SL3 Rumors

[Gavin G]

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If body smaller, how about the lens. Existing most lens are huge😂

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[LBJ2]

4 minutes ago, Gavin G said:

If body smaller, how about the lens. Existing most lens are huge😂

Two of the SL zooms and the 50 Summilux are very large. The SL asph lenses however are smaller/lighter, which could be a trend going forward. *Maybe the smaller SL apsh lenses were a hint at the size of the SL3. 

Edited February 28, 2024 by LBJ2

[Geoff C. Bassett]

I am sad they moved the buttons near the screen to the right. I want to use my left hand for those options, not add additional action that my right hand needs to do. My right thumb already gets enough use.

The lack of space to the left of the screen means I will be holding the camera by the lens mount while going through the menus. 

Disappointed in the new layout.

Edited February 28, 2024 by Geoff C. Bassett

[Gavin G]

18 minutes ago, LBJ2 said:

Two of the SL zooms and the 50 Summilux are very large. The SL asph lenses however are smaller/lighter, which could be a trend going forward. *Maybe the smaller SL apsh lenses were a hint at the size of the SL3. 

Yup, maybe they going refresh for the lens, who knows.

8 minutes ago, Geoff C. Bassett said:

I am sad they moved the buttons near the screen to the right. I want to use my left hand for those options, not add additional action that my right hand needs to do. My right thumb already gets enough use.

The lack of space to the left of the screen means I will be holding the camera by the lens mount while going through the menus. 

Disappointed in the new layout.

Me too, i prefer buttons on left hand side.

[Carrot]

Left of the viewfinder (with the new dial) looks the same size to me, and to the right of the screen looks very similar size to SL2, but the LCD panel just looks wider as it goes further to the left edge, making it seem a lot smaller overall than I suspect it is.

[Simone_DF]

44 minutes ago, Gavin G said:

If body smaller, how about the lens. Existing most lens are huge😂

Most of the newer mirrorless Sigma lenses are as small as your average M lens. 

[Jon Warwick]

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Assuming the images are even correct, if one looks at the front of the SL3 with lens attached, the gap between its hand grip and the lens barrel seems quite a bit less than it is on the SL2. That seems the part of the camera where the size is possibly taken out.

I’d certainly welcome a smaller SL. I don’t know how the SL APOs will balance on a smaller body (I imagine absolutely fine), albeit the beast that is the SL 50 Summilux might be slightly incongruous (but no more than an M with a 75 Noctilux / 90 Summilux!), but overall I think a smaller unit could be great, even more so for the non-APO Summicrons and other smaller lenses.

[la1402]

9 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

Most of the newer mirrorless Sigma lenses are as small as your average M lens. 

Not if you compare like for like. 

[Virob]

35 minutes ago, Geoff C. Bassett said:

I am sad they moved the buttons near the screen to the right. I want to use my left hand for those options, not add additional action that my right hand needs to do. My right thumb already gets enough use.

The lack of space to the left of the screen means I will be holding the camera by the lens mount while going through the menus. 

Disappointed in the new layout.

I agree. The camera is becoming too right hand centric. At least the have added the new dial top left which give the left hand something to do.

4 minutes ago, Jon Warwick said:

Assuming the images are even correct, if one looks at the front of the SL3 with lens attached, the gap between its hand grip and the lens barrel seems quite a bit less than it is on the SL2. That seems the part of the camera where the size is possibly taken out.

I already find that accessing the 2 buttons between the lens and right grip awkward, which will only be exacerbated if the space is reduced. To me it would have made more sense to move these buttons  to the left side where there is plenty of space.
 

[Simone_DF]

1 hour ago, la1402 said:

Not if you compare like for like. 

Don’t forget to add the bulk and weight of a L-M adapter to the mix 

[Simone_DF]

2 hours ago, Gavin G said:

If body smaller, how about the lens. Existing most lens are huge😂

That would be an "original sin", but it doesn't mean that you have to carry it for the rest of the L mount history. A revision of certain lenses to make them smaller / lighter could be in order for the future. 

