Leica Vario-Elmar-SL 24-90mm F2.8-4.0 Asph.

This is a very respectable zoom lens in terms of optical performance but it has some limitations. I was surprised that it vignettes at wide angles not over a large area but the very corners are quite cut off. Not a problem if you're cropping a wide image vertically but otherwise you're looking at a 28mm on wide to get full frame! There's no aperture ring and the focus ring is disconnected from the actual focus mechanism so you cannot do a focus pull with video. Perhaps the biggest 'feature' of the lens is that it is really big and really heavy. Hand holding this with a Leica SL over any period of time is hard work and using this lens for anything casual like travel takes a large degree of commitment.

This is the first optics in it's class that is the equal of primes, the OIS allows it to surpass primes for handheld shooting in less than optimal conditions. Tripod use still gets every ounce of quality from this lens and that surpasses handheld shooting with OIS. The focus is electronic, and that's ok for most shooting, however for tripod use it is rather difficult to put focus on a specific distance and the distance setting is not easily repeatable once moved. This should be a feature Leica improves with firmware but I'm not sure they will. Pricy and large, Leica wanted image quality above all else and they have achieved this.

Good Points: Beautiful glass from Leica as usual, amazing clarity and light transition. Image quality is not led by sharpness but by overall tonal quality and sharpness balance, far better than my previous Canon L lenses. Improvement Points: Too expensive compared to Canon and Nikon etc... but the quality is far superior.

Good Points: Autofocus capability, contrast, general image quality, zoom range. Makes all the facilities of the Leica SL available.

Product arrived the day after I ordered it. Well packaged. The lens works great. Incredible pix!