I’m never without a camera on my shoulder. No camera, no pictures. Everyday moments are there to be captured, and I’m always ready. Some mornings, that familiar analog itch hits. I grab my trusty, battle-worn M6, and I’m off. But lately, the black paint M-P 240 has been my go-to more than I care to admit.
Leica M cameras are my jam. The sound of the shutter. The way the aperture ring clicks on M lenses. The comfort in my subjects’ eyes at not having a massive lens pointed in their faces. And, I haven’t been able to get enough of that feeling since the moment I shot off my first frame with an M camera all those years ago.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/125th @ f/5.6, ISO 100
Looking for something smaller
Lately though, convenience has been tempting me and I’ve been wanting something smaller, lighter, and more compact. I even flirted with a couple of notable APS-C mirrorless cameras over the last couple of years and adapted my M glass to said cameras. But the results often disappointed. See, I’ve been spoiled by the quality, color, contrast, and sharpness you get when you pair M glass with a Leica sensor. Other mirrorless cameras' sensors aren't optimized for the high angle of incidence of Leica M lenses, so you'll often get color shifts and smeary, dark corners.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/60th @ f/3.4, ISO 100
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40th @ f/3.4, ISO 8000
Enter the Leica CL.
Rocking a classic and ergonomic body design, along with a solid line-up of top-quality autofocus TL lenses, the Leica CL caught my attention from the get-go. But not because of the lenses. For me, it was all about the way the camera felt in my hands. I knew from the moment that the CL came out that I wanted to pair it with a 35 ‘Cron M lens. And with the Leica M-Adapter-L, doing so is a piece of cake. Just pop the adapter on the camera, throw on an M lens and with a 6-bit reader, the camera knows what lens you have mounted. Lens profiles are automatically applied and the focal length shows up in the metadata.
Originally the M-Adapter L was called the M-Adapter T. They are the same adapter.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/400th @ f/8, ISO 100
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40th @ f/3.4, ISO 400
New City, New Camera
Recently, my wife and I moved from Miami, FL to Atlanta, GA. I decided to document my first few weeks here with the CL, and I really wanted to see how it performed with M glass. So, I started thinking about what lenses to try out. The 35mm Summicron was a given, of course. Adding two other of my favorite M lenses, the 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH and the 75mm APO-Summicron-M ASPH, completed the setup. These are the three lenses I would typically carry with me when shooting a wedding or other event with the M.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40th @ f/3.4, ISO 100
Leica CL with 75mm APO Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/4, ISO 400
I took the CL with me almost everywhere. Pool days, date nights, city trips. Nothing was out of the question. Surprisingly, I found myself shooting the 21mm more than the other two lenses. With the 1.5x conversion factor, the 21mm offered me a focal length I didn’t know I needed in my life. An equivalent of 31.5mm, it served as a wide 35 and a tight 28.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/320th @ f/8, ISO 100
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40th @ f/3.4, ISO 800
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/200th @ f/11, ISO 100
But, the biggest limitation of the lens became apparent very quickly. At a modest f/3.4 max aperture, the lens isn’t particularly fast. To its credit, though, the CL performed beautifully at higher ISO values and compensated somewhat for the slow aperture of the what became my go-to focal length.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40th @ f/3.4, ISO 8000
Whenever the Super-Elmar wasn’t mounted on the camera, I reached for the 35mm Summicron, a lens that I can shoot with my eyes closed. All I had to do was take a couple of steps back to compensate for the 1.5x magnification of the APS-C sensor and I was right back in the groove. Even as a 35 shooter, I didn’t find the 50mm equivalent too much to get used to.
Leica CL with 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
1/100 @ f/2.8, ISO 100
Leica CL with 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
1/400 @ f/2, ISO 100
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40 @ f/3.4, ISO 1250
Leica CL with 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
1/60 @ f/2, ISO 200
Leica CL with 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
1/60 @ f/2, ISO 800
Leica CL with 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
1/60 @ f/2, ISO 12500
Unfortunately, the 75mm didn’t get too much use. I would only pull it out for portraits or quieter still life moments. I don’t really like longer lenses for shooting everyday life and the 75 on the CL turned into a 100 equivalent. But when I did use it, I absolutely loved the way the 75 APO rendered on the CL sensor. Colors popped, and the images were just tack-sharp. Gorgeous.
