Official Leica Statement: Leica SL3 Issues

[Ko.Fe.]

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10 hours ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

Again. I was not referring to you.

Yes. Leica has ambassadors. I know half a dozen personally. All working professionals. I am not and would not be as Leica will not be my only system.

Last weekend I had dinner with Stephen DuPont. Leica ambassador, World press Photo winner. Robert Capra gold medal winner. And a dozen other awards. And a simply great human. Each Leica country website lists their ambassadors, which currently includes Steve McCurry among others. Not that hard to find actually. Here are the Aussies.

https://leica-store.com.au/ambassadors?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-uK0BhC0ARIsANQtgGMzocBvOlnYT4lbHxqkIOSQoheX1QD3Ckf-ORAfEwSOUK7jvR4lby8aAkotEALw_wcB

Gordon

Actually, it is hard to find. For Canada. Country which helped Leica as company. 

Nor where are Leica web sites for Canada and Belgium. Both countries I was, living now. Can't find Leica Australia, either. Just a store. 

Canon has not just a web-sites in Canada and Belgium in comparison. 

And their Canadian ambassadors listed clearly. 

My Canadians Leica Ambassadors to me, while in Canada, were Jerry Smith and Bodo. Both are ex-Midland technicians. After Bodo passed away, his son Alex sold remaining Leica Midland parts stock to D.A.G. in USA. 

Now if you are in Canada, for Leica service it has to go to USA. 

G7 country with larger population than Australia. 

This is why I really never seen any pro with Leica where. Couple of big names from the film only era, gone few years ago...

[FlashGordonPhotography]

7 hours ago, BernardC said:

I totally agree that the fix should have come by now, but I doubt that Leica are taking their time.

If it was easy, it would have been fixed by now. We know that the SL3 uses an all-new technical architecture, co-developed with Panasonic. Previous SLs used the "Maestro" processor, sourced from Fujitsu. An all-new architecture means that all hardware-level libraries and routines have changed (BIOS and drivers). Typically, hardware-level code is supplied by the hardware vendor. Even Apple licenses most of their architecture from ARM, as does every other significant smartphone maker. I don't know what kind of chip(s) Panasonic and Leica use, but the situation would be the same.

One of the first questions raised when a new bug crops-up is "what's changed?" In this case everything has changed, other than high-level code (if they were able to re-compile it for the new architecture). It's very likely that the bug itself is hidden deep in a third-party hardware library, and the vendor does not feel the same sense of urgency as Leica does, for two reasons: Leica's orders are counted in thousands, not millions, and most modern devices don't let you pull the battery when they are running.

Question: has anyone reproduced this bug on an S5ii?

I haven’t tried. But since the S5ii has a physical off switch it’s not as easy to do it accidentally. On the SL3 it took repeated deliberate attempts for me to reproduce the bug. I did eventually. 

Mind you looks like a fix is here for the SL3.

Gordon

[FlashGordonPhotography]

1 hour ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Actually, it is hard to find. For Canada. Country which helped Leica as company. 

Nor where are Leica web sites for Canada and Belgium. Both countries I was, living now. Can't find Leica Australia, either. Just a store. 

Canon has not just a web-sites in Canada and Belgium in comparison. 

And their Canadian ambassadors listed clearly. 

My Canadians Leica Ambassadors to me, while in Canada, were Jerry Smith and Bodo. Both are ex-Midland technicians. After Bodo passed away, his son Alex sold remaining Leica Midland parts stock to D.A.G. in USA. 

Now if you are in Canada, for Leica service it has to go to USA. 

G7 country with larger population than Australia. 

This is why I really never seen any pro with Leica where. Couple of big names from the film only era, gone few years ago...

Yes, well, you weren’t specifying any specific countries. I’m sure Leica has many countries without stores or ambassadors. Leica had a pretty vibrant community here before the Germans took over directly. SO it was a pretty seamless transition to have stores and galleries here. New one just opened in Melbourne which I must visit.

OTOH you can overnight ship from that big country down south (the name slips my mind…) of Canada or drive to Wetzlar from Belgium. We don’t have that option here.

Gordon

[Ko.Fe.]

10 hours ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

Yes, well, you weren’t specifying any specific countries. I’m sure Leica has many countries without stores or ambassadors. Leica had a pretty vibrant community here before the Germans took over directly. SO it was a pretty seamless transition to have stores and galleries here. New one just opened in Melbourne which I must visit.

OTOH you can overnight ship from that big country down south (the name slips my mind…) of Canada or drive to Wetzlar from Belgium. We don’t have that option here.

Gordon

Driving three hours just to bring it... Do they even have walk-in counter for service? Nothing is  mentioned. https://leica-camera.com/en-SG/contact?country_code=DE

Shipping overnight is no reason. It took months to repair of my digital Leica and get it back to Canada. 

No progress tracking, no bill of service. Nothing.

For the rig I'm dependant on, I won't touch Leica with a 10 foot pole.

It is strictly for my own pleasure.  

Files overwritten, no biggy.

Leica is passion.

Passion has no practical reasons.  

 

[jaapv]

Yes. Long gone are the days that one could walk into a local Leica branch and have a technician fix the camera while you watched. Fond memories of Odin in the next village to mine. Or the piece of paper on the bulletin board of Leica Solms CS advising a one week turnaround. But yes, Leica CS Wetzlar does have a walk-in desk. 

[BernardC]

16 hours ago, Ko.Fe. said:

This is why I really never seen any pro with Leica where. Couple of big names from the film only era, gone few years ago...

