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Hello, I’m close to buying a new Leica. Trying hard to make the right decision. All options remain on the table, but I’m leaning towards a SL2-S or SL3. I made the decision to go Leica about a year ago. At the time, I was excited. I thought it’d be easy. Little did I know. The good thing is: it’s been a year. I’ve used that time wisely, I hope, to consider a lot (reading posts, watching videos, and trying out different cameras). I’m almost there. But before I pull the trigger again (more about that in a moment), I’d love to get some input, so if you have any thoughts to share … I’m all ears! A little about me: I’ve got a good amount of life experience and been a photographer for many years. Over the past decades I’ve shot Nikon film cameras & different mirrorless cameras including Fuji, Sony and Ricoh. I enjoy shooting landscapes, city buildings and some street in the endless pursuit of creating photographic art. I have a passion for B&W. So much so that after nearly a year, I made the decision to purchase a “like new” Q2 Monochrom. Unfortunately, it had debris in the viewfinder that I found distracting so I returned it. The experience was a good one because it caused me think even deeper about my commitment level and what I really want. They say the Leica Q’s are the “gateway drug” in the Leica world and I now see why. Yeah, even after a very short time with one. I’m someone that would be very happy with a Monochrom only camera. I shoot 90% B&W (at least), and the ability shoot at night with very high ISO’s with a camera that doesn’t have a bayer filter, and noise that looks more filmic is a very attractive proposition. If I missed color, I could always carry my trust Ricoh GRIII I Ruled Out a Leica Q I’ve ruled out another Q camera for several reasons, with the biggest being that I’ve got some wonderful vintage lenses and want to use them on a Leica (rather than continue using them on my Sony I think). Maybe a M11 or M10 Monochrom? I thought an M11 monochrome … or maybe an M10? … was the answer but I’m not sure a rangefinder’s for me. I mean I LOVE the look. Truly. It’s … beautiful. But I love shooting fast lenses. The rangefinder focusing … nice … but when it comes to focusing some lenses like a f/0.95 or even f/1.2 on a rangefinder … I want an EVF for critical focus. Sure, there’s a great external EVF for the M11 … and I’d be fine with buying that if I needed to, but in my opinion, it kinda messes with the whole rangefinder aesthetic to have to put that on the hot shoe. Also, I’ve heard more than one person talk about their rangefinder’s going out of alignment - and needing to be sent back in for recalibration. I’ve also read about freezing issues some have said they’d experienced with their Leica M11’s on this forum. On top of that, I like to focus CLOSE sometimes (not macro but down to 3/4 or 1/2 a meter) with my vintage lenses … I’ve can do that with an adapter on my Sony A7RIVa with vintage m mount lenses that normally wouldn’t be able to focus that close but would not be able to do that when using them on a Leica M. That frankly is a big deal (for me). Leica SL-2S or SL3? So that’s led me to consider a Leica SL-2s or maybe a SL3? Pros: Ability to convert M lenses and focus close using M to CL adapters. Check Built-in beautiful EVF. Check. More affordable than a Leica M11 Monochrom - check No calibration needed. Cons: No monochrome sensor in sight. Sigh. It’s so … BIG!! The M11 looks so much more inviting. Big Red Dot & Big Leica in big white letters … sheesh! I so prefer the look of the monochrom cameras. Discreet. So tape it up and cover up the dot I guess is the solution there. Perhaps not the best for street? More suited for studio than street? In conclusion: At the end of the day - is a Leica SL2s and/or SL3 worth spending thousands of dollars more - or should I just stick with my 60 megapixel Sony A7R-IVa and call it a day? Has anyone upgraded from the SL2-s to the SL3 .. .and if so, was it worth it? And why? Has anyone owned both a Leica M10/M11 along with a Leica SL series camera and if so, which do you prefer and why? Anyone move from a Leica Monochrome camera to the SL line ? Any regrets? Thoughts and/or Recommendation would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Hi folks, I currently have SL 601 and I've recently bought SL2, which I'm going to sell soon, so I though to put some info why I'm choosing to stay with 601. It might be helpful for some. First, things I like about SL2 in comparison to SL 601: 1. Better viewfinder, OLED, more contrasty and Sharper (although not by much) 2. Better LCD, noticeably sharper than 601 as it has more pixels 3. USB charging, no need to take additional charger for travel. 4. Ability to use AF lens adapters (on 601 Novoflex is pretty much the only choice and it doesn't really work) 5. Enhanced live view giving a nice boost at very low light situations 6. Eye AF is very nice Now what things made me keep my SL for longer: 1. Although viewfinder is higher res, difference is not huge and if you switch to 120fps it drops resolution to something unusable when half pressed. Viewfinder also has lower magnification. 2. AF is faster, but not significantly better than on my 601 with leica lenses (24-90 and 75/2). I've tested it in different conditions and I was suprised that even in low light 601 didn't perform significantly worse than SL2 3. Rear buttons on a left hand side, which mean to view them you can't really press play with right hand 4. Design changes are questionable. They rounded some corners near the shutter button, which looks weird. Also LCD screen with buttons now extended from the body. Strap lugs are external. 5. Menu looks more complicated now 6. Fotos app still slow, useable as a remote, but that's the same as with 601 7. no GPS, you need to keep phone with BT enabled for geotagging. This is not a problem by itself, however if camera is used by more than one person it is not great 8. Camera is more rubberised, which might be good, however it feels less solid for some reason. I never had an issue with SL 601 ergonomics. My plan was to get rid of SL 601, Sony A7RII+200-600mm and get SL2 + bigma150-600mm instead, but now I think I'll just get another 601 + 150-600mm

