Leica S007 VS Leica SL3

[rollsman4]

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I am using the S007 and Leica S lenses. Just trying to see how the SL3 is compared to S007 in IQ  TY

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[JohnathanLovm]

Technology wise the SL3 with modern lens should be sharper than S007. 

[Jeff S]

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Edited January 24 by Jeff S

[darylgo]

David Farkas at Leica Store Miami used the S system and from what I can gather switched to the SL system, he would be able to answer your question. 

I continue to shoot my S system but it is often neglected for the SL2 with it's amazing ibis and multi shot high resolution. 

Those fabulous S lenses can be used on the SL bodies with the Leica adapter.  

Despite it's age the S007 continues to produce beautiful results when I do shoot it.  

[Stef63]

17 hours ago, JohnathanLovm said:

Technology wise the SL3 with modern lens should be sharper than S007. 

Could you explain why this is the case? Of course, there’s IBIS and other factors, but in the same setting, what makes the SL3 and a modern lens sharper than a S007 + S lens? I’m not saying it isn’t, just curious.

Also, the original question wasn’t about sharpness alone but about IQ in general, which is more subjective.

[JohnathanLovm]

1 hour ago, Stef63 said:

Could you explain why this is the case? Of course, there’s IBIS and other factors, but in the same setting, what makes the SL3 and a modern lens sharper than a S007 + S lens? I’m not saying it isn’t, just curious.

Also, the original question wasn’t about sharpness alone but about IQ in general, which is more subjective.

The lens manufacturing techniques, lens design techniques improved. As we seen the new release lenses such as Sigma 50 f/1.2 are optically better than older SL counterpart.

The new sensor and image processor also played important part on capturing and rendering image. 

[jrp]

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Yes, technically, and the Panasonic f1.4, Sony f1.2 and f1.4 50mm lenses are probably also better, but I prefer the "look" from my 50mm SL Summilux, despite the weight penalty, unless I am just doing landscapes, in which case I am probably not shooting at f1.4.  

[JeffWright]

22 hours ago, rollsman4 said:

I am using the S007 and Leica S lenses. Just trying to see how the SL3 is compared to S007 in IQ  TY

I sold my S system about a year after getting the SL2 became available. I didn't find much difference in the IQ from the SL2 vs the S007, although there is a little less noise in the SL2. S lenses were definitely stellar performers, and apart from the abysmal autofocus speed, every bit a match for the Leica L primes.  Rendition of the S primes is in someways quite similar to that of the L lenses at equivalent focal lengths. The 24-90 L zoom is superior to the 30-90 S zoom in terms of IQ (at least my copies). I've been lucky enough to have an SL3 since launch, and it's a stepwise improvement in noise and recoverability from the SL2.

[Stuart Richardson]

23 hours ago, JeffWright said:

I sold my S system about a year after getting the SL2 became available. I didn't find much difference in the IQ from the SL2 vs the S007, although there is a little less noise in the SL2. S lenses were definitely stellar performers, and apart from the abysmal autofocus speed, every bit a match for the Leica L primes.  Rendition of the S primes is in someways quite similar to that of the L lenses at equivalent focal lengths. The 24-90 L zoom is superior to the 30-90 S zoom in terms of IQ (at least my copies). I've been lucky enough to have an SL3 since launch, and it's a stepwise improvement in noise and recoverability from the SL2.

Similarly, I worked with the S006 and S3, and I switched to the SL2 and found that my results were better. The SL2 was often sharper than the S3, because the APO Summicrons are so sharp and have almost no field curvature, while the 70mm S lens is very sharp on center, but has significant field curvature that causes the edges to be less sharp in the same plane unless stopped down to f8 or so. I would hazard a guess that the 50mm APO Summicron SL is sharper across the frame at f2 than the 70mm S is at any aperture. That's how good the SL APO Summicron lenses are. None of this is to say that the S lenses are not great. They are. They have nicer bokeh and a beautiful color palette, and they are more than sharp enough for any photographic task. They were some of the best lenses ever made when they came out, and they are still incredibly appealing.

IQ is a difficult thing to define, as for some people it is very technical (sharpness, contrast, freedom from aberration, plane of focus being flat across the field etc), and for others it is about the synergy of aberrations. The sacrifice of sharpness and addition of "good" aberrations at certain apertures like spherical aberration which can improve bokeh or give a more vintage look. If you like very clean, technically perfect performance, the SL3 and APO Summicrons is probably the best 35mm camera available on that front. The S007 is a different beast, though still fully capable of superb results. I think the largest differences between the cameras are more in use than in the technical differences of image quality. The S007 is a medium format SLR. It is big, slow to focus, has no stabilization. But it has extremely good battery life, a super bright, clear and large optical viewfinder. The way the lenses draw is beautiful and the longer focal length for a given angle of view sets the images apart at times, particularly when taken at medium or wide apertures.

The SL3 on the other hand is much easier to get great results out of. The stabilization is great, focus is accurate, there is a much wider variety of lenses, and the overall experience is more modern and precise. Choosing between them is more about what kind of camera you want to use, rather than the differences in image quality.

[Stef63]

6 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

The SL3 on the other hand is much easier to get great results out of. The stabilization is great, focus is accurate, there is a much wider variety of lenses, and the overall experience is more modern and precise. Choosing between them is more about what kind of camera you want to use, rather than the differences in image quality.

I think you summed it up perfectly. IQ likely isn’t a top difference between the S007 and SL3, and that’s largely because of the superb S lenses. That said, the SL3 does offer many features that the S system lacks.

PS: I have an SL2 and did not upgrade to the SL3. Instead, I recently went the S3 route with a stable of S lenses, which are a bargain now.