The Leica SL3

The big news in the camera world this morning: the arrival the of the Leica SL3. Leica has put everything it knows how to do into one camera.

For what it's worth, Leica was copying Sony long before Nikon, Canon, and Panasonic followed suit. The original SL came out in 2015, three years before all the bigs finally jumped into full-frame mirrorless, a field that Sony had had all to itself for years prior to that. And unlike many all-new cameras, the initial 2015 SL was already a very good camera.

More integrated, better balanced
Now it has just gotten its second from-the-inside-out refinement. And the outside has changed: the new camera is a little smaller, and it has slimmed down by losing a bit of weight. Some of the controls have changed: the power-on switch is now a button like you'd find on a computer! Okay, that's different. We'll trust that they know what they're doing. Inside, it's not just the processor and sensor that are new, as is usual with a refresh, although both those things are indeed new. The entire shutter is new; and so is the IBIS system. The latter is rated less than its predecessor but, knowing Leica, I'll lay odds that it's actually better and that Leica is just being more conservative about the stated spec. At long last, the SL gets an articulating viewing screen, and the right kind, too, flip-up rather than flip-out-and-twist. Big win on that score.

All the little tweaks and minor changes to the body have added up to a camera that's notably more handsome than its predecessor, if that matters to you. (Most people who say it doesn't are probably lying a little bit.) It looks more integrated, more balanced.

The camera retains all the things its partisans have loved about it for most of the past decade: the fantastic viewfinder image, the satisfying heft and hand-filling grip, that over-the-top eyepiece diopter adjustment that looks like it came off a submarine periscope or some other kind of military hardware.

The camera now has hybrid phase-detect autofocus, with better focus tracking, as well as eye-detection. Even thought the focus system as a whole will likely not come quite up to the high standard of the leading Sonys, it is doubtless good enough for all but the most fastidious comparison shoppers. 

There's more: more dynamic range, always a plus if it turns out to be true. A better, bigger, longer-lasting battery—one that matches the one in your Q3, so you can have the same batteries for both and switch between them. The camera is still on the power-hungry, side, however, according to reports. The entire menu has been revamped to be simpler and clearer. A CF Express type B slot has been added if that matters to you.

Simplicity is challenging
The best thing about Leica cameras hasn't gone away. They are the only company to which simplicity, ease of use, and a sensible operator experience is a high priority. They actively avoid over-complexification. The limited number of knobs and buttons and sliders and touchscreens, all the fantastical but maddening feature-overload of most higher-level cameras these days, is not just for the sake of clean, purposeful design. Although you get that too. The SL3 is likely to be easier to learn, and easier to shoot with, that a lot of the kitchen-sink cameras today. Some people like complexity, but not everyone does.

Clean.

Did I mention the sensor is now 60 MP? It's not like you'll see a big difference from 47 MP, but its crop modes are now higher-res, and that's an advantage.

Just a platform?
Leica cameras from the R3 on were meant to be, and sometimes were only expected to be, just a platform for the lenses, which were the real point. There's nothing lacking with today's Leica lenses. But because Leica is a member of the L-Mount Alliance, you can also use Panasonic and Sigma lenses natively on the SL3. Which is handy because, well, the camera costs seven grand, and the lenses are, if anything, relatively even more expensive than that.

I probably didn't cover all there is to know here. But from what I hear there are other camera sites and channels on the internet, and one or two of them might have something to say about the SL3. Me, I like what I see. Maybe this is "seven grand but worth it." What's your take?

So although this camera continues the tradition and extends the naming protocol of the earlier SL line, it's for all intents and purposes an all-new camera. And although it's the first new L-mount body to come along in quite a while, at least it's real news, as well as something to smile about.

Mike

Look at the SL3

Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Arch Noble: "Regarding your comment about Leica placing a high priority on 'simplicity, ease of use, and a sensible user interface,' I'm with you. To me, that is one of Leica's best features. But I would take issue with your statement that Leica is the only company in this category. After decades of shooting 35mm and its digital equivalent, about six months ago I took the leap and bought a Hasselblad X1D II. One of the main reasons I chose that camera was the simplicity of the interface and a menu that was simple and logical. It even comes with free post-processing software, 'Phocus,' which is also relatively easy to learn. So as far as I can tell, there are two companies that have made simplicity a high priority."