This may seem a bit obvious, but after having followed a general principle of having a 2 minute auto power off, and being left with 50% power after a day's walking and maybe 60 images, I decided to switch to a 10 second auto power off, and I'm finding I still have a full bar indicated after the same kind of use. If you've been unhappy with battery-life, I'd recommend playing with the power-off settings and seeing what improvements you can make. For information, I'm not experiencing significant start up delays either. Just touch the shutter button and everything's good to go pretty well immediately.

Next month I’ll be in Northern Canada after polar bears and other wildlife and with luck maybe the northern lights. This will naturally require some periods (up to several hours) outside in below freezing temps (15-30 degrees F). Any advice on how to manage my SL2 and lenses under these conditions? I plan on taking a Sigma 150-600 Sport for reach and a Leica 24-70 for all around use. What do I need to watch out for equipment wise for the periods in the cold temps? It’s a heavy kit - would I be better off with the Leica 100-400 which is 1 pound lighter than the Sigma? How well do adapted m-lenses on the SL2 perform in the cold? Any and all advice will be appreciated.

Hallo liebe Community, ich überlege mir eine SL2 zu kaufen und habe eine Frage, die ich mir selbst durch Internet-Recherche leider noch nicht eindeutig beantworten konnte. Es geht um das Seitenverhältnis. Der Sensor einer SL2 hat selbstverständlich ein Seitenverhältnis einer Kleinbildkamera von 3:2. Als ehemaliger Analog-Mittelformat-Fotograf (6x6, 6x4.5 und das großartige 6x7) werde ich einfach nicht warm mit dem Kleinbild-Seitenverhältnis. Ich schneide mir das Bild hinterher zurecht, aber das "Sehen" in dem Moment fehlt schon sehr. Jetzt zu meiner Frage. Ich habe gelesen, dass die SL2 auch andere Seitenverhältnisse simulieren kann. Die Raw-Dateien behalten dabei praktischerweise das Originalformat. Was ich aber nicht eindeutig beantworten konnte: Passt sich der Viewfinder dem simulierten Seitenverhältnis an? Und wenn ja, wird vielleicht ein Rahmen eingeblendet, ähnlich wie man das von dem VF einer M kennt? Oder wird das Bild im VF direkt "zugeschnitten" mit schwarzen Balken drumherum? Vielen Dank. Oleg

