Leica SL3 AF

[SrMi]

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9 minutes ago, jrp said:

Regrettably, using iAF mode, I am not seeing much of an improvement in AF performance over the SL2. The colour reproduction also needs a bit of work. If you put the Lightroom white balance eyedropper on the bright part of a cloud, you expect the rest of the pic to be balanced. It isn’t.

The tracking feature, which works as expected on a Sony, jumps around al, over the place with the SL3.

The biggest improvement over the SL2 is the ability to capture highlights without hard clipping. 

Of course, as with any camera, the SL3 has hard clippings of highlights. The clipping is determined by the exposure, which may be determined by metering and the selected metering mode. Has anyone noticed any differences in metering between SL2 and SL3?

I would not use iAF as you know better than the camera when to use AF-C or AF-S.

No, setting the balance eyedropper on the bright part of a cloud may not cause the proper white balance to be set.

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[Photoworks]

1 hour ago, SrMi said:

No, setting the balance eyedropper on the bright part of a cloud may not cause the proper white balance to be set.

Aren't all clouds a perfect gray? 🫠

[SrMi]

7 hours ago, Photoworks said:

Aren't all clouds a perfect gray? 🫠

Only depressing clouds are perfect gray ;-).

[Virob]

In this review there is a demonstration on the new “stickiness” of the Panasonic updated AF system. Looks greatly improved. Does Leica develop their own AF algorithm or is it a joint venture with Panasonic the main developer and first rights? Seems like Panasonic is always one step ahead. But this might give an indication of what can be expected in future SL firmware updates. It also makes me more curious about the S1 replacement expected later this year.

 

[Dr. G]

On 4/1/2024 at 4:03 PM, SrMi said:

No, setting the balance eyedropper on the bright part of a cloud may not cause the proper white balance to be set.

If you place the eyedropper over something that gives you equal R, G and B values you should be balanced properly.  I think that feature is only available in Lightroom Classic, though.  

[SrMi]

6 minutes ago, Dr. G said:

If you place the eyedropper over something that gives you equal R, G and B values you should be balanced properly.  I think that feature is only available in Lightroom Classic, though.  

Yes, but a cloud that looks whitish may not contain equal RGB values.

[Dr. G]

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23 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Yes, but a cloud that looks whitish may not contain equal RGB values.

Right, I was validating that point.

[jrp]

I don’t understand why the brightest, but not blown out, part of a white cloud should not be white (ie, equal rgb). 

[Dr. G]

1 minute ago, jrp said:

I don’t understand why the brightest, but not blown out, part of a white cloud should not be white (ie, equal rgb). 

Probably because it's surrounded by the sun and the blue sky which is imparting some type of color shift on it, not to mention reflecting some of the ground below.  It may not be perceptable, but it's also not completely white.    

[FlashGordonPhotography]

1 hour ago, jrp said:

I don’t understand why the brightest, but not blown out, part of a white cloud should not be white (ie, equal rgb). 

Go to the paint shop and see how many *whites* there are. Almost none of them are balanced for RGB. The one's that are closest may actually appear to have a slightly warm tone to most people. Clouds on a sunny day have far more reflected blue and so are likely quite a way out.

The SL3 colours are generally very good. A bit more magenta than the gold standard, Hasselblad's HNCS, mostly but I have tests from the last few days comparing them where the Leica bested the HB in white balance choice. So pretty good.

I have yet to do grey card testing but I expect the SL3 to perform well. It does tend to expose a but bright though.

Gordon

[Malabito]

14 hours ago, Virob said:

In this review there is a demonstration on the new “stickiness” of the Panasonic updated AF system. Looks greatly improved. Does Leica develop their own AF algorithm or is it a joint venture with Panasonic the main developer and first rights? Seems like Panasonic is always one step ahead. But this might give an indication of what can be expected in future SL firmware updates. It also makes me more curious about the S1 replacement expected later this year.

 

Is not necessarily an indicator. For example, with the Panasonic S1, the autofocus software implementation on the Panasonic camera was much better than on the SL2, for example, face detect with area selection, something that would help with the terrible implementation on the SL2. We SL2 users never got that update.

[Malabito]

It's very simple. If you can't stand the SL2 autofocus, the SL3 will continue to be bad. Improved? Yes. Great? No. It's still very lacking compared to the competition.

If you can live with the SL2 autofocus, then you will be very happy with the SL3.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

2 hours ago, Malabito said:

It's very simple. If you can't stand the SL2 autofocus, the SL3 will continue to be bad. Improved? Yes. Great? No. It's still very lacking compared to the competition.

If you can live with the SL2 autofocus, then you will be very happy with the SL3.

Do you have an SL3?

Gordon

[la1402]

3 hours ago, Malabito said:

It's very simple. If you can't stand the SL2 autofocus, the SL3 will continue to be bad. Improved? Yes. Great? No. It's still very lacking compared to the competition.

If you can live with the SL2 autofocus, then you will be very happy with the SL3.

I beg to differ. I found the SL2 AF unacceptable while the SL3 is acceptable. I agree it still falls behind what the competition could do years ago. 

[Simone_DF]

21 hours ago, Virob said:

In this review there is a demonstration on the new “stickiness” of the Panasonic updated AF system. Looks greatly improved. Does Leica develop their own AF algorithm or is it a joint venture with Panasonic the main developer and first rights? Seems like Panasonic is always one step ahead. But this might give an indication of what can be expected in future SL firmware updates. It also makes me more curious about the S1 replacement expected later this year.

