The Leica SL3 - A Review by Jonathan Slack

[2M6TTLs]

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Looks like a fine camera but no real need for me to upgrade from my SL2s (thankfully). I sincerely hope that illuminated on / off  button does not appear on any future Leicas. It has all the styling finesse and originality of a cheap bluetooth speaker pairing button, which is to say, not much. Every time I press it I would expect a voice to say.." Leica - connected". I've said this before but for the price of those batteries ( even the new ones ) we ought to be able to expect more performance from them per charge in 2024. Why should we have to buy extra ones just to make up for the fact they don't last long enough. They need to make them more efficient. Having illuminated buttons doesn't help the problem either.

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[sebben]

24 minutes ago, 2M6TTLs said:

Looks like a fine camera but no real need for me to upgrade from my SL2s (thankfully). I sincerely hope that illuminated on / off  button does not appear on any future Leicas. It has all the styling finesse and originality of a cheap bluetooth speaker pairing button, which is to say, not much. Every time I press it I would expect a voice to say.." Leica - connected". I've said this before but for the price of those batteries ( even the new ones ) we ought to be able to expect more performance from them per charge in 2024. Why should we have to buy extra ones just to make up for the fact they don't last long enough. They need to make them more efficient. Having illuminated buttons doesn't help the problem either.

It won’t go away. It seems like the plan is that you never turn off the camera much like how an iPhone is used. This is so that the camera can be accessed remotely and controlled by the phone app at all times. 

[2M6TTLs]

2 minutes ago, sebben said:

It won’t go away. It seems like the plan is that you never turn off the camera much like how an iPhone is used. This is so that the camera can be accessed remotely and controlled by the phone app at all times. 

Yes I get that but I don't actually use my phone in conjunction with the camera or desire to. I use my phone for calls, alarms and checking the weather. My photography is all done with my camera and  all editing done on my mac.( Shock! Horror! ) I don't use apps.

[sebben]

9 minutes ago, 2M6TTLs said:

Yes I get that but I don't actually use my phone in conjunction with the camera or desire to. I use my phone for calls, alarms and checking the weather. My photography is all done with my camera and  all editing done on my mac.( Shock! Horror! ) I don't use apps.

I totally agree but Leica seems to think that the majority of users would like to integrate the two devices more and more 

[2M6TTLs]

12 minutes ago, sebben said:

I totally agree but Leica seems to think that the majority of users would like to integrate the two devices more and more 

I may have to resort to using my non-integrated film cameras.  

[mboerma]

@jonoslack Thank you very much for the great test journal. Love the photos. 

I will need to use the SL3 for a bit longer to see what I like and like less about the SL3 compared to my trusty SL2. First impressions are covered by others. My main gripe is the lack of a charger. I really think that is cheap of Leica and has nothing to do with saving the planet. Only with getting more money in the pocket of Leica. One needs a charger if you are using the SL3 as it meant to be used. 

 

[jonoslack]

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5 minutes ago, mboerma said:

@jonoslack Thank you very much for the great test journal. Love the photos. 

I will need to use the SL3 for a bit longer to see what I like and like less about the SL3 compared to my trusty SL2. First impressions are covered by others. My main gripe is the lack of a charger. I really think that is cheap of Leica and has nothing to do with saving the planet. Only with getting more money in the pocket of Leica. One needs a charger if you are using the SL3 as it meant to be used. 

 

Thanks for the kind words

I couldn't agree more about the charger - it isn't like a phone/computer where you already have a couple. Personally I think it should have shipped with a small USB-C charger (like the one with the M11) then you could buy the double charger if you needed it. 

[jonoslack]

1 hour ago, 2M6TTLs said:

Yes I get that but I don't actually use my phone in conjunction with the camera or desire to. I use my phone for calls, alarms and checking the weather. My photography is all done with my camera and  all editing done on my mac.( Shock! Horror! ) I don't use apps.

 

1 hour ago, sebben said:

I totally agree but Leica seems to think that the majority of users would like to integrate the two devices more and more 

Hi There

I agree too - but I've seen the figures on Fotos usage, and it's really very high, so Leica are probably right about this - even more so that Fotos actually works really well, especially for geotagging and high quality chimping. 