FIRMWARE VERSION 5.2.0 Ihre Leica Kamera wird kontinuierlich verbessert und wir freuen uns, Ihnen jetzt Firmware Version 5.2.0 zur Verfügung zu stellen. Ich habe eben die Info bekommen das für die SL2 und SL2s eine neue Firmware raus ist. SL2: https://leica-camera.com/de-DE/fotografie/kameras/sl/sl2-schwarz/technische-daten?utm_source=CRM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20230831_HQ_SL2_SL2-S_FWU_5.2.0&utm_term=https%3A//leica-camera.com/sl2-technical-specs%23sl2-firmware.# SL2s: https://leica-camera.com/de-DE/fotografie/kameras/sl/sl2-s-schwarz/technische-daten?utm_source=CRM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20230831_HQ_SL2_SL2-S_FWU_5.2.0&utm_term=https%3A//sl2-s.leica-camera.com/%3Fsubpage%3Dtech-insights%23sl2-s-firmware.#sl2-s-firmware de_sl2-fw5.2-release-notes.pdf

Hi there, I am attempting to repair the battery terminal for the light meter on my SL2, which corroded and snapped off some years ago. I have seen a repair video for the same issue on an SL model on YouTube and it certainly looks achievable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXSjrAUj0EQ I am having trouble removing the bottom casing though. After removing the 2 screws and either end of the body, it's clear it is still fastened in the middle, however there is no drive hole to unscrew inside the tripod mount. It's possible that it has been stripped off if it's soft aluminium. I have attempted with a Robertson bits and Hex bits and there is nothing in there to grip - but I can also see that there is nothing to grip.... Is it different between the SL and SL2... or if it has been stripped, is there any other way to remove the screw/cover? Thanks in advance...

Ich ärgere mich jedes mal darüber, dass ich beim Hineinzoomen in ein gerade geschossenes Foto immer irgendwo im Bild lande und nicht an der Stelle wo der Fokus zuvor beim Fotografieren festgelegt wurde. Was soll diese Sucherei? Wenn ich bei einem Porträt auf die Augen fokussiere, will ich bei der Bildkontrolle nicht irgendwo am Hals etc. landen, sondern genau auf den Augen. Bei anderen Marken wie z.B. Nikon klappt das immer! Ich habe vor Monaten schon einmal einen Verbesserungsvorschlag an Leica gesendet, der aber bisher nicht erhört wurde. Stört das niemanden von euch? Oder habe ich eine Funktion an meiner SL2 übersehen?

Hi, I shoot a lot of commercials.I bought sl2 this time.An incident occurred during the first commercial shoot using sl2.The picture came in well on the capturer one, and there was no problem taking it.Then, at some point, the camera went completely out of order.Touch screens are not available and power buttons are not available.If a stop occurs, the battery must be forcibly removed.And when we film again, things go well, and at some point, af stutters.It stops again.This phenomenon continued to occur on the set.Usage environment - macbook pro, capturer one, ether cable (usb C), sd card not usedI'll connect the link. I would appreciate it if you could check and tell me the cause.Laika only says it's an SD card problem even if there's no problem at all.There's no problem, so there's nothing I can do for you.It's so frustrating. https://youtu.be/A8ubSdv87nY SL2 All functions stopped.

Some impressions from today, as i was asked to take some pics with the new Panasonic 24/50/85 lenses (all of them at min f1.8). I am testing not like others by taking pics from a wall, the lenses have to proof themselves by working with them. Of course the pics are postprcessed as all of my pics but in short conclusion you will get good working lenses with good results. There might be some differences in pixlpeeping in high end prints (and on screen at 100% view) but this is not the normal view. In this setting from todays morning i went into the cathedral, unfortunately i did not realize the beginning of the church service and it was too late to leave the tomb of henry the Lion and his wife Mathilde when the bells started to ring.... 24mm:

Hi all, first off want to thank everyone who contributes to the education and participation here, it’s a wonderful Leica community and grateful for it! Two part question: 1- who has had great experience with the SL2 for professional video? What blows my mind is that you have to use an external recorder to shoot any FPS over 29.97 in C4K Log mode for SL2, for professional use I believe it’s totally needed to shoot LOG in any of the frame rates yet the camera really only performs at its best with an external recorder, which may not want to use all the time — thus you are stuck with 29.FPS and below internally. To me shooting non LOG gives far too strong a “baked in” look. So, what external recorders are you using? Also are you adding the Leica vertical handgrip to help with power outages given how power hungry the camera is when doing video? 2- do you know if the SL2-S can do higher frame rates then 29fps in Log mode when shooting internally? many thanks for your thoughts on this! - Ben Jacks // www.Ben-jacks.com