Leica CL with 75mm APO Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/2, ISO 4000
Leica CL with 75mm APO Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/2, ISO 800
Leica CL with 75mm APO Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/5.6, ISO 200
The Hybrid Experience
Using M lenses on the CL gave me the hybrid experience I love about Leica digital photography. Marrying classic and modern has always been one of my favorite approaches to shooting. Dialing in focus using the tab and feeling the lens barrel turn with silky precision. Adjusting my f-stop with the clicks of the detents on the aperture ring dropping like subtle lock tumblers.
Leica CL with 75mm APO Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/2, ISO 1600
The experience of the M lenses was familiar, welcoming. But what made it even better was being able to easily zoom to 100% within the viewfinder to guarantee my subject was in perfect focus. I still consider myself young at 31, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be. Besides helping me judge focus, the real-time exposure preview in the CL’s large electronic viewfinder gave me the freedom to experiment with light in different settings. The whole process became effortless with a little practice.
Leica CL with 35mm Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/2.8, ISO 100
Conclusion
I honestly don’t see myself ever giving up on, or letting go of, a Leica M camera. There’s nothing in the world that compares to it. But there was something about using Leica M lenses on the CL that was comfortable, familiar. The camera felt like a Leica, and for me, that’s crucial.
Leica CL with 75mm APO Summicron-M ASPH
1/160th @ f/2, ISO 400
Will the CL ever replace the Leica M as my primary camera? Probably not. But I would happily use it as a second body in any M kit. It gives the lenses I already use a different life at 1.5x magnification, and I can easily see myself taking the CL on weekend trips. If you’re like me, and just love the character you can only get out of M glass but want something a little lighter and smaller to carry around every day, the CL absolutely fits the bill.
Leica CL with 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH
1/40th @ f/3.4, ISO 200
I enjoyed reading this. I particularly like the rich saturated colors. I have a CL and the M-to-L adapter but have not tried any M glass yet. Maybe a 21 M lens is in my future.
I also have a CL and have been using the adapter to mount my vintage (1953) 50 MM Summarit 1.4. Interesting results…a little softer than current lenses but in a nice way
Jeff, I think that’s one of my favorite things to do with the CL as well – experimenting with vintage M glass can be fun especially with the crop factor making a 50mm f/1.4 the perfect portrait lens!
Sold my beloved M (typ 240) but I kept my Leica Glass ( Summicron 35mm, Summarit 50mm, Elmarit 90mm; several Voigtlanders: 25mm, 40mm, 75mm). Slapped the adaptor on the CL, read (well perused) the manual and got shooting.
Pros: 1. The comfort of the M lens on Cl and the manual focusing/control was so M-like, I at times forgot I was shooting with the CL.
2. The “Focus Peaking” feature was reminiscent of the rangefinder of the M: deeper density of a pre-selected color (red, blue or green) indicates clear focus-shooting was a breeze.
3. The APS-C sensor has high sensitivity and even my 25mm Voigtlander F/4 lens was bright enough for indoor shooting.
Cons: 1. Auto focus with the T/L telephoto lens suite (I have the 11-23mm, 18-56mm and the 55-135mm) was slower than the m-glass.
2. The quality of the T/L Japanese glass is just not the same as the adapted M glass and I suspect I will be using the M-lenses in their 1.5x APS-c configuration on this camera more often than the invest was worth in the new T/L lenses.
3. Not weather sealed (BOOOO !!)
Do I miss my M240? sure I do. But the flexibility, technology and seemless transition of the original M-glass (and Voigtlander lenses too, particularly the 40mm at 60mm APS-C configuration) is awesome.
It’s a Mini-M loaded with technology and an extremely accurate viewfinder….I’m loving it
Merv, thanks for the great feedback! You definitely should give some of the CL prime lenses a try – especially the 35 f/1.4 and 60 f/2.8. They are stunning and I would say as sharp as any M lens I’ve used. I find the autofocus fast enough for most things personally. I also just use a center point focus spot and recompose as needed, which I find to be the fastest approach. And of course always make sure your CL is updated to the latest firmware for best performance.
Great write up. Good sample pics. Thank you.
