Tips on buying/evaluating a used SL2

[Jean-Michel]

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Or, save a lot of time and worry and simply purchase from a well-known authorized Leica dealer in your country. The equipment will have been checked and will come with a real warranty. You may perhaps pay a bit more than from some other sellers, but it will be worth it in case of any issues.

As for resale value, you will get less than what you paid if you decide to sell at some point. I find that, by and large, keeping an older piece of equipment is  worth more as a backup or even as decoration than selling it. 

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[Sohail]

39 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I was puzzled by your question, because I don't think there is much to test in a SL2/SL2-S than in any other digital camera, and I think you are already a very experienced photographer. And digital cameras are far easier to check than film cameras, because you can see the results immediately.

There are no recognised failure modes for the SL2 OR SL2-S. You read the occasional failure report, but nothing consistent.

In your shoes I would:

• Inspect the sensor directly, preferably with a loupe and a rocket blower, to check that there are no marks that are not light dust.
• Take shot of a plain surface, or a clear sky, at the smallest possible aperture: inspect the image for sensor marks and dust. You will certainly see them, so this test is not a great help. I prefer to inspect the sensor directly.
• Pick a scene with constant illumination: in manual mode check the exposure (with the internal meter) and compare it with another camera you trust;
• With the same scene, take images with stop-wise increasing aperture and decreasing shutter speed, to check if the mechanical shutter speed is consistent.
• Do the same with the electronic shutter.
• Take a shot of a plain evenly coloured and lit surface, and examine the image at 100% for missing pixels. 
• Take a L-mount AF lens, preferably a Leica, and test if AFs works.
• Check if all the buttons work. By default they should all have some functions assigned to them.
• Check the battery and SD cards insert and can be removed properly.

After that I would just learn to use it as I wish to use it and see if there are any problems. I would just use it intensively for the first couple of weeks. And read the manual in detail.

Beyond that, 'testing paranoia', a recognised mental condition, sets in.

 

Thanks! This is very helpful. It's the kind of thing I was looking for. It's good to have a checklist.
 

[Sohail]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Excuse me? Are you saying that there were no fine landscapes made before the advent of extremely hi-res cameras? 

No.

[LocalHero1953]

11 minutes ago, Sohail said:

Thanks! This is very helpful. It's the kind of thing I was looking for. It's good to have a checklist.
 

I admit am congenitally averse to testing. I much prefer the "use it a lot and if it works keep it" approach, though I know that is not the safest way.

[Stuart Richardson]

I see that you had your own issue already with the SL2, but from my own perspective, it has been my most reliable Leica to date...hardly a glitch or hiccup the entire time I have owned it. None of the occasional freezes I would get in the M9 and M10, no pixel amp failures or complete lockups like the R9 and DMR, no shutter brake failures on a nearly new MP that caused it to ruin multiple rolls of film, no strap lugs falling out while I was luckily holding tight to the strap like I had with the S006, and no weird uncorrectable banding or misaligned focusing screens like on the S3. All cameras have errors, but Leicas tend to have more in my experience. The SL2 is the notable exception here. Worked from day 1 and is still working. Also goes for ever SL lens, unlike the S or M lenses (the R's were good too!).

As for which one to choose, it really is preference. If you find resolution more important get the SL2. If you find video, low noise at the highest ISOs or smaller file size and faster framerate more important, get the SL2S. Personally I love the rendering of the SL2, and once the sizes are equalized, the noise is pretty close up until 6400 or so. If you find yourself shooting higher than 6400 a lot, then the SL2S may be better. If you never need more than 24mp, then the SL2S is an easy choice. If you want the potential to make big prints, 47mp is a notable increase over 24mp.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Stuart Richardson

[Sohail]

7 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I see that you had your own issue already with the SL2, but from my own perspective, it has been my most reliable Leica to date...hardly a glitch or hiccup the entire time I have owned it. None of the occasional freezes I would get in the M9 and M10, no pixel amp failures or complete lockups like the R9 and DMR, no shutter brake failures on a nearly new MP that caused it to ruin multiple rolls of film, no strap lugs falling out while I was luckily holding tight to the strap like I had with the S006, and no weird uncorrectable banding or misaligned focusing screens like on the S3. All cameras have errors, but Leicas tend to have more in my experience. The SL2 is the notable exception here. Worked from day 1 and is still working. Also goes for ever SL lens, unlike the S or M lenses (the R's were good too!).

As for which one to choose, it really is preference. If you find resolution more important get the SL2. If you find video, low noise at the highest ISOs or smaller file size and faster framerate more important, get the SL2S. Personally I love the rendering of the SL2, and once the sizes are equalized, the noise is pretty close up until 6400 or so. If you find yourself shooting higher than 6400 a lot, then the SL2S may be better. If you never need more than 24mp, then the SL2S is an easy choice. If you want the potential to make big prints, 47mp is a notable increase over 24mp.

I hope I was just unlikely. 

Re SL lenses, they're not mechanical, which in theory makes them prone to malfunctioning. That aside, they are very robust.

And yes completely agree with you on the reasoning on the SL2 vs SL2-S.

[jdlaing]

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Electronics can and do fail.

Buying from a reputable dealer or reputable person will not prevent this. Cursory inspections won’t find a fault that will happen in the future with the electronics. A camera that has been well used may keep on functioning for many years. A camera that had been used very little and treated gently may fail tomorrow. Buying from a reputable dealer will help with the problem by way of handling and repair or refund if in the applicable time period. If a camera fails 6 months after you buy it from a reputable person there’s not much that person could or should do. There is so much endless testing it has become cumbersome.