Exploring and reading about the SL2-S and looking for advice and comments please to help me choose which SL body is best for me. Have had original SL for several years - shoot with 24-90SL as well as a couple of ZEISS ZM. Amateur use only. I shoot 99% still photographs, don’t really understand much about video settings and options. I want: IBIS, improved SL2 grip/EVF/rear screen/menu system. I don’t print large so don’t ‘need 47MP. I was inclined to get an SL2 and shoot at medium res, keeping high res for specific tasks. SL2-S has me wondering.....looks like I can get all the upgrades I want and still get high res for specific tasks via multi shot. I guess the fact that the S is being described as a videographer’s camera is making me question myself. Anyone else in similar position, any comments? Thank you keeping high res for

I'm currently wrestling with which lenses to keep / sell / add - and wonder if others are dealing with similar issues. At the moment I'm using two systems. L mount and M mount. The L mount system is one SL2 body and the following lenses: VE 24-90 VE 90-280 Sigma 45 f2.8 DG DN The M system is two M10 bodies and: 15 Voigtlander Super-wide Heliar III f4.5 28 Summicron Asph 35 Summicron Asph 50 Summilux Asph 50 Summarit f2.4 75 Summarit f2.4 90 Macro-Elmar + macro adapter 135 M Apo-Telyt f3.4 In the current circumstances, my daily carry everywhere is the SL2 + 24-90. I never thought it would be so easy to manage - but it is. Because of how life is at the moment, I'm hardly using the VE 90-280. This means there is a large lump of money sitting in a lens that is little used. However, I got it for a good price used and I'll hold on to it for a year or two and then review. I don't use the Sigma 45 so much since I got the VE 24-90 (which is SUCH a good, well behaved lense), but I still like the images I make and I am happy to retain it for now. I'm also not using the M's much at present. This isn't a reason for getting rid of them - but the retained lenses are another issue. If I look back through thousands of images in my Lightroom archive, the three M lenses that dominate are 28 / 35 / 50. The others account for only about 5% of images. I loved the 90 Macro when I first got it - but I was mainly using it as a compact medium telephoto on the M10, and not really using it for macro! AND The Sigma 45 (with its near macro capability) on the SL2 was so much easier to work with! Likewise, I've had the 135 A-T for a long time, and it's a flawless lens (which works great on the SL2), but how much do I use it? Very little at the moment. I use the Voigtlander 15 Super-wide Heliar very little too - but I know that it's essential for certain kinds of interior and landscape Now that I have the SL2, the lenses that are really redundant are the 50 & 75 Summarits + the 90 Macro-Elmar. Off to Ffordes they will go. But then what. What am I lacking. My current feeling is that it's a really good portrait lens and (possibly) a dedicated medium telephoto / macro lens. Which leads me to Sigma. It seems that the new 85 1.4 DG DN is a candidate as is the 105 Macro DG DN. I'm also tempted by the 35 f2 DG DN - though this overlaps with the 35 Summicron (which works beautifully on either M or SL). SO - does anyone have experience with the two Sigma lenses mentioned above (85 / 105). Does anyone have other thoughts? I'm toying with the Sigma 14-35, but I'm not sure if I'd use it that much. Heigh ho - I suppose this is all to do with too much time on my hands during the pandemic - though I did get out this morning in beautiful sunshine and snow (with the SL2 and 24-90!). Examples here: Thanks for any thoughts...

I’m using an Atomos Ninja V 5” monitor driven by the SL2’s HDMI port. It displays the viewfinder image just fine, but none of the AF tracking and exposure data shown in the viewfinder. This gives me a very viewable display at low camera angles - the eyepiece no longer gets in the way, and I can actually see what I’m shooting. ** Is anyone else using an external monitor, and how do I get the AF tracking point and exposure info I see in the viewfinder to appear in the external monitor? Right now all I get is the viewfinder image. I have to place the AF tracking point in the middle of the viewfinder and put the subject there when I’m using the external monitor without knowing if I’m AF tracking or not. Thanks..

