Throughout my pursuit in the photography journey for more than a decade, my focus has always been on the hunt for the most suitable full frame camera to use for work and personal use. Regardless of the brand, the “perfect” camera has to at least fulfill these three criteria: wide range of lens adaptability and availability, high megapixel count, and within my acceptable budget.
Clearly, camera size and weight don't really matter to me as for the longest time, the idea of carrying a compact camera never really appealed to me. Personally, if I am making an effort to bring out a camera, why even bother with its size and weight. And if I am documenting my daily life, a phone camera will suffice as we are not trying to make any masterpiece. With these definite thoughts in mind, I went on to sell off my compact camera, the Canon G7X Mark III which I barely use to purchase the latest pro iPhone thinking it would be able to replace the effort of actually bringing a camera out.
After about three months of exclusively using the iPhone to document my daily life, reality hits me in the head. Looking at those images from my desktop, something always felt wrong and missing from the image. Everything from the oversharpening of the images, to the lacking of depth, to images looking flat bothers me a lot. They might be clinically right, but those images just aren't good enough to even make a small print to my preference now let alone to even consider it as a documentary tool for my precious memories for decades to come. From this experience, the idea of compactness stood out to me. Immediately, I went on researching for my next camera to purchase, which has a small form factor yet minimal compromise in usage and image quality. Nothing attracted me at first but as I was completing this sentence, my friend, the devil, struck, introducing me to the Leica CL and brainwashing me with the Leica philosophy of portability. At first, it was strange, as I did not even know the existence of this camera, let alone owning one.
Long story short, I purchased it despite having a million doubts in my mind. After months of intensive use taking more than 5,000 images, I have grown to love this camera more, and it scratches an itch that I didn’t know existed. I have got to say, this camera has defied all odds that I believe what a camera should be. Despite being a discontinued and an APS-C sensor size camera in such a small form factor, nothing about this camera is cut short. It performs as well as any of my cameras if not better while maintaining great portability when coupled with the Leica Elmarit-TL 18mm f/2.8 ASPH making it the perfect blend of pocketability and performance camera. In this article, I am going to discuss with you why the Leica CL is my new preferred carry around camera.
Compact and Lightweight
The Leica CL, when paired with the Leica Elmarit-TL 18 f/2.8 ASPH, has such a small form factor that weighs less than 500 g and dimensions of 131 x 75 x 66 mm, which is pretty small compared to any other interchangeable lens cameras in the market. The lightweight design of the Leica CL makes it an excellent and convenient choice to bring around during long photo sessions or just to document daily life.
Affordability and Value for Money
For those who are looking to buy into a piece of Leica heritage, the Leica CL may be your top choice. As it is a discontinued model, it is considerably a much more cost-effective option for those seeking to get an interchangeable lens Leica camera or even merely just to get the famous “Leica look” color science in your images. In my humble opinion, the Leica CL offers the best balance between performance and cost, providing good value for money for photographers who are interested in entering the Leica system and are also not willing to invest in higher-priced models.
Lens Adaptability and Versatility
Leica CL also offers versatility in lens choices by having the latest L-Mount developed by Leica Camera. The latest L-Mount Alliance which is a partnership between Leica Camera, Sigma, Panasonic, Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH, DJI, ASTRODESIGN, SAMYANG and Blackmagic Design aims to provide photographers with one unified lens mount standard which allows them to combine lenses and cameras made by the five alliance. Other than that, it also allows the adaptability of lenses from different camera brands to be used on the Leica CL due to the short flange distance inherited by the L-Mount itself if you do not feel like shooting with Leica lenses. This flexibility has proven advantageous for adapting to various photographic situations.
Great Street and Travel Camera
Being a 24-megapixel camera, it hits the perfect sweet spot between having too many megapixels to handle and having too few megapixels to not resolve enough details for everyday shooting. Another upside of using the Leica CL is that the file size will also be decent enough to not bloat your storage space, which makes it a joy to just shoot whenever and whatever during your travel trips. The compact size of the Leica CL also contributes to its discreet appearance, which makes it ideal for street photography, allowing photographers to blend into the surroundings and capture candid moments without drawing unnecessary attention compared to using a larger camera.
Travel and Street Photography with Leica CL
Powerhouse
Despite being such a small APS-C sensor camera, the Leica CL is capable of delivering high-quality images and performance comparable to much larger full-frame cameras, showcasing its capabilities to be used for professional photography. Not to mention the responsiveness and "snap-ability" of this tiny camera are second to none, which makes the process of photographing stress-free and enjoyable.
