see if a re-shoot is required.

The lens can focus very close but only at the wide end of the zoom,  with the front element almost touching the subject at 24-28mm (FFE). This limits the lens’ usefulness for macro work but can be handy for occasional close-ups when a macro lens is not available.

I include here the issue of moiree although it is not a lens problem but a phenomenon seen with some cameras which lack or have a weak anti-aliasing filter on the sensor. I noticed when testing that fine print on my test chart is reproduced by the DL8 with false color moiree and lorikeet (bird) feathers are reproduced with a false pattern. I have not seen the problem in general photography but it can occur whenever the regular pattern of a subject generates interference with the regular pattern of the Bayer filter array on the sensor.

I assume the DL8 has no AA filter or a very weak one.

This does enhance the ability of the camera to reproduce fine subject  details but also increases the risk of moiree.

Comparisons

I have been running a multi-camera comparison between the DL8, Lumix G100 with Lumix 12-32mm f3.5-5.6 and  Canon R50 and Canon R10, each with the Canon RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.3. The DL8 has the obvious advantage of a 2-2.5 stop wider aperture than the kit lenses, but when compared at the same apertures and output size there is very little difference between them although on my tests the kit lenses are marginally sharper with less color fringing. Even the much derided Canon RF-S 18-45mm is actually very good within the constraints of its focal length and aperture range.

A few years ago low f-stop numbers would have given the DL8 a big advantage as it can usually operate at a wider aperture and therefore lower ISO sensitivity setting producing less noise than cameras with small aperture kit lenses.

But noise reduction using artificial intelligence has changed the game. With Adobe>Enhance>Denoise AI   I am now getting clean, sharp results from the crop sensor Canons and the Lumix G100 at ISO 12800.

Summary

The lens is the most distinctive feature of the Leica DL8 and one of the more interesting consumer camera lenses to have been produced over the last 20 years or so.  It is very good but not perfect although I think we can probably agree that perfect is the enemy of good.

It allows the DL8 to be used at low ISO sensitivity settings indoors and permits greater foreground<>background separation than is possible with kit zoom lenses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeding time at the zoo

This post summarises my preferences for setting up the DL8  for still photography.

In keeping with Leica tradition there is no mode dial and no beginner modes on the DL8. In fact the number of options available is quite limited, which makes the process easier than is the case with many other current model cameras.

Getting ready

I store and carry the DL8 in a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 5 shoulder bag which fits as if bespoke with space for spare batteries, cards and microfiber cloth. I chose a nondescript black/grey color for the bag to avoid attracting attention.

One or two spare batteries is a good investment. These are Leica BP-DC15 or the identical Lumix Panasonic BLG-10E.

We need a USB-C cable and power supply to charge the batteries in camera or a separate charging unit of which there are many varieties available.

I have a B+W 43mm protect filter fitted as I prefer to clean this in preference to the expensive front element of the lens.  There is no facility for a lens hood and none is required.

Adjust the EVF diopter while looking at the camera data not the image preview.

The camera has a flat front with no hand grip. When out and about I carry my cameras by the handle so they are always ready for use. Leica can supply an accessory grip which is neat and expensive but does not allow access to the battery or memory card. Several aftermarket suppliers offer more practical grips which do allow access to the battery compartment.

The thumb support is small and smooth and not very secure. Several aftermarket thumb supports are available. These slip into the hotshoe. Unfortunately they impede access to the shutter speed dial which is moderately resistant to turning, presumably to prevent unintentional change, and requires both thumb and index finger to operate.

Some people like to fit red shutter button extenders and elaborate neck straps and carry the camera in an expensive looking leather bag with gold buckles. This is one way of inviting thieves to take your expensive gear.

When out and about with people around, I prefer to go the other way which is to de-identify the camera by obscuring the red dot and Leica logos with black electrical  tape which can be removed safely when it comes time to sell the camera.

The basic, no-frills wrist strap supplied in the box works just fine to provide a little bit of security against dropping the camera or having it removed from one’s hand by a bump-and-grab thief.

The DL8 is compatible with UHS-1 SD memory cards. I use SanDisk Extreme Pro 64 GB cards and carry one spare, although I have never had to use the spare during a day out with the camera.

The Quick Start guide is worth a read if we are not already familiar with Leica menu and control systems.

I find it is good practice to check all settings before powering off after a photo session and again before starting the next session.

Inspect the aperture ring, Shutter speed dial, aspect ratio slider, AF/Macro/MF slider (watch out for this one it is easily overlooked).

