Ken Abrahams Posted February 26 Share #21 Posted February 26 Advertisement (gone after registration) 44 minutes ago, tom0511 said: Thomas, what I have not understood yet: Is the AF performance only better in C-AF or is it also snappier in S-AF, for example in darker light or more difficult subjects? I dont know the answers to these questions yet and will require more time however I can elaborate on a scenario that happened the other day. Sitting having coffee in the city with a friend, a favourite place with people passing on both sides. There was a couple sitting in the shadows just inside the cafe and I was espousing my excitement about the SL3S and its abilities when I tried the body eye setting in AF C in the shadows. I first of all looked into the shadows and confirmed that I could not see these people and it maybe my eyes were adjusted to outside brightness? The camera was able to grab the people sitting there including two small green eye trackers in the viewfinder. I don't apologise to my friend for being excited about the newest shiny Leica gear because he does the same when the time comes. I think someone else can answer the question, someone who reads the manual meticulously. I can vaguely remember something being said about AFc versus AFs. AFc works extremely well, I have almost run down a few batteries trying combinations and menu hopping and this is why I need more time to assess however all I know, for some reason AFC is very good and its going to focus on whatever you point it at. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 26 Posted February 26 Hi Ken Abrahams, Take a look here Who went from SL3 to SL3-s or owns both and whats your findings?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Elliot Harper Posted February 26 Share #22 Posted February 26 18 hours ago, LD_50 said: Pointless, got it. You can disagree on my point but simply dismissing it by saying pointless just proves your complacency Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MediaFotografie Posted February 26 Share #23 Posted February 26 vor 1 Stunde schrieb tom0511: Thomas, what I have not understood yet: Is the AF performance only better in C-AF or is it also snappier in S-AF, for example in darker light or more difficult subjects? Tom, I think it is more than only AFc: -AFs has much less "hunting" -AFs in strong backlight is very disappointing with all SL models - except SL3-S 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoolyproductions Posted February 26 Share #24 Posted February 26 2 hours ago, Elliot Harper said: You can disagree on my point but simply dismissing it by saying pointless just proves your complacency I think you made two points in this thread: The SL3-S is overpriced because the SL2-S is much less expensive The SL3-S is overpriced compared to any other SL camera To be fair, I do think it is valid to point out to a prospective buyer of an SL3-S that they can get (basically) the same quality of output with an SL2-S for much less money. (Although anyone buying such a camera (in my view) should be capable of doing some research and arriving at their own conclusion on that.) On the other hand, there are quite a high number of experienced photographers who have set out in this (and other) threads why they consider it to be worth the expense to them. I am not going to bother re-listing the various reasons they have given why they still consider this a significant upgrade, but I am very happy they have chosen to share their thoughts and specific experiences rather than jump in with a dogmatic, subjective, value judgement that is entirely unhelpful. If you are angry at the camera or its price, go and see a therapist 😘 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnathanLovm Posted February 28 Share #25 Posted February 28 On 2/26/2025 at 1:57 AM, Elliot Harper said: The point is SL3-S is not worth the price, comparing to any SL cameras Bro, we’re talking about Leica cameras. Price is not Leica fault but wallet. Even compared with the latest S1R II, the SL3-S still have few advantages. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted February 28 Share #26 Posted February 28 26 minutes ago, JohnathanLovm said: Bro, we’re talking about Leica cameras. Price is not Leica fault but wallet. Even compared with the latest S1R II, the SL3-S still have few advantages. For curiosity: Can you list some of these advantages? (I can think of form-factor (in my eyes/my hands) and UI/menu system). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 28 Share #27 Posted February 28 Advertisement (gone after registration) On 2/25/2025 at 6:57 PM, Elliot Harper said: The point is SL3-S is not worth the price, comparing to any SL cameras I love it when people present their opinion as an immutable fact. 💕 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnathanLovm Posted February 28 Share #28 Posted February 28 1 hour ago, helged said: For curiosity: Can you list some of these advantages? (I can think of form-factor (in my eyes/my hands) and UI/menu system). Some I can think of Long exposure: 30 minutes vs 60 seconds CAI : Yes vs No Top-down screen : Yes vs No There is other such as GPS tagging and App performance, but I didn’t play with them yet so I can’t comment about that. 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoolyproductions Posted March 1 Share #29 Posted March 1 (edited) SL3-S at ISO 12500, f2, 1/90. My SL3 is very good in similar light but I find the SL3-S files to be noticeably cleaner. I used LR Denoise set to 25. 50mm APO SL The low light advantage of the SL3-S is small but significant enough for me. And the smaller files were much quicker to process. I also noticed that the autofocus was indeed a little brisker and more reliable. Last but not least the tilting screen allowed me to get some shots over the heads of the audience when I got stuck behind the crowd. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited March 1 by hoolyproductions 4 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/419455-who-went-from-sl3-to-sl3-s-or-owns-both-and-whats-your-findings/?do=findComment&comment=5765571'>More sharing options...
hoolyproductions Posted March 1 Share #30 Posted March 1 And ISO 25000 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/419455-who-went-from-sl3-to-sl3-s-or-owns-both-and-whats-your-findings/?do=findComment&comment=5765572'>More sharing options...
hoolyproductions Posted March 1 Share #31 Posted March 1 100% crop Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/419455-who-went-from-sl3-to-sl3-s-or-owns-both-and-whats-your-findings/?do=findComment&comment=5765578'>More sharing options...
