Trading SL2-S for SL3

[hellobrandonscott]

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I shot just about 200,000 photos last year alone, I can't imagine repeating that this year but tripling the storage requirements. SL3-S hold out right here!

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, hellobrandonscott said:

I shot just about 200,000 photos last year alone, I can't imagine repeating that this year but tripling the storage requirements. SL3-S hold out right here!

SL3's DNG files are smaller than SL2-S's DNG files (40MB vs 45MB).

[LocalHero1953]

48 minutes ago, SrMi said:

SL3's DNG files are smaller than SL2-S's DNG files (40MB vs 45MB).

Is that before or after editing in LR? (For either)

[Ken Abrahams]

I will hopefully receive SL3 in April and intend to sell the SL2 maybe? Mine is one year old in April. Of course, I will keep the SL2S Reporter model. The BSI sensor is great and to have one at 60mp will be awesome. The rest I’m assuming there will be workarounds and upgrades for SL3 still to come. 

[SrMi]

24 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Is that before or after editing in LR? (For either)

After import to LrC and maybe none or some minor editing. I have sidecars turned off, original DNGs should not have been changed by LrC

[Luke_Miller]

I'm hoping to add an SL2s to pair with my SL2.  So looking forward to the SL3 trade-ins 😃.

[Camaro5]

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I had considered doing a 3 for 2 trade.  An SL2-S, a Q2, and a Q2M for an SL3 and a Q3.  Didn't pull the trigger, though.  Crunching the numbers made it impractical since my 3 cameras are still pretty new, and you always have to wonder if what you end up with will be that much better than what you have.  

I like my gear and have no issues with it.  Like a lot of us, I'm prone to the new gear syndrome but in this case, my wallet won out.  So far.  If I hadn't just bought a car in December it might've been a different story.  

[Printmaker]

Yes, GAS can be a problem. I got my SL2S about 16 months ago and love the results. Yet I wonder if 60 mp will make that much of a difference. Probably. I still do the occasional art reproduction shoot and the pixel shift of the SL2S does make a huge difference. So I tell myself, wait until the SL3 has pixel shift and then pull the trigger. But then again I’m going to want a new APO Summicron. Yep, GAS is a problem.

[Camaro5]

I didn't mention it, but I use the pixel shift on my SL2-S a lot in my landscapes with the APO 35.  The results are awesome.  I can print up to A3+ (13x19 inches) and on Red River Polar Gloss Metallic paper it looks like metal halide.  I've recently been doing some focus stacking and that looks great as well.  What I want to try next is focus stacking in multishot mode, but I may end up blowing up my computer in the proces.  

[LeicaR10]

Tjazz,   I must totally agree with Kneeshp with his Post #2.  I found out long ago the perils of the GAS trap with "upgrading".  I have been in GAS rehab three times, then discovered there is no cure.  Personally I found listing pros and cons for a camera "upgrade" really got down to answering the basic question;  What will this new camera do for my photography that I cannot do now?  Often the honest answer is I really did not need to "upgrade".  My present gear continued to meet my clients requirements or exceeded them. Plus there is the age old question of "Wanting and Needing".  Again, it gets down to do I really NEED the new upgrade or do I WANT the new upgrade.  Discipline and honesty to self, are key in making the right decision.  Last, I got sage advice from my Leica dealer long ago...Wait for at least 6 months before trading or buying any "new" gear. Reason being, the users who jump in early will find the bugs and issues with the "upgrade".  Case in point, I really thought I NEEDED the M11.  But didn't wait to read the REAL test reviews like those of Reid Reviews and a few others and issues discovered by forum members.  It was a COSTLY mistake for me.  The M11 and variants have suffered a list of issues.  In my niche of landscape photography; I must have reliable gear when I am out hiking in mountainous country or in jungles etc.  I realized the M11 wasn't for me and went back to the M10-R and M10-M.  I will remain there for quite some time.  Just my opinions and advice.   r/ Mark

Edited March 14, 2024 by LeicaR10

[hellobrandonscott]

4 hours ago, SrMi said:

SL3's DNG files are smaller than SL2-S's DNG files (40MB vs 45MB).

Whoa, really? How is that possible? My Q2 files are 2x my SL2-S files.

[hansvons]

14 hours ago, Tjazz said:

Any SL2-S owners trading in for the SL3?

 

I don’t, and the reason is simple. The SL3 does not mirror the SL2-S use cases, which is the ability to shoot in (almost) any environment with the best possible results on the expense of resolution. The same can be said about the SL2-S video capabilities, which are pretty good for a hybrid camera, and not-so-great with the SL3 due to the low read-out speeds of its high-resolution sensor. 

Basically, we are comparing apples with oranges. But if you changed your mind and now prefer oranges, I’d swap. 