Hi all, I've noticed there isn't a dedicated thread for editing L-Log footage, so I will begin one here. I realize that colouring and re-touching video is a very subjective field, but I wanted to see how others work within Leica's limited literature surrounding post-production in video. I've just updated my Atomos Ninja V to the latest firmware, which now allows for L-Log recording from leica (the past year with the SL2 was a little tedious working with both internally and externally recorded video footage). Now, with this update, BT2020 seems a lot nicer. I've just done my first video about this update here:

I was wondering if anyone has done side by side comparisons of the Sigma L mount 24-70 with the Leica Vario Elmarit 24-90. I find that I use my Sony a9 mostly as follows: 75% of the time I have the excellent 55mm Sony Zeiss 1.8 on it due to the best balance of size, weight, sharpness, bokeh, every day use 20% of the time I use the excellent zeiss batis 25mm 1.8 5% of the time I think about using my 70-200 f4 Sony or my excellent 24-70 Sony G master f2.8...and then decide I don't really want to carry it around, so I take the 25mm and the 55mm instead and alternate use. This can be a pain when I need to swap them back and forth but is lighter option and sometimes I just take one. So I am trying to figure out where I would start with a Leica SL2 system, as I only have a Leica M 35 summicron presently: Go with a 24-90mm Leica Vario Elmarit (costly and heavy) and use my M lens when I want a lighter setup to walk around with. Go with a Sigma 24-70 for general use, and then put money towards an autofocus Leica 35mm or Leica 50mm. Neither of these setups will address the 70-200 lens that would be missing, but I rarely used it, so I can do without I think and either pick up a used 135mm manual focus lens, or maybe a 100mm macro lens and crop it. At any rate, would be nice to get some feedback on the image quality of the Sigma 24-70 as that might help me decide. I am continually trying to choose between the SL2, SL2s and M10r and it doesn't seem to make sense to get the SL2 system without at least one autofocus general purpose lens. Otherwise, might as well just go with the M! Thanks, all!

Has anyone else noticed an issue when using AF with the SL2? CONTEXT - I'm working with VE 24-90 and VE 90-200 on the SL2. The same problem occurs with the Sigma 45 DG DN - so it's not a Leica lens specific problem. I usually default to field metering and AFS. However, I've recently set Intelligent AF as a default. At the moment (lockdown!) I'm mainly working with landscape photography while doing socially distanced treks in the area around where I live. ISSUE - I've started noticing that with Intelligent AF + Field (or ANY other relevant AF mode) the focus locks as normal on the selected area, but with the shutter half down to lock AF, the image in the screen blurs slightly. The moment the shutter is fired (or pressure is released) everything snaps back into clarity. I found this very distracting. I think I've found the solution for now is to switch to AFS, where this behaviour does not manifest itself. REQUEST - Does any one else share this experience - or can you reproduce it? If yes, any thoughts on a solution - or is this maybe a firmware issue we need to raise with Leica? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

I've been shooting with Sigma 100-400 for couple of months. As others have mentioned I find that this lens punches way above its price point in terms of IQ. Also due to its compact size and weight I find myself bringing this lens along far more often than I've ever done with a lens with 400mm reach. Today I decided to test the lens to try to answer a couple of questions I had about the lens: 1. I was finding some inconsistency in sharpness even when shooting on tripod. There's been speculation in various posts that this could be due to mechanical shutter. I wanted to test this out. 2. I also have the TC-1411 teleconverter, but have not been making much use as I was uncertain about its impact on image quality. I've seen several reviews that report little to no IQ degradation from its use so decided to test it out. To answer the first question I took 3 exposures using mechanical shutter and compared the results. I found wide variation in the results. I repeated the test 3 times with the same wide variation. The test was conducted on a tripod (top of the line Really Right Stuff) at 100 ISO with 12 second shutter delay shooting from indoors ( no wind or other impacts). I then repeated the test several times with electronic shutter. While there was some variability between shots the differences were minor. Based on this relatively simple test I'm satisfied that the speculation that mechanical shutter impacts image quality in a noticeable way is in fact correct. I will be using electronic shutter with this lens from now on. In order to answer the second question I took a series of 3 images at 400mm and then at 560mm focusing on a group of junction boxes on top of a building ( distance about 230 meters or 750 ft. I chose this subject because the boxes have numbers on them which helped with subsequent comparison between images. Also the texture on the wall surrounding the junction boxes offered a further reference point. From each set of images taken at 400m and 560mm I selected the best one (differences were minor based on use of electronic shutter). I then compared the image taken at 560mm with 200% magnification with the one taken at 400mm with 300% magnification. I used these settings as I figured it would "roughly" equalize the result between using lens with teleconverter versus doing a more aggressive (equivalent) crop in post. All images were shot at 100 ISO in the case of 400mm F6.3 & 1/125 and in case of 560mm at F9.0 & 1/60 Below I've attached the comparison between the two. I will share which is which in subsequent post but thought I'd share and get some initial reaction to the comparative difference.