I know a few Canadian pros in the wedding industry.

[Jeff S]

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2 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I think there is a patch out for SL3

https://leica-camera.com/en-US/photography/cameras/sl/sl3-black/downloads#

Post #294 from LUF.

Separate thread here…

Jeff

Edited July 19, 2024 by Jeff S

[lanetomlane]

On 7/16/2024 at 5:16 PM, jaapv said:

I just took ten images on my SL201, pulled the battery with the red light still flashing, reinserted and took ten more images. None was lost, numbering was intact.

Do you mean SL601? I don't remember a 201.

[jaapv]

Yup. Typo. I’ll orrect. 

[JohnSantaF4]

I’m going to hold off an SL-3.

[JTLeica]

20 minutes ago, JohnSantaF4 said:

I’m going to hold off an SL-3.

What are you holding off for?

[jaapv]

2 hours ago, JohnSantaF4 said:

I’m going to hold off an SL-3.

+1. Too many MP, too expensive for what it is offering. 

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

+1. Too many MP, too expensive for what it is offering. 

Those high MPs eliminate false colors, example 24MP (S5II) vs 60MP (a7rV):

 

 

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[jaapv]

Yes, that is common knowledge since we went from 1MP to 2MP and exactly what I said in my post. However colour aliasing varies with the software and is only very occasionally a problem in real life. And easily eliminated in post too. And then we have pixel shift as an extra tool plus AI programs like Adobe Enhance and Topaz Gigapixel…

[Kim Dahl]

You're right. I have been accredited for well over 100 of the regiments in 35 years. 30 years as a photojournalist. It has been royal events, sports (which I know is not Leica) and all sorts of press events. Never, ever, have I seen a colleague (who makes a living from photography) use a Leica as the camera they make the pictures they have to make a living from. Not that it can't be done. Today, a press photo will be taken with the iPhone. But Leica has never been a professional choice where I have come. But I have seen a lot of people with the M6 - in the old days - and today the Leica Q. But only as a supplement to Nikon, Canon and Sony in the digital age. Leica really needs to watch out for Sony and Nikon because they have opened up their Mount and for which Voigtlander makes excellent manual lenses. And look at the new world-class Canon R5 ii auto fokus - SL3 is a niche camera. I have had - first M6 and today MD, ME and Leica Q3. (actually also the TL2 and the lenses) but I'm not selling because the prices are so low. (The stupidest decision by Leica to drop the CL and that system) But one day I most  up the courage to do it - close my eyes and take the big loss. That was my SL/TL trip. The SL3 - it's a user-friendly camera - heavy but with errors that just shouldn't happen - and not for me. 

[IkarusJohn]

On 7/21/2024 at 6:39 AM, JohnSantaF4 said:

I’m going to hold off an SL-3.

My SL(601) takes images today as nice as the day I bought it.  I see no reason to even consider replacing it til it dies.  I’d like the new Ducati Multistrada, with its V4, adaptive cruise control, radar and auto hold (among other things), but my 2013 version runs as it should and I have personalised it.

There’s always a newer, better model, but little point in upgrading (unless what you bought in the first place is a dud - eg, the original Leica T).

[FlashGordonPhotography]

People upgrade cameras for lots of reasons. And really, it’s no one’s business to tell them they made a good or bad decision. It’s their decision to make. Even if that reason is they like shiny stuff. Go for it. It’s a bit bizarre to me that a Leica SL2-S owner will state there’s no *logical* reason to get an SL3. There’s no logical reason to buy a SL2-S in the first place. Logic is a Panasonic S5. Desire is a SL2-S. You can go on about menus and colour science. All real. But a S5 makes the same images as the SL2-S. Buy the SL3 or don’t. But it’s only your reasons for that choice that matter. I had my reasons but they’re irrelevant to anyone else really and should be treated as such. Someone asks *should I buy a SL3?* and a dozen people tell them they don’t need it. *Need* a leica? And how would they know what someone else needs anyway. That need might be as simple as pride of ownership. Leicas are almost exclusively wants not needs. Leica’s are an emotional purchase. then there are pages defending that emotional purchase with logic. Hilarious.

As for how many working photographers use them? Who cares? It’s marketing. Leicas are expensive. Of course most working shooters will choose something more sensible. Margins and all that. And if you’re that well known in the photo community you have a deal with brand X anyway. Marketing. It is more telling how many working journos have an M or Q as a a personal camera IMHO. Not to mention Leica is growing. More Leica photographers now than there was 5 years ago and likely more again in 5 more. While the camera market was in free fall Leica grew. We judge a cameras capability based on who shoots with it as if the camera is responsible for good photography? And we’re basically saying at the same time they’re good photographers because they use a specific type of gear! Give me a break.

Looking forward to the SL4 so all I need is a SL3.

Gordon

[Coral Palm]

@FlashGordon—well said and spot on.

[IkarusJohn]

I can’t honestly say I need the 3 M cameras, SL, TL2 or the two Hasselblads I have (not even counting the lenses to go with them).  And I have no issue with anyone wanting new shiny stuff (I have 4 bicycles).  But I do have a (personal) problem with upgrades.  I prefer to research what works, then use it as designed til it dies - there’s a personal satisfaction when something is just worn out, having done everything on the tin; and real disappointment, verging on rage, when something perfectly good, built (and priced) to last runs out of spares and can’t be repaired.

Just me.  Others can row their own boat as they please, without adverse judgment from me.  I enjoy their enthusiasm.

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[jaapv]

 Not just you John. 😉