I looked at the CL and was able to get a loaner from Bellevue Leica (nice place and good staff.) I was particularly interested in it as I liked the setup and thought it could be a great travel camera. Unfortunately for the CL, I was comparing it to my Q. It does great during the day but it’s sensor is falling behind when you push it at low light levels. I am aware I am comparing a FF sensor and a 1.8f lens to a different “animal” BUT, because of this comparison, I was unable to pull the trigger on a CL purchase. The highlights on the CL, for me, were the easy setup, the quick menu and the pretty direct way of changing settings in order to grab the shot you envision. I guess one can say the Q spoils me with the pictures it captures. My search continues…Your article is great!
Hi.My name is Robert Davis and I am a vision impaired ex-musician who has always been a photographer. i have read David Farkas’ article on the CL an Luis Mara on M lenses on the CL. Are the images in both of those articles JPEGS or DNG with some modifications in CC Lightroom? If they are JPEGS then the combination is brilliant as I have seen some JPEGS from the CL that don’t look good at all. Can anyone give me some assistance so I can make a decision to start saving for at least the CL? I started life with a Zeiss Ikon CVontinamatic then went to a Cotaflex and then a Jenaflex until it all got stolen in a burglary and I have used Canon gear since as my vision is down to one reasonable right eye- the left is useless. Thanks for any help in advance – Robert Davis.
Just about every image that is posted on the site has been shot in DNG and edited in Lightroom. The CL is a great camera, but ultimately, to get the best looking images, shooting in DNG is the preferred method. To help get most of the way there, I did publish a suite of Lightroom presets for every Leica digital camera. You can check that out here: Lightroom Presets for Leica Cameras
Has anyone tried the 135mm f2.8 tele elmarit on the CL? I have the CL with all the Leica zooms and a bunch of M glass. I’d rather stick with Leica lenses rather than getting Sigma or Panasonic. Can the magnifying lens assembly of the 135mm lens be easily and safely removed? Thanks,
Hi,
love reading the article. Thanks a lot for the insights.
I would have one question:
If you use the M mount adapter, the Leica CL recognises which M lens is mounted using the 6 bit code. Does it also submit the used apature when taking a picture? So, if you dial in let’s say f2 on the lens, is this also shown in the EVF of the Leica CL and is it then also stored in the meta data of the taken picture?
Thanks for a short answer. BR
Volker
The CL has no way of knowing what aperture you’ve set on an M lens as this is completely mechanical with no electronic relay at all. The digital M cameras feature a secondary light meter above the lens to approximate the aperture value when measured against the ISO and shutter speed value for the recorded picture. Sometimes it’s fairly accurate, but other times varies considerably, depending on the scene. As there is no secondary meter on the CL, the camera cannot make the same estimate. So, the CL will not record any value for the aperture in the image EXIF data.
Great review, I’m highly interested in the CL to pair with my Q2. Question about adapting M glass: does the EVF adjust the the brightness/preview of the image accurately when adjusting the aperture on vintage M glass? For example, if I put the Tele-Elmarit 90mm f/2.8 and adjust the aperture on lens as desired, will the EVF convey an accurate example of how bright or dark the image will look?
Thanks!
The CL EVF will auto-gain so what you see is what you get. When setting f-stop on an M lens, the aperture is changing in real time. So while the overall amount of light is decreasing when stopping down, the camera will gain up the image so that the resulting exposure is still accurately shown. When opening up, the viewfinder will gain down. The experience works very well and is largely seamless.
The CL has no way of knowing what aperture you’ve set on an M lens as this is completely mechanical with no electronic relay at all. The digital M cameras feature a secondary light meter above the lens to approximate the aperture value when measured against the ISO and shutter speed value for the recorded picture. Sometimes it’s fairly accurate, but other times varies considerably, depending on the scene.
I know I’m years late here, but I wanted to ask: did you find the CL to give you typical Leica color science? Something like the M240, M10, and Q delivers? Everything I see with the CL seems to be a bit more “japanese” in the color rendering? I’m on the hunt for an interchangeable lens body and I love that the CL is about the same size as the Q.. but I’m not willing to give up the fantastic color science on the Q. Not a fan of editing every photo heavily, etc.