Then check ISO, exposure compensation, Position of active AF area, stabiliser, User profile and battery status.

Failure to routinely do this can result in mess-ups with the potential for much disappointment if we discover after the event that we have completed an entire day’s  photography with the stabiliser off or the wrong user profile or some other error.

This is not a point-and-shoot camera.

Thumb wheel function

Menu, screen 4, There are several options but Exposure Compensation works best for me. Having EC here allows direct access.

Warning: EC does not self cancel when the camera is powered off.

Button functions

Note:  Long press  to access a list of  options for the function of each button.

* Button in thumb wheel, ISO. This is the most convenient and ergonomically logical use for this button.

* Button in center of cross keys,  Toggle info levels. This function needs to go somewhere. This button works OK.

* Left button above screen, User Profile. The DL8 does not have a Mode Dial so there are no custom modes in the sense we have them on a mode dial camera. Instead we have User Profiles which perform the same function.

* Right button above screen,  AF Lock. Press the button once, the camera focusses, the AF area box goes green and focus stays locked while the box is green. Press again to unlock focus.

Menus

The DL8 has a simplified menu system consisting of 6 screens, accessed by pressing the Menu button repeatedly.

The first screen is a camera status information summary display. 

It works like a quick menu on other cameras but the items displayed cannot be changed by the user.

Several functions can be changed from this screen

These are Photo/Video, Scene Mode, ISO, Autofocus Mode, Autofocus Area, Drive Mode, JPG profile, User Profile, Metering Mode, White balance, Capture Mode, Wi-Fi, Jump to Main Menu.

Note: To advance moving right press the Menu button.

          To retreat moving left press the left cross key.

Main Menu

* Drive Mode. Single will be used for most photos with this camera. The user who wishes to change drive mode fairly often can allocate it to one of the function buttons or access it via the status summary screen.

* Self timer Off. If we wish to use the camera on a tripod we can create a User Profile which includes self timer.

* Focussing. 

Focus Mode,  AFS.

AF Mode,  Field

Focus aid, Auto magnification Off, Focus Peaking Off, AF assist lamp Off.

* Touch AF Off    With most cameras I turn this feature on and I did so initially with the DL8. But I found that almost every time I handled the camera, a finger would touch the screen somewhere near the edge, sending the AF area there. Unfortunately the AF area is not displayed boldly so it can easily happen that I fail to notice that the AF area is in the wrong place. I can still move the AF area with the cross keys with no problem and no risk of accidental misplacement.

* Touch AF in EVF On.  This feature allows us to move the AF area by dragging, not touching, the screen while looking through the EVF. I leave this On as it can sometimes be useful.

* Exposure metering     I always use Muli-Field, nothing else, ever.

* Exposure Compensation is adjusted with the thumb wheel not in the menu.

* ISO is adjusted  with the top button and thumbwheel, not in the menu

* Auto ISO settings,  Maximum ISO 6400, Shutter speed limit Auto.

* White balance Auto.

* File Format DNG

* JPG Settings  Resolution L, Noise reduction Medium, Film style STD.   Raw files are not affected by these settings but the screen and EVF displays are affected.

* Highlight/Shadow, Standard.

* iDR,  Off.

* Scene Mode, PASM.

* OIS On.

* Shutter type, Hybrid.

* Flash settings, OK Confession time here, I have never used the accessory flash unit on this camera or on the DL7 and LX100 models I had previously. But if I ever use it I will set up minus 1 EV flash output so it works as fill, not the main light.

* Exposure preview,  PASM.

* Auto Review, Off.

* Noise reduction long exposures, Off.

* Thumb wheel, Exposure compensation.

* User profile.  On this camera I set up just one user profile for tripod work, with ISO 100, 2 second timer delay, IS off and f8.  Scroll down to Manage Profiles and follow the prompts.

* Capture  assistants, Grids On (this is useful for re-centering the AF area as there is no button to do this directly), Zebras On (useful for checking potentially blown highlights) , Level gauge On, Histogram Off, Clipping On.

* Display settings. EVF<> LCD Auto, Eye sensor sensitivity Low, LCD brightness Auto, LCD color adjustment  Default, LCD frame rate 60 fps, EVF Color adjustment Default.

* Leica Fotos, see the Owners Manual for instructions. It works OK with the DL8.

* Format storage. We have to scroll through to here every time we want to format the card. This action cannot be accessed via the info screen.

* Camera settings. After setting the time, date and time zone, I leave these at default.

End of post.