To add to that, big, heavy and bulky camera don't sell. Ask Panasonic. What should Leica do, persist on a broken path?

Edited February 28, 2024 by Simone_DF

[la1402]

3 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

To add to that, big, heavy and bulky camera don't sell. Ask Panasonic. What should Leica do, persist on a broken path?

Big, Heavy and Bulky is the reason why SL2/S are easily available on the used market and fairly low prices. Good if they change track. 

[LBJ2]

Looking at the SL3 leaked images, seems like no more need for a few of you to continue habitual complaining about Big, Heavy and Bulky SL system on the threads any more. That alone is worth the reduction in size IMO 😀

[trickness]

I personally like the look and feel of the SL2 - which was an ergonomic improvement from the SL, if not entirely an aesthetic one. This picture, if accurate, looks like a far less visually distinct camera, with a lot of plastic in the construction. I'm all for lighter weight until it starts looking and handling like a Japanese camera, because then why buy something with less features for more money?

Not really feeling this new design if it is accurate. We'll see I guess. 

[BernardC]

27 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

That would be an "original sin", but it doesn't mean that you have to carry it for the rest of the L mount history. A revision of certain lenses to make them smaller / lighter could be in order for the future. 

To add to that, big, heavy and bulky camera don't sell. Ask Panasonic. What should Leica do, persist on a broken path?

There's room for both. The SL is roughly the same size as most full-featured SLRs over the past 60+ years. It's slightly smaller than the 5D I had before. That's a great size for all-day use, if you have typical adult-sized hands.

I agree that a smaller camera is very nice for "walking around." I use the Sigma fp for that purpose, but I find it too small to get a comfortable grip if I am going to shoot thousands of images.

[Simone_DF]

31 minutes ago, LBJ2 said:

Looking at the SL3 leaked images, seems like no more need for a few of you to continue habitual complaining about Big, Heavy and Bulky SL system on the threads any more. That alone is worth the reduction in size IMO 😀

They shaved off only 70g, so I'm positive you'll still hear complaints about weight 🤣

[la1402]

54 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

Don’t forget to add the bulk and weight of a L-M adapter to the mix 

Indeed. Still no. And the Sony in this example is small compared to its Sigma counterpart. …

You can repeat the same with their smallest 35mm DGDN 2.0 vs a 35mm cron, or any other. 

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[Simone_DF]

18 minutes ago, BernardC said:

There's room for both.

I absolutely agree on that, but if you look at other brands, they usually have more than one SKU in stock, a smaller camera + a bigger camera, for example the Z6 and the Z9. the latter is usually sold at a premium price though. I'd be more than happy with a SL3 sized as before, which I will ignore, and a smaller SL2-S sold at a reduced price. Win-win for everyone!

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[Stuart Richardson]

21 minutes ago, la1402 said:

Big, Heavy and Bulky is the reason why SL2/S are easily available on the used market and fairly low prices. Good if they change track. 

I am sure it is for some. The SL2 is also more than four years old and it is the most expensive 35mm mirrorless on the market. It is at the end of its life cycle, so it makes a certain sense that people are selling the bodies. 
As for the form factor, I am actually not so excited about it being smaller. A hundred grams lighter is nice but no big deal. I think it will be hard to judge whether or not the ergonomics are better or worse until it is in the hand. I admit that my gut makes it feel like it is not going to be an improvement for me at least. 

[Simone_DF]

1 minute ago, la1402 said:

Indeed. Still no. And the Sony in this example is small compared to its Sigma counterpart. …

You can repeat the same with their smallest 35mm DGDN 2.0 vs a 35mm cron, or any other. 

 

That's exactly why I said "most", not "all", in my original post. The 45mm, 24, 50mm f2 and 90mm are very compact for autofocus lenses.