Leica SL3 - My third Leica SL in a decade

[Kristian Dowling]

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Hi everyone, hope you're doing well. I don't write a lot of reviews these days due to lack of time, but this one I had many requests for.

There are a lot of SL3 reviews out currently, but many were done in a rush to be first. Mine has been written and created since before its launch.

I hope you'll find something helpful.

Part 1:

https://kristiandowling.com/blog/2024/5/31/leica-sl-3-my-third-leica-sl-in-almost-10-years

Part 2:

https://kristiandowling.com/blog/2024/5/31/leica-sl3-my-third-leica-sl-in-almost-a-decade-part-2

 

All the best, kD.

[hoolyproductions]

Thanks for the very interesting review. Your sample images are absolutely outstanding, nice!

I was interested on the segment you did on the 28mm APO, and curious how you use this in relation to your 35mm ASPH. The two focal lengths are quite close and the 28 APO can readily be cropped to 35mm - what are you thoughts on that, how do they coexist for you? I guess main advantage of the 35mm ASPH is it is so light and easy to carry together with other lenses.

I ask because I am considering both of these lenses (that is, one or the other).

[Photoworks]

Good images, and well well-written. Better than I ever could!

But more than a long-term review it reads like a marketing test. and avoiding the many bugs that have been frustrating me.

SL2 was a very stable camera when it came out, unlike the SL3. Using daily for work has been challenging and often brings me back to using the SL2.
My hope is that we don't have to wait 2 years to resolve all the issues.

I suppose VIDEO is not in your interest, and very little has been reported on this camera for moving image quality and functionality.

 

 

[LBJ2]

3 hours ago, Kristian Dowling said:

Hi everyone, hope you're doing well. I don't write a lot of reviews these days due to lack of time, but this one I had many requests for.

There are a lot of SL3 reviews out currently, but many were done in a rush to be first. Mine has been written and created since before its launch.

I hope you'll find something helpful.

Part 1:

https://kristiandowling.com/blog/2024/5/31/leica-sl-3-my-third-leica-sl-in-almost-10-years

Part 2:

https://kristiandowling.com/blog/2024/5/31/leica-sl3-my-third-leica-sl-in-almost-a-decade-part-2

 

All the best, kD.

Thank you for providing a direct shutter sound comparison between the SL3 and the SL2-S--very useful and interesting! 

[Liehn Jean-Claude]

The light glows in different colours to indicate whether the camera is on, off, or in standby mode.

... ?

[Photoworks]

2 minutes ago, Liehn Jean-Claude said:

The light glows in different colours to indicate whether the camera is on, off, or in standby mode.

... ?

the colors are green, white, and red, just like the Italian flag.

I would refer to the manual, but. green is a fully charged battery, white is on, and red indicates a timer or an issue.

[jbb]

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thanks a lot Kristian for a realistic review and above all very honest.

after few weeks with the SL3 I could not agree more

[SrMi]

5 hours ago, Photoworks said:

Good images, and well well-written. Better than I ever could!

But more than a long-term review it reads like a marketing test. and avoiding the many bugs that have been frustrating me.

SL2 was a very stable camera when it came out, unlike the SL3. Using daily for work has been challenging and often brings me back to using the SL2.
My hope is that we don't have to wait 2 years to resolve all the issues.

I suppose VIDEO is not in your interest, and very little has been reported on this camera for moving image quality and functionality.

 

What kind of issues do you have with your SL3? Mine has been very stable and reliable.

[hdmesa]

5 hours ago, Photoworks said:

the colors are green, white, and red, just like the Italian flag.

I would refer to the manual, but. green is a fully charged battery, white is on, and red indicates a timer or an issue.

And pulsing green during charging.

[BillCB]

Great review and it mirrors my own thoughts - though I prefer the APO 35 SL which is perhaps the best lens I've ever used!

[hoppyman]

Thanks very much for a well thought out, clear and useful review based on actual professional experience over some months.

[Kristian Dowling]

14 hours ago, hoolyproductions said:

Thanks for the very interesting review. Your sample images are absolutely outstanding, nice!

I was interested on the segment you did on the 28mm APO, and curious how you use this in relation to your 35mm ASPH. The two focal lengths are quite close and the 28 APO can readily be cropped to 35mm - what are you thoughts on that, how do they coexist for you? I guess main advantage of the 35mm ASPH is it is so light and easy to carry together with other lenses.

I ask because I am considering both of these lenses (that is, one or the other).

Thanks, I appreciate your feedback.

The easiest way to explain the differences between the two is the look and feel that relates mostly to the perspective/compression vs framing. Most people compare the framing, or which to me, is very different. That is why I use them both. I would say I reach for the 28mm more when I am shooting without restriction. The dynamic nature of the extra framing enables me to fit more while being closer, whereas the 35mm images look a little more traditional in nature and closer to a natural perspective. In terms of compression, we see a pretty big difference as the 28mm pushes you further back, requiring you to move forward even more, but if you get it right (and control tilting/distortion), I believe the image will look more dynamic.