[jonoslack]

17 hours ago, Eclectic Man said:

Why am I reading this?  It is not as if I am likely to buy one.

Did you enjoy it?

[eab]

2 hours ago, 2M6TTLs said:

Looks like a fine camera but no real need for me to upgrade from my SL2s (thankfully). I sincerely hope that illuminated on / off  button does not appear on any future Leicas. It has all the styling finesse and originality of a cheap bluetooth speaker pairing button, which is to say, not much. Every time I press it I would expect a voice to say.." Leica - connected". I've said this before but for the price of those batteries ( even the new ones ) we ought to be able to expect more performance from them per charge in 2024. Why should we have to buy extra ones just to make up for the fact they don't last long enough. They need to make them more efficient. Having illuminated buttons doesn't help the problem either.

I don’t think it will go away either.  I think, it is a means to have greater control over the state of the camera.  You can put it in “standby” mode or fully turn the unit off with a single switch.  The previous solution  was either on or off and you would wait ( user defined period in the menu) for the unit to go into “standby”.  Normally I prefer a nice tactile on-off switch, but this implementation adds value and it seems to work well. 

With regards to the phone, I rarely use the app, but I am going to see what it offers.  The good news is, you can use it to easily upgrade your firmware and only use it for that purpose, or use it for more.  I will say it is the best app I have ever used with any camera. It seems to work well for Geo-tagging as well.    

I have been mostly shooting an M and Sony gear but hoping the sony gear can go to the wayside.  I find the SL3 handles noise better ( nearly the same sensor but the processing is obviously different ) and the ergonomics are much better from my perspective……

[Photoworks]

Geotagging has been very stable since M11 and the same goes for this camera. I keep it on ECO mode.

the on and off switch is actually good, and for people who don't like the Light, just turn it off.

People complained about how big the charger was on the Sl2, it was not travel-friendly! An M11-style dock would have been perfect, but compatibility with cables and adapters is a hit-and-miss with this one.

What is the Leica solution? We gave you a double charger. Ok still not small for people on the road.
I think I keep using a combination of my old charges and on the road the camera and Nitecore USB charger.

The new Menu takes some time to get used to it, little options like format cards and lock dials can't be used like used to without sacrificing another option. I like to see a favorite menu that duplicates a few menu options on the top

I found a few bugs, but they relate to the video, and not too many people care.

The SL2 is still a strong camera and I will keep using it for some time, I hope at some point that the interface design carries over.

And you all need new batteries!

[jrp]

I’m fine with using the camera as a charger or resorting to the SL2 charger if you need to save some time. 

[Virob]

Thanks for the review. I’m glad I wasn’t waiting for this upgrade, I’m still very happy with the SL2, but curious of course to see where the SL system is going. For the most part it looks like a nice upgrade with some areas that disappoint. It is clear that best still image quality is the priority, hence this 60mpix sensor. The sensor is showing its age with slow readout and what that implies, but there aren’t a lot of alternative options, so Leica didn’t have much choice here. It does make one consider how this camera will be viewed in 4 + years from now when its replacement is do. 

I’m a little surprised by people’s complaints about AF and frame rates. What was the expectation? This is their first foray into PDAF. Give that some time to mature and catch up to the competition, I expect we will see AF software updates. 

The poor battery life plus no charger is a problem. If they aren’t going to ship a charger with the camera, then at least a second battery. Battery life is a consideration for me. I’m often away from mains power and rely on a combination of power packs and solar panels for charging having both a battery charger, and in camera charging going on at the same time. This is an area they are clearly behind.

What does disturb me a bit is lack of software features like multi shot, focus stacking, ND filters, HDR, stitching etc, things people have been asking for. Instead, a great deal of effort have gone into icon redesign. I’m not knocking it, looks great, but I think if you were to ask, most people wouldn’t have that as a top priority vs some of those other features when it comes to software development.

with all that said, when these start to show up on the used market and a good deal comes my way, I will definitely consider it.

[keeping_a_balance]

I picked one up today for 5 minutes at the Leica store.  I like the grip much more than the sl2-s, my fingers are not sort of squished in there.  The weight difference is noticable to the Sl2-s, however still heavy.