Kirk: "I have both the original SL and the SL2 and I've pre-ordered the SL3 for just a handful of reasons. The biggest being the ability to shoot full frame raw files at three different resolutions. It allows for full sensor shooting in either 60, 36 or 18 megapixels. The lowest resolution being perfect for event work, the middle being perfect for portrait work and the highest being best for big advertising assignments that go beyond just running on the web. The second reason for me is the phase detect AF. Mostly just to get better performance with eye detect AF. Both of the previous cameras have eye detection AF as an added feature of firmware updates and they work well if you have enough light on your subject and time to wait for the contrast AF system to lock in. I should mention that though the Q3 and now this camera, the SL3, have a new battery, it is the same size (physical dimensions) as the batteries for the SL2 and Q2 and those older batteries are usable in the new camera. As well as in the Q3.

"I find the files from the SL and SL2 cameras to be really good and look forward to seeing if the SL3 is even better.

"I'm sure there will be 'new product glitches'; there always seem to be. But Leica is good about quick and continuing firmware updates for their cameras. Is the asking price of $7,000 worth it? Having owned their previous cameras I would say, for me, yes. If I were recommending a camera to someone entering the photographic professional? I'd probably steer them to one of the Panasonic cameras. And, after dropping seven grand on a new Leica I'm sure I won't be the only person disappointed when the same technologies and image quality comes to a new Panasonic product about six months from now. I guess it's all part of the new L2 initiative....

"Fun with products. It never stops."

Dan Khong: "By Leica standards, seven grand is about the price you pay for the average camera, and the pride of ownership of the red dot. But digital being digital, the Achilles heel is the battery and once they are no longer available, it's a death sentence. and the camera is as useful as a paperweight. By way of an example, my 10-year-old Leica D-Lux 5's battery recently conked out and Leica has stopped manufacturing them. Thankfully the Panasonic's LX5 battery could be used, but is no longer available in shops. Finally, I found a seller on eBay. But if not for Panasonic's partnership with Leica, the D-Lux 3 would be a paperweight too. So my question is, thinking 10 years or more down the future, are we ready to pay seven grand for a camera that would one day surely become obsolete purely because the battery will no longer be available?"

Jack Mac: "I have handled the SL3 and find it a justifiable upgrade. Regarding the on off switch: the reason is for compatibility with the LeicaFOTOS app. If you want to turn on the camera remotely with the app you can. If they had left the mechanical on-off switch they would have had to mechanically make it move remotely unless you thought your camera was still off. The camera turns on instantly now. So you can leave it on at sleep mode just like your iPhone and as soon as you touch the shutter it’s ON, so even faster than swiping up in your iPhone screen or pushing an action button on an iPhone 15 Pro."

Andy F.: "If I were into the L mount I'd wait for the upgrade to the Panasonic S1r which is due at some point in 2024. I would expect it to have pixel shift, which Leica have omitted from the SL3, better IBIS, and many more video features, and it will be at least two grand cheaper."

Comments

[Chuck Albertson]

One thing - the "new" batt for the SL3 (the BP-SCL6, intro'ed last year) has greater capacity than the "old" BP-SCL4, but is the same size, and costs about $100 less. It's back-compatible with the SL/SL2 cameras. Leica did intro a new double-header charger today, which is nice.

[Arg]

4 fps!

[Kenneth Tanaka]

For me the SL2 has indeed been largely “a platform” to host my M lenses on a more versatile and stabilized tool than the M camera. Although I own one L-mount lens (Sigma 24-70) I nearly always grab the SL2 only when I need such a camera to preserve the unique characteristics of M lenses.* So I am not concerned with whether or not the SL body is state-of-the-art with AF, fps, or video specs, none of which I employ with an SL camera.

Today’s SL3 announcement ticked three of the four attributes I most wanted to see addressed with the SL2 body. So, yes, I enthusiastically placed my pre-order with my dealer. (And sold my SL2!) Hopefully I’ll get a camera by, say, Thanksgiving…but with Leica you never know.

—

* Specifically, the SL2’s ability to preserve the nuances that most Leica M lenses can capture is crucial to me. This bears no relationship to film-era photography. It’s a capability born when digital cameras became able to identify lenses and adjust geometry and preserve tonality to that lens’s design targets. This is why a Leica M lens on, say, a Sony body looks absolutely pedestrian. This is also something that’s really relevant mostly when printing images. Online presentations are too thin.

[Dan B.]