Put simply, both lenses can substitute for each other, however, there is enough between them for me to justify using both regularly. In terms of quality, I'd say they're on par 95%, with a slight edge going to the 35mm. Hope this helps

 

kD.

[Kristian Dowling]

12 hours ago, Photoworks said:

Good images, and well well-written. Better than I ever could!

But more than a long-term review it reads like a marketing test. and avoiding the many bugs that have been frustrating me.

SL2 was a very stable camera when it came out, unlike the SL3. Using daily for work has been challenging and often brings me back to using the SL2.
My hope is that we don't have to wait 2 years to resolve all the issues.

I suppose VIDEO is not in your interest, and very little has been reported on this camera for moving image quality and functionality.

 

 

You're not wrong, I am a Leica ambassador, so there is a biased perspective coming through I admit.

I agree that some of the quirks have been frustrating, and I do touch on them, but not in great detail of course.

The biggest issue for me has been the resolution of the viewfinder when critical focusing M lenses - many SL2-S is much sharper and so easy to distinguish focus from unsharp focus.

Luckily, I did not have any issues losing images, which I believe has now been resolved.

While I do a little video, it isn't something I focus on so would rather video experts comment on this area.

Edited August 16, 2024 by Kristian Dowling

[Kristian Dowling]

8 hours ago, jbb said:

thanks a lot Kristian for a realistic review and above all very honest.

after few weeks with the SL3 I could not agree more

Glad to hear that, thank you and all the best with the new camera

[Kristian Dowling]

1 hour ago, BillCB said:

Great review and it mirrors my own thoughts - though I prefer the APO 35 SL which is perhaps the best lens I've ever used!

The best lens Leica has ever made, period. Ive used the incredible M version as well, and the SL is clearly better. 

[Kristian Dowling]

1 hour ago, hoppyman said:

Thanks very much for a well thought out, clear and useful review based on actual professional experience over some months.

You're very welcome, thanks for reading it.

[Photoworks]

9 hours ago, Kristian Dowling said:

You're not wrong, I am a Leica ambassador, so there is a biased perspective coming through I admit.

I agree that some of the quirks have been frustrating, and I do touch on them, but not in great detail of course.

The biggest issue for me has been the resolution of the viewfinder when critical focusing M lenses - many SL2-S is much sharper and so easy to distinguish focus from unsharp focus.

Luckily, I did not have any issues losing images, which I believe has now been resolved.

While I do a little video, it isn't something I focus on so would rather video experts comment on this area.

My views are probably biased too, and I like the company to have success. I suppose they are successful since the SL3 are coming into the store in a very low number. they can't even produce enough.

My latest issue is flash photography with SF60 and in the middle of the shoot Summicron-SL APO auto updates.

after about 20 min of shooting the SF 60 stopped working, I replaced it, and nothing. you have to unmount everything and restart the camera, readout lens, and flash and it works again. It is a software crash in the camera. I went back to shooting SL2 for many jobs.

I hope some of the problems get addressed in firmware soon, and don't take 2 years like the last time.

Happy shooting everyone!

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

My views are probably biased too, and I like the company to have success. I suppose they are successful since the SL3 are coming into the store in a very low number. they can't even produce enough.

My latest issue is flash photography with SF60 and in the middle of the shoot Summicron-SL APO auto updates.

after about 20 min of shooting the SF 60 stopped working, I replaced it, and nothing. you have to unmount everything and restart the camera, readout lens, and flash and it works again. It is a software crash in the camera. I went back to shooting SL2 for many jobs.

I hope some of the problems get addressed in firmware soon, and don't take 2 years like the last time.

Happy shooting everyone!

Based on reading the forum, that issue seems unique to your camera. Sorry to hear about it, must be annoying. Have you tried cleaning the lens contacts on the camera? What did Leica say?

[hdmesa]

11 hours ago, Kristian Dowling said:

...

The biggest issue for me has been the resolution of the viewfinder when critical focusing M lenses - many SL2-S is much sharper and so easy to distinguish focus from unsharp focus.

...

I've seen an improvement by changing the EVF refresh rate from 60 to 120 fps, which also makes viewing much more fluid and enjoyable to use in all situations. Not sure of the impact on battery life yet, if any. 

Loved the photos in your article. And the feeling of not being rushed really comes through in the writing. The shot of Mt. Fuji with the temple in the foreground was my favorite.

I don't see a lot of samples with the APOs that have more neutral processing like you used, which to my eye preserves the bokeh character of these lenses as intended by Leica.

Edited August 16, 2024 by hdmesa
for clarity

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Hallo,

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[Stuart Richardson]

Thanks for the review, it was quite interesting!

Edited August 16, 2024 by Stuart Richardson
realized no one cares about my very personal use case, lol