The AF for in store tracking seemed snappy, can’t say much more than that.  Did take a few pictures and will look at them later, but they are only in store snaps.

 

[DirkZ]

Does the joystick now allow diagonal movements?

[SrMi]

22 minutes ago, DirkZ said:

Does the joystick now allow diagonal movements?

No

[jrp]

I've taken a few pics this afternoon.  Compared with the Sony A1 that I have been using recently:

* I, personally, have a more limited lens choice in the L mount than Sony, but the SL lenses are slightly better.  However, the DXO software (which doesn't yet seem to be available for the SL3) makes the Sony lenses nearly catch up, and they are a bit lighter (being built of plastic, rather then metal)

* I love the perspective control for architecture shots (although I recognise that the SL2 also has that feature).  

* Don't yet know about AF: the A1 seems has never let me down.  I have had a few oof shots with the SL3 on static subjects that I would not have expected, even with the SL2.

* I was not too disturbed by the SL3 shutter noise; the A1's "shutter" seems to be an artificial one as most of the time, in auto settings, it doesn't use one.

* It'll take a bit of time to get the settings tuned to what is optimal for me.  The manual doesn't seem to have been proof read (they should offer a bounty for each typo, etc, as Donald Knuth did/does) and isn't optimised for Apple Books, so it's harder to navigate then necessary.

* Although the settings are simpler than the Sony, it is still a bunch of rough edges. Eg, I like to be able to auto review a shot so long as I keep the shutter depressed.  That may, or may not work when shooting continuous, rather than single shot mode.  As the camera has no help built in, if I cannot set something, I need to search the manual to determine why.

* The tilt screen is a useful feature (on both SL3 and A1). 

* yes, the SL3 feels a bit lighter than the SL2, but the A1 feels lighter still.

* Leica Photos is now much, much better than when it first started out.  However, connection is far from instantaneous, so I'll probably stick to eco mode as a substitute for having a built-in GPS, which would have been preferable.  I didn't manage to connect to my iPhone on initial startup, either wired or wirelessly.  No idea why.   It would be great if the app could adjust more parameters, and be better integrated with user profiles, than it currently is.

* I have yet to tune some settings.  Eg, it is very useful to be able to bracket particular shots.  With the A1, you turn a dial, with the SL2-3, you need to go to drive mode and find the end of the lists of modes, which is much more of a chore.  The viewfinder info modes either seem to show too much or too little.  There is, eg, an enhanced mode that seem to switch off focus peaking, if you are not careful.  Similarly, previewing a shot at taking aperture, is not a natural move.

* some breaking in seems to be required: it is hard to open the card door.  Some SL lenses needed to be tweaked when mounting, to be recognised by the SL3.  (My SL2 didn't have any trouble.)

* I use Auto ISO, so didn't use the new dial.

* The SL3 files, which is what matters in the end, are a step up from the A1 files (and even more so than the SL2 files) on the static subjects that I have tested on so far.  I assume that this is a dynamic range improvement and the availability of highlight metering mode.

In all, I think that the camera is a decent step forward, but some polish is still required.

[Photoworks]

 

37 minutes ago, jrp said:

* Although the settings are simpler than the Sony, it is still a bunch of rough edges. Eg, I like to be able to auto review a shot so long as I keep the shutter depressed.  That may, or may not work when shooting continuous, rather than single shot mode.  As the camera has no help built in, if I cannot set something, I need to search the manual to determine why.

I use it in a single shot and if activated it works

it would take some mental gymnastics to make it work in continuous mode 5fs, which one do you want to see?

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[jrp]

I wouldn't want to make it work in continuous mode, obviously.   But the manual isn't clear whether the camera will just ignore the setting (as I would hope) or something else will happen.

[tritentrue]

It's not necessarily anything negative mentioned in a review that dissuades a potential customer from upgrading to the latest model.  Sometimes it can be a new feature, a discontinued feature, a firmware trend, or an exclusion that makes the older model a better fit for the particular user.  Therein lies the value of @jonoslack's comprehensive reviews, more than one of which has influenced my Leica choices over the years.