Intuitive Design
Lastly, some credit has to be given to the minimalistic and aesthetic looking camera design that Leica has put on this camera. The implementation of the dual customizable dial design is extremely brilliant in enabling users to customize for a wide range of shooting scenarios. The touch screen, customizable Fn button coupled with the simple menu system is also a clear win for those who just want to focus on the shooting experience and not fiddle with the settings here and there.
In summary, the Leica CL has earned a permanent spot in my camera bag mainly due to its portability, versatility, and its capability to deliver high-quality images in such a small form factor. These features collectively make the Leica CL a practical camera that inspires me to bring it everywhere to shoot. Look this way if you are looking for a camera that will give you pure shooting pleasure, and look elsewhere if you are just comparing spec sheets and looking to get the latest camera in the market. Lastly, share with me your favorite carry-around camera. I would love to know what is the camera that inspires you to go out and create images.
Wow that is eye popping I wasn’t even aware of this camera’s existence. Thanks for shining light on it. My EDC has been an Olympus EM10 original with Panny 20mm F1.7.
Same here as well.. I have to thank my "devil" friend for insisting me to give it a try. Your setup is pretty small too and with an effective range of 40mm i think its pretty good for documenting daily life.
I hope you enjoy your Leica.
thanks! well as photographers, I think the urge to search for a better camera always exist. At least for now this will suffice
It is mostly personal preference. We are after all always chasing for different things in life and so its photography output. My opinion may not be the benchmark for many out there so do take this write up with a grain of salt.
Honestly, an iPhone is really capable if they offer more customisation so that we can customised the settings accordingly but that would mean a little too much hassle for daily use.
In fact, Apple even film their latest launch event entirely on an iPhone. Its not impossible, but the catch is they have an entire team of experts working the set which might not be practical for us daily users.
Hence, there might always be a different opinion coming from different sides of people depending on how their setup is going to be and how well versed are them with the device.
Sounds just like my Nikon Coolpix A - same lens, same sensor size, same dimensions, 100$ ;)
I would not deny it might serve just the same function so long as it keeps you shooting and creating
i have the Coolpix A, the build quality is junk in comparison. The battery door for example had its tab broken off in less than 1 month of using.
Hi, when you write cost-effective, you mean 3000 for an old gear is a good value ? (prices checked today on EBay + least priced lens)
Its hard to justify if you are not using it. Trust me I have the same thinking as you and wouldn't deny you can indeed get much better gear with the same value but for the practicality and usability this camera offers I honestly do not think there is other option unless I miss out something
I was expecting over $5000... pleasantly surprised.
I am too surprised myself haha
can we petition Leica to resume development and manufacture of the CL or TL line of cameras? i tried one and loved it but knew that Leica had already discontinued the CL and its lenses
Sigma recently released the 10-18 APSC for L mount. Something is brewing.
If Sigma had released that lens just for Fujifilm and Sony cameras, it would have looked pretty bad that they didnt also offer in L-mount, which their own cameras use. The development cost of offering an L-mount version when the other two already exist would be pretty low, so it makes sense they would do it just to save face - otherwise the headlines would be "Sigma doesnt even make this lens in their own mount!"
I'm pretty sure it has very little to do with development cost. I think it has to do more with how much the camera manufacturer wants for each lens sold - or maybe it's up-front payment for allowing the manufacture?
I secretly hope leica will not abandon this line of camera. Lets see if we can get leica's attention
Good advertisement story! Look today software makes the camera great. If using for travel and street any point and shoot of the mid 2000's. I go back to many of my old image files of my true and tested point and shoot that had a super in camera zoom that fit in a small case on the hip. Look many rave articles about the new stuff with many lenses. See if you can find one at a estate or garage or flea market or just look on a used camera site. Cameras were not "cheap" or low in price back then also if you look back software was never used for most just took a SD card to a print site. Today using SW is new to those images of the past. The point and shoots were like the small film cameras kept in a pocket but with zoom functions you were able get a long shot of bears in Alaska safe from a train that are like a big zoom of today.
Just saying look at options before big cash leaves your pocket.
i totally agree with you, I used to own a canon compact that has ridiculous zooms that if implemented into larger format sensor cameras would mean insane amount of weight or too big to carry around. We should also not deny that smartphones these days are also pretty good to be able to replace compact camera from those days but that will be an article for another day.
Softwares are great but if you have something that is capable of producing high quality raws already then software will only push it to greater heights and cleaner files instead of just fixing and patching jpeg artifacts.
Oh, how I wish Leica would combine the CL and the M into a small rangefinder-style FV camera. Had the CL, sold it, now I have a second hand M10, and I'm pretty happy, but ... the EVF of the CL was way better than even the new EVF for Leica M cameras that has to sit on top. Ok, what I'd like most would be a doubled-viewfinder like the one of Fujis x100-series on a Leica M, no extra piece that can get lost.