Two shots taken same day within a couple of minutes apart. One shot was taken with the SL2 single shot with SL16-35 and another with M10R with WATE. Both shots taken at ISO100 / M mode / F9 / 1/20 sec on tripod. Can you tell which shot is taken with SL2 + SL16-35mm lens? untitled-1001471 by sillbeers15 untitled-1020091 by sillbeers15

Hello there, I am looking to get some advice coming from a Sony A9, which I got not because I shoot action, but because I was drawn to the "no blackout" EVF. I have used and owned many Leicas in my day, including the MP film camera, the M9, M240, Q, and M10, and am currently "between" Leicas. I am wondering whether anyone can guide me with my next decision: Whether to sell the Sony A9 and the glass I own for it in order to get a Leica SL2 or SL2S, or to get the Leica M10R. I absolutely love the experience of looking through a glass viewfinder at the real world and I like to take a minimalist approach to what gear I carry. I never "spray and pray," even with the A9, at most I focus once, recompose and shoot. I don't always hit focus with the M cameras, and sometimes I get a little stressed by the fact that you cannot see the exact framing of the image, and many of the lenses (such as the Summicron 35mm M I still own) do not focus on close subjects. So I guess what I am saying is that I am struggling with the pros and cons of both systems. The M system is near and dear to me, but I don't always get focus or framing when under a little pressure. The SL2S intrigues me as a good way to replace my Sony A9, sacrificing Sony's autofocus madness, button layout, and pages of frustrating menus, for a more sublime Leica experience, but seems a little heavy. The reason I was thinking of SL2S versus M10R is that the resolution of the M10R would allow me to "fix" the framing if I don't get it perfect, where on the SL2S I would be seeing exactly what I would get before I shoot, so the extra resolution would probably not be needed as much. Of course I would love to own both someday Note: I am not a professional photographer. I like shooting street, landscape and sometimes non-studio portraits. I like Leica because of the simplicity of use, the connection to film days, and because of the dedicated dials for ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture. If the M10D had a film advance lever that worked, I probably would have pulled the plug on that baby! And if the Sony A9 had dedicated dials (and less of them) and about 10 pages less of options (animal eye auto focus - wow!) I would consider keeping it. Thanks for any advice you may have!

Hi Photogs Can anyone explain how the SL2 processes it’s multi shot images when set in multi-shot mode? I understand that the camera takes 8 different shots by moving the sensor 0.5 pixels each time. My question is does the camera merge these 8 images to produce the final 187 MB image or does it interpolate between each of the 8 images to produce the final result ? A couple of my multi-shots look like they have had mild HDR treatment which is not to everyone’s taste. Is that the intention or consequence of multi-shot images? Any advice welcome ! Thanks David

Processed in Lightroom, Landscape or Color profiles, I find that boring grey skies are apt to carry a blue tinge (that becomes stronger as you approach blue hour). It certainly makes the pics look more lively, but it’s not what I remember seeing. If I set the sky to be grey using the temperature setting, the rest of the picture looks too warm. Have others noticed such quirks? Is there a solution (that doesn’t involve repainting the scene)?

After shooting for a few minutes (or after a certain number of shots), the EVF displays a message that “burst shooting or recording in 4K is not available” (or something similar to that). Even though I am using a fresh battery, completely charged, the battery level quickly goes to the 50-75% range. I have the camera (SL2) set to shoot in high burst mode and I may get about 50 or so shots before this message is displayed. If you can only get 50 or so shots on high burst mode, this makes the battery/camera very limited if you need these high burst rates. Since I am new to Leica, I guess I have something set wrong. Any help is greatly appreciated.