Leica Sl3 - Commercial Studio Test Notes

[PBart]

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Hello everyone, I just thought to post some notes regarding my experiences with the Sl3 in a studio setting using strobe lighting. I'm a food photographer and have been using Sl2s for the past 4 years and the Leica S system for 6 years before that. The Sl2 needed improvement from a commercial photography standpoint and I'm very pleased to report that Leica has been listening to requests when developing the SL3.

The most welcome improvement in a studio setting is the compatibility of Live View in CaptureOne. I work with food stylists who have been having a difficult time with the Sl2 Live View being rather poor in quality. Live View for the SL2 is technically not compatible with CaptureOne but it does work but with a very blurry view. The SL3 is now supported for Live View and my stylists are very happy being able to see their adjustments live on the studio monitors all much clearer. This is a HUGE deal! Thank you Leica for addressing this.

The resolution upgrade is obvious. However, the dynamic range is even more important for my work and I see an improvement with highlights and shadows.

I saw a comment about someone seeing colors shifted (red looking pink) but they were using Lightroom I think. I highly, highly suggest testing out Capture One. I switched over to Capture One 3 years ago and it was like having a quality upgrade. I just did color checker tests using my Profoto lights and everything looks very accurate. 

The usb-c cord while tethering is flawless so far. The Sl2 sometimes freezes up and then I need to pop the battery out to reset things. I have yet to heavily use the Sl3 but will find out soon if a freezing issue is there.

The usb-c cable is also powering up the SL3 while tethering and this is awesome without needing to swap batteries. The Sl2 always did a slow battery drain while tethered so it always needed to be monitored.

The menu setting will take time to get used to and this is normal for new cameras. I'll just fine tune my user profile as things arise. I usually change the right dial and thumb wheel assignments to make more sense. I like the right dial to control aperture and and rear thumb dial to control shutter speed.

Video formats and setup are yet to be determined. I have my preferred settings already setup in the video profiles. I'll have to wait and see what my video editor say as far as the processing speed with my new settings and also how well the Log files color grade.

The flip screen is really nice. I don't use it so much for viewing other than focusing and changing my settings but the tilt screen is great when the camera is way overhead for flatlays.

I don't use autofocus and use my Leicas in manual mode. I did test the autofocus and it is notably better but I'm not a good judge for that.

Overall, I'd say that Leica now has a viable camera for commercial studio work. So far I'm happy with the improvements.

[Dr. G]

Thank you for your insights.  I can't tell by your first paragraph, but do you only shoot the SL2, or do you also use the SL2-S?  I do a fair amount of food photography for my friends who own restaurants and who are suppliers, but some of it is on location and with available light instead of strobes and I rely on post processing to lift shadows, etc.  The SL2-S has worked well for this since, as you know, when getting closer up (and not overhead) I'm almost never shooting wide open in order to get the depth of field I need.  I still haven't had the chance to take the SL3 out in that capacity, but I'm curious to see how it will work.

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[PBart]

22 hours ago, Dr. G said:

Thank you for your insights.  I can't tell by your first paragraph, but do you only shoot the SL2, or do you also use the SL2-S?  I do a fair amount of food photography for my friends who own restaurants and who are suppliers, but some of it is on location and with available light instead of strobes and I rely on post processing to lift shadows, etc.  The SL2-S has worked well for this since, as you know, when getting closer up (and not overhead) I'm almost never shooting wide open in order to get the depth of field I need.  I still haven't had the chance to take the SL3 out in that capacity, but I'm curious to see how it will work.

I have a couple of SL2 bodies but haven't used the SL2-S. I think the SL2-S is better than the SL2 with higher iso and is great for handheld. I have another busy week in the studio but plan on getting outside and testing the SL3 with all my lenses. I hope it's better than the SL2 at high iso. 

I think the SL3 has great IBIS from my quick test. I'm looking forward to handheld low light photography. Handheld video will be good too.

Just waiting for Really Right Stuff to come out with their L bracket for the SL3. I have them for my SL2 cameras and love their products.