Well, the CL is indeed a good camera.
Yes that would be ideal and I have also discussed this with my friend. Knowing Leica, they might not want to kill off their M heritage. And by doing this, they are pushing the sales of the Q series as well. We might never be satisfied with either system and end up owning both haha
i actually considered the Q2 as an alternative to the CL because of the full-frame 47 megapixel sensor instead of the 24 megapixel APS-C sensor of the CL but it is a different design philosophy. the CL feels sophisticated and the lenses like gems but they announced that it was discontinued which would mean no new lenses and no new bodies. i come from using the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 (and full frame Canon and Nikon) and am used to using f1.4 prime lenses.
Yes it definitely is.. In fact I was deciding between the Q2 and the CL, but ended up with the CL due to its ability to adapt lens. As the CL is going to be my "hobby" camera I needed it to be able to be versatile with lens choices so I can play around. I have my canon with all the pro, technical lenses and high megapixels to work with so its quite an easy choice to me. Naturally in future I will actually look into getting a full frame leica when the CL stops working. But lets just hope it wont.
Yes, the Q2 is an alternative, but you have to think the other way round: It's a lens that comes with a mirrorless body. I used it for city trips as well as for hiking in the Austrian alps, the IS of the lens is good enough for handheld long exposures when photographing waterfalls and rivers (if you want a rest of dynamics and not that overly smooth whiteness). The viewfinder is way better, battery life also, and the camera is weather sealed.
Now that there is a Q3 the chances are higher to get it at a lower price, but, of course, it's way higher than buying into Fuji's line.
Yup you are right its also a pretty good everyday carry if you dont need to play around with other lenses.. well Leica is never cheap and to be honest they did something right in order to charge that kind of premium.. you dont really get that kind of alternative in the market. One way or another there is always one hand short here and there.
I read that the Leica CL has been discontinued.
yes sadly Leica has discontinued it. Hopefully Leica will bring them back in future
I've had this camera for almost 2 years and initially regretted buying it but like you I've grown on it. No question about the portability and even ingenious minimalistic design. The quality of the images is outstanding provided you have sufficient good lighting. And I've grown the staple of lenses by another 2 Sigma L amounts and adapted Nikon lenses to it. The only con if you will is the short battery life. You need to carry at least 1 or 2 extra batteries or you will be very disappointed. Overall I agree with this article's assessment.
Yup, the battery life is a little weak there as they are the first few lines of mirrorless cameras. So I will usually carry an extra battery everywhere i go for a full day trip. Eagerly waiting for that CL2 that might never come..
Great article, Zhen. It actually took me awhile to fully appreciate this camera. It even looks great as an accessory ( i have a half leather case (which the saleman convinced me to buy) strapped around the neck.
Thanks for reading! Indeed it is! It is a conversation starter as well. People would occasionally stop by to ask if i am using a film camera haha It definitely isn't a camera that catch your eye at first but will grow to love it as you use it. This is also where I learn that a camera usability isn't all just about the specs sheet.
SO, if this camera is DISCONTINUED, what is the purpose of this article? Basically, carry a point and shoot camera?
Bring awareness to the existence of this camera which can still be find in the used market. Some may still have it brand new it’s just rare
Fuji is the Japanese Leica.
I would not deny that there is definitely some similarity between both brands
I think the author is spot on. For some people the phone camera will easily do. For others who demand more from their images they will never cut it. The combination of the tiny sensor and phone camera aperture will always give images that ‘shot on phone look’.
thanks for taking the time to read! Yes indeed. while i do not deny phone cameras have gotten so good in terms of video but for photo (something where people will stare on longer) it still lacks a little compared to a proper camera
i think it is the new 1" sensor mobile devices that several mobile phone manufacturers have produced starting with Panasonic many years ago that are of interest to me even though i feel that 1" devices such as the Sony RX100 and Z-V1 are unable to compete with app-c cameras, however, mobile phones with 1" sensors would have the benefit of computaional photography so that may change the balance in favour of mobile devices
No doubt with computational photography images from smaller sensor will gain an upside in image quality, however a lot of times the just look way too clinical compared to say an image from a conventional camera looking a little more organic
i guess even if a mobile device has computational photography, it might not be a genuine Leica ( e.g. if it is licensed by XiaoMi ) or genuine Hasselblad ( e.g. if it is licensed by One Plus ) digital camera with genuine Leica or Hasselblad colours
i think it is perfectly safe to assume so (tho i do not have any concrete evidence on this). Still to me if the device works for you and enables you to create what you want then it is a great device whether or not it they are genuinely the brand. After all a great tool is not limited by its brand