If I was earning a photographic living this would definitely be a first choice tool, total state of practical engineering art and design and interestingly the direct opposite spectrum of the Ricoh/Pentax film camera project update last week of the first product being a half-frame zone focus manual film advance something designed to appease the phone generation now used to shooting “verticals”, these are truly some extreme photographic times!

[Jeff]

It’s not smaller in all dimensions; just not as wide…

The SL2 is 146mm wide, 107mm high and 42mm deep, weighing 838 gms
The SL3 is 142mm wide, 108 mm high and 50mm deep weighing 762 gms

The smaller size caused the need for a new mechanical shutter, which unfortunately is a bit louder based on reviews. Presumably IBIS specs were also compromised a bit for sake of size.

Not all is rosy by early reactions to reviews on the Leica User Forum. Battery life is “not wonderful” according to Jono Slack. The timecode button affixed to the VF is odd design. Folks are not thrilled with current video or AF tracking results, already wanting FW updates. The on/off button is weird, changing colors for different reasons, and apparently requiring several seconds hold to power off. There is no battery charger provided for that seven grand. There is a new menu/settings interface that will require a learning curve for SL2 owners. Etc.

There are of course already wish lists for the SL4. Life on the forums.

[Stan B.]

As someone who finally snuck into the Leicaverse through the backdoor (a used Q), I can appreciate their quality, simplicity and ergonomics. That said, I also realize that any day it could: fall, fail or get stolen; and then I'm back to ground zero- acquiring them is not a poor man's game. Quality comes at cost, but the simplicity and ergonomics thing is accessible to any camera manufacturer willing to consider and profit from it.

[Kye Wood]

Not sour grapes here (as for the first time in my life, I actually CAN afford this camera) but to my eyes, it doesn't look at all comfortable to hold.

Like it was designed to be held by robot hands. Not human hands. Unlike, dare I say it, a Pentax Monochrome which looks like it was designed to fit into human hands.

[Yonatan Katznelson]

Looks good... I'll add it and a few lenses to my "when I win the lottery" list.

[Alex Mercado]

I said I was excited for the next SL a while back.

https://tinyurl.com/4e5m8uny

Yeah, totally worth the wait.

[Dave]

So, the power switch is like a computer button. Now the thing is going to take surreptitious photos the way smart phones listen in on your conversations. :>)

[Craig Yuill]

Nikon buys RED, and you say that the big news in the camera world is the announcement of the Leica SL3, a camera which relatively few people will buy? Hmmm!

[That news hit not even 24 hours ago as I write this. You think I have staff? You gotta give me a MINUTE. —Mike]

[Steve Biro]

Despite owning a Leica Q2, M4, M240 and CL, I'll wait for the Panasonic variant of this camera. I just can't play in that price range these days. The good news is that I have plenty of L-mount lenses for it already - most of them Sigmas. But I eagerly await users reviews of the SL3 anyway.

[Alex Mercado]

"Leica has put everything it knows how to do into one camera."

Almost everything. They did leave out the hardware for Content Authentication. I'm guessing that addition will have to wait for the Reporter version.

[Ilkka]

Three things about this power button. Switch is better than a button because you can immediately see or feel whether the camera is on or off. This button is in a wrong place. You need two hands to operate it. Power button, err switch, needs to be easily accessible with the right hand that holds the camera. And if this button has a light to show when it is on, it will be very annoying in low light being just next to the viewfinder.
I would expect more from Leica.

[Thom Hogan]

Power Button = BIG NO!

Camera goes in bag, something pushes on bag, camera turns on. Then maybe off. Maybe on again.

Camera hangs on neck strap, bounces off body, camera turns off. Maybe back on.

Photos are about a moment in time. You don't want an accidental button push to keep you from that moment. But then, maybe people buying this camera don't take photos.

[William Giokas]

Two things the sensor and the lenses.The sensor is probably a Sony which is tweeked by Leica.
As for the Lenses I would stick with those made by Leica in Germany. That's why I would get this camera in the first place which I'm not.

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

At that price, for what it delivers, it is not a tool, it is a piece of jewelry. It now slots in with Rolex watches and Montblanc pens as shiny, overpriced aspirational gizmos. They have abandoned photographers as their core market in favour of oligarchs - if you do not believe me, just see where they are advertising nowadays. I do not blame them for this - if that is the way they can survive as a company, then that is the direction they should go. However, in doing so, they have lost me as even a potential customer even though I was a Leica user for 25 years in the film days (see where my photographs are still hosted online)