When the original Sl was launched, it was advertised that it came with the Panasonic AF. So, Panasonic is the actual developer. 

I guess Leica grabs the AF core system and it adapts it to Leica bodies, but with worse results.

We'll see the same Pana improvements you are seeing today in 6-9-12 months from now, when the Leica engineers have finished screwing it up.

[frame-it]

19 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

When the original Sl was launched, it was advertised that it came with the Panasonic AF. So, Panasonic is the actual developer. 

I guess Leica grabs the AF core system and it adapts it to Leica bodies, but with worse results.

We'll see the same Pana improvements you are seeing today in 6-9-12 months from now, when the Leica engineers have finished screwing it up.

their new FW coming next week has one interesting feature >> new perspective distortion correction has also been added to address the distortion that can occur when shooting video with a wide-angle focal length.

 

on a side note, this new model is also using Panasonic tech for the lens look modes > https://petapixel.com/2024/04/10/leicas-leitz-phone-3-pairs-big-sensor-with-new-modes-but-is-japan-only/

Edited April 12, 2024 by frame-it

[geronimosan]

How many of you complaining about the SL3 AF actually own or have even picked up an SL3, or are your comments based on the regurgitated talking points/complaints of other white paper/spec sheet/pixel peeper "influencers/reviewers" around the internet?  I've spent decades shooting action/sports/wildlife with the 1Dx and D4s series, along with shooting DSLR and C300/500 video. Being used to that level of AF, I went to the local Leica store last weekend and tested out the SL3 with the 16-35, 24-90, 90-280, and a few SL primes. Changing focus distances, focusing while zooming, focusing while panning, tracking moving subjects (as quick as people are outside the store - no horse derby action on the sidewalk, I'm afraid), face detection - all was snappy and spot-on. I found no flaws with the AF, and after reading all the comments here and on other forums about suuuuuuch terrible and slow AF, comparing it to the AF I'm used to with Canon and Nikon pro action bodies I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it worked.

I see a lot of generalized and hypothetical "crap on Leica" comments in this and other threads, and usually by a few prominent and repeat anti-Leica/pro-Sony/pro-Panasonic users here, but rarely, if ever, accompanied with actual data points or actual hands-on usage experience or even any real-world application. 

I was becoming a little anxious after reading all these naysayer comments, but after getting one in my hands and testing it out myself, I am 100% confident that it will work perfectly well for me in real world photography situations.  Will it have 100% hit rate using AFC on fast moving subjects? No, but then I never had 100% hit rate with my 1Dx/D4s series bodies either.  The SL3 is a phenomenal camera with fantastic AF, and will work wonderfully well for those of us who will actually get out and shoot with it.

Edited April 12, 2024 by geronimosan

[Luke_Miller]

I read all the posts about the primitive Leica autofocus performance before I stuck my toe in the water with a used SL (Typ 601).  Initially I struggled because I set its AF up like I do on my Nikon bodies and tried to shoot it like a Nikon.  I quickly realized it was a very different animal.  Then I went to work figuring out how it really worked and have been happy with it since.  That led me to an SL2, which is better still.  As an event shooter I find the SL and SL2 autofocus performance is fine for almost all my work.  I still have a D5 and Z8 for that rare situation when I need something better.  I suspect that once the SL3 autofocus gets fully dialed in it would meet all of my needs.

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[Mikko Kankainen]

53 minutes ago, geronimosan said:

How many of you complaining about the SL3 AF actually own or have even picked up an SL3, or are your comments based on the regurgitated talking points/complaints of other white paper/spec sheet/pixel peeper "influencers/reviewers" around the internet?  I've spent decades shooting action/sports/wildlife with the 1Dx and D4s series, along with shooting DSLR and C300/500 video. Being used to that level of AF, I went to the local Leica store last weekend and tested out the SL3 with the 16-35, 24-90, 90-280, and a few SL primes. Changing focus distances, focusing while zooming, focusing while panning, tracking moving subjects (as quick as people are outside the store - no horse derby action on the sidewalk, I'm afraid), face detection - all was snappy and spot-on. I found no flaws with the AF, and after reading all the comments here and on other forums about suuuuuuch terrible and slow AF, comparing it to the AF I'm used to with Canon and Nikon pro action bodies I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it worked.

I see a lot of generalized and hypothetical "crap on Leica" comments in this and other threads, and usually by a few prominent and repeat anti-Leica/pro-Sony/pro-Panasonic users here, but rarely, if ever, accompanied with actual data points or actual hands-on usage experience or even any real-world application. 

I was becoming a little anxious after reading all these naysayer comments, but after getting one in my hands and testing it out myself, I am 100% confident that it will work perfectly well for me in real world photography situations.  Will it have 100% hit rate using AFC on fast moving subjects? No, but then I never had 100% hit rate with my 1Dx/D4s series bodies either.  The SL3 is a phenomenal camera with fantastic AF, and will work wonderfully well for those of us who will actually get out and shoot with it.

I own one and I was one of first in this topic to say I dont find it fantastic. About 10k photos now taken. 

You asked how many of you, at least me then 🙂

[Malabito]

8 hours ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

Do you have an SL3?

Gordon

No, I own a Sl2s and managed to get a sl3 to play with it for a couple of hours. I used the 35m sl apo, and a 24mm pana. My experience was with photos, not video, i don't do video, (I understand that for video the difference is indeed greater).