One hour with the Panasonic S Pro 50mm F/1.4

This hasn't happened to me in a long time: after working almost non-stop for the last two weeks, I had some rest for the first day today. And then I sit nailed down on the sofa while my brain keeps telling me what ideas I could finally implement. Even though your smartphone is lying motionless next to you, it is constantly buzzing in your head because it is otherwise always on vibrate alert. I can't even manage to clear the breakfast table.

At some point I force myself to go outside. At least the sun is shining. But only until I put my feet outside. It won't hit the floor again until I'm back on the sofa. Somehow it fits this day.

In moments like this, it's important to me to try new things with as few options as possible. Even if completely irrelevant pictures come out. So I grab my Leica SL2 and attach the Panasonic S Pro 50mm f/1.4 to it. A lens I couldn't say no to recently when there was a €500 discount. 50mm is a great focal length, but I use it far too rarely. To date I have made what feels like 5 releases with the optics. I had already noticed her outstanding sharpness and wonderful drawing. So when I wander completely aimlessly through corona-free Hamburg in spring, the lens should be a good companion.

The Panasonic S Pro 50mm f/1.4 really has brilliant sharpness. The image is great for both close-up and long-distance shots. With 47 megapixels, the lens has no problems at all. No wonder: the lens is certified by Leica. It is probably currently the best "nifty-fifty" with autofocus on the lens market.

And because there isn't enough new stimuli on a day like this, I have the pictures again in Lightroom, which I don't really like developed and that Preset Pro V by Rebecca Lily tried out. I like it - very versatile and balanced presets that do a convincing job with just a few clicks.

Oh yes – and then a word about the Leica SL2 and its Object Detection AF. This autofocus option detects people and, if close enough, faces. Many users on the Internet smile that a 6 thousand euro camera does not have eye autofocus. Now I have worked with several Sonys for a year and a half and know how good their autofocus is. But even without eye autofocus, I recently had a hit rate of 2% in a portrait shoot with the object detection of the Leica SL100.

But this object recognition, which is specialized for humans, becomes really exciting when bushes and bushes obscure the view of the object. Recently, while on an assignment in the forest, I was struck by the fascinating sensitivity of Leica technology in certain situations. I'll be honest and I don't understand how it works. But I've experienced it several times now with an incredibly good hit rate. Today I was able to test it well in one place. I've had a lot of camera systems in my hands, but you can't easily take a sharp picture in a situation like this. Simply press the shutter button and the camera does the rest.

Like I said: I don't know how it works. But it's not the first time that the Leica SL2's object detection has done everything right. I like the camera – even without Eye AF.

For the rest of the day I had my head clear again and a smile on my face.