[Stuart Richardson]

Agreed. It seems a bit interesting to me to change from the SL2S to the SL3...The SL2S strengths are its video and low ISO performance, which are still better than the SL3. Meanwhile, 24 to 60mp is a huge jump and most people who chose the SL2S over the SL2 talked about how resolution was not important to them. The SL2 to SL3 is a more natural upgrade if you find that you need it. I would encourage you to wait a bit as Mark suggested. If nothing else, there may be an SL3S in a year or two that is a more 1 to 1 upgrade.

[nicci78]

Just use the Lightroom "update metadata" function to compress losslessly the DNG. That way SL2 files will be smaller than SL3 which may already be compressed losslessly inside the body.

If someone has both cameras, just make a test with a dozen DNG of the same set of photos between SL2 and SL3 and compare their average sizes after updating their metadata inside LRC

I am curious about the results.

Edited March 14, 2024 by nicci78

[davidmknoble]

I am excited about the SL3 and will keep the SL2-S with it, letting go of the SL2.  The SL2-S is a great camera and I really enjoy the files from it.  I also enjoy the M11 files and the ability to set the DNG size allows small fast image generation and slower larger images.  

Most of my work is at the coast, which means wind and ocean waves. I use slower shutter speeds in the 1/4 to 30 second range, so IBIS is useless.  In fact, IBIS is only good for fairly still subjects.  If my shutter speed is so slow that I get camera shake, then the subject would be blurry anyway and IBIS doesn’t fix that.  In addition, the multi-shot combination in the SL2-S doesn’t work with moving subjects well (wind, waves).

I see the SL3 as the best of the SL2-S, the M11 and the S3, with lenses to back it up.  I also happen to use the Hasselblad X2D, which also takes the CFe B cards, so the SL3 helps me take a set of memory cards that will now be cross-compatible.

All of the other stuff in the SL3, the tilt screen, the extra dial, doesn’t matter to me - I can take it or leave it.  The only thing I really wish Leica had done was keep the body size the same.  Each SL version changes size, so my Really Right Stuff brackets and the handgrips all need swapped out.  With the M, my brackets and cases work from my M3 up to my MP (film) and the M10 forward.  The constant need to swap accessories is a pain.

I’ll keep both and use the SL2-S with more of the longer focal lengths where I don’t have to crop as much (and I also use many of the R lenses like the APO 70-180 f/2.8, the 80-200 f/4, and the APO 280 f/2.8) which will do well with either body.

[davidmknoble]

6 hours ago, hellobrandonscott said:

Whoa, really? How is that possible? My Q2 files are 2x my SL2-S files.

Likely in camera compression of DNG files.  New Masestro chip means faster processing. Just guessing, don’t know yet, but hope to have a copy to test end of this month.

[Tjazz]

Helpful discussion guys. A couple of points and a technical question: First, I once had the SL2 and then traded it for the SL2-S for the better low light potential and more appealing color rendering. Second, hello my name is Tom and I’m a gear-a-holic.  I’m the same way with guitars and skis. Your responses are good therapy. I currently have the SL2-S and enjoy it with the 24-90 and the Apo 35. Plus I have the Q3 and Q2 Mono. If anything the mono has become a bit redundant with the Q3’s excellent mono rendering. My question: I shoot mostly outdoor nature and landscape with my SL2-S, primarily golden hours. Never tried multishot. How do you deal with nature’s subtle movements such as a leaf fluttering or a flower swaying?. Must the subject be completely still? If I can take advantage of this feature I can probably get the resolution I need without the SL3. Thanks. 

Edited March 14, 2024 by Tjazz

[SrMi]

9 hours ago, hellobrandonscott said:

Whoa, really? How is that possible? My Q2 files are 2x my SL2-S files.

SL3 probably generates lossless compressed DNGs, while previous models generate uncompressed DNGs.

 

[helged]

54 minutes ago, Tjazz said:

Helpful discussion guys. A couple of points and a technical question: First, I once had the SL2 and then traded it for the SL2-S for the better low light potential and more appealing color rendering. Second, hello my name is Tom and I’m a gear-a-holic.  I’m the same way with guitars and skis. Your responses are good therapy. I currently have the SL2-S and enjoy it with the 24-90 and the Apo 35. Plus I have the Q3 and Q2 Mono. If anything the mono has become a bit redundant with the Q3’s excellent mono rendering. My question: I shoot mostly outdoor nature and landscape with my SL2-S, primarily golden hours. Never tried multishot. How do you deal with nature’s subtle movements such as a leaf fluttering or a flower swaying?. Must the subject be completely still? If I can take advantage of this feature I can probably get the resolution I need without the SL3. Thanks. 

Hi Tom. No multishot on SL3, yet. But it may come though a later FW update. Regarding multishot as implementerd by Leica, SL2 and SL2-S required tripod (as you know). Movement in the scene will lead to 'degraded' image quality, so static scenes are preferable. The 60 mp SL3 sensor, coupled with eg the SL APO primes, give files with outstandingly detail and sharpness. 

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[Camaro5]

I've never tried multishot mode on a windy day, but the SL2-S will not let you take the shot if it detects movement.  Maybe it would work better using a fast shutter speed?  That usually works when not using multishot mode.  

It would be an interesting experiment.