NJDtl Posted March 21 Share #32 Posted March 21 On 2/25/2025 at 10:04 AM, hoolyproductions said: I've only had my SL3-S for a couple of weeks, so am still assessing. I've had the SL3 for a few months and I absolutely adore it. I did a short landscape trip last weekend, with the 90-280mm on the SL3-S and also took the SL3 with 24-90mm. Very tentative first impressions, I found the rendering, tonality, malleability and colour very similar between the two cameras. The only real difference I could spot is what Ken Abrahams has described above - the extra resolution on the SL3 is very pleasing. I haven't yet had a chance to try the SL3-S for low light music photography, but I'm going to a gig on Thursday night so will see how it goes. In terms of low light performance (I've now shot a handful of gigs with the SL3 at around ISO 12500-25000) I am astonished by the SL3 and cannot easily see a big difference compared to my SL2-S (my main camera for the last 4 years). I am still playing with this but am not sure that low light is anymore a strong enough reason to go for the -S variant (ok, you can get 'useable' files at ISO 50,0000 but they don't look very satisfying by my standards). So I am interested to test this further - and to see if the eye detect autofocus in low light is quicker than the SL3 - this could still be a reason to prefer the SL3-S for music (and other 'people') photography. From what Ken has posted above on SL3-S AF performance this sounds encouraging, but I wonder if it still applies in very low light. Hi Which cf card are you using with the sl3-s? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightPix Posted March 21 Share #33 Posted March 21 (edited) On 2/25/2025 at 12:57 PM, Elliot Harper said: The point is SL3-S is not worth the price, comparing to any SL cameras I’m curious about your comment. I’m contemplating picking up an SL2-S or an SL3-S specifically for low-light images. The price differential between a used SL2-S and a new SL3 -S is pretty large so I need to better assess the value added by the SL3-S. I have an SL2 and it’s not that great in low light. Edited March 21 by NightPix Typos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 21 Share #34 Posted March 21 I get quite usable results @ ISO 100.000+ Topaz Photo AI on the SL2S. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoworks Posted March 21 Share #35 Posted March 21 2 hours ago, NightPix said: I’m curious about your comment. I’m contemplating picking up an SL2-S or an SL3-S specifically for low-light images. The price differential between a used SL2-S and a new SL3 -S is pretty large so I need to better assess the value added by the SL3-S. I have an SL2 and it’s not that great in low light. The SL3 and SL2s are comparable in noise, and SL3 has more details than DR. the difference is bigger in between SL2 and Sl2s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightPix Posted March 21 Share #36 Posted March 21 13 minutes ago, Photoworks said: The SL3 and SL2s are comparable in noise, and SL3 has more details than DR. Thanks for the comment! Based on what I’ve learned I think a used SL2s might be my best bet. I do like the 24 mp sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Harper Posted March 22 Share #37 Posted March 22 18 hours ago, NightPix said: Thanks for the comment! Based on what I’ve learned I think a used SL2s might be my best bet. I do like the 24 mp sensor. I don’t have SL3 so I can’t compare that with SL2S. But I have Q3/43, M10-R and M11. Among those, SL2S is the best in low light/high ISO. When I say SL3S is not worth the price, I mean you look at the price difference vs features improvement, I really don’t see a point to pay a few thousands $ more for that. I was considering to upgrade to SL3S when it came out. But when I see the specs I am really disappointed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightPix Posted March 22 Share #38 Posted March 22 40 minutes ago, Elliot Harper said: I don’t have SL3 so I can’t compare that with SL2S. But I have Q3/43, M10-R and M11. Among those, SL2S is the best in low light/high ISO. When I say SL3S is not worth the price, I mean you look at the price difference vs features improvement, I really don’t see a point to pay a few thousands $ more for that. I was considering to upgrade to SL3S when it came out. But when I see the specs I am really disappointed. Thanks very much for the insight. I agree with your assessment of SL2s vs SL3s. Whenever Leica releases a new camera, my first reaction is usually “I want that!”. That quickly got expensive so now I’ve learned it’s better to ask “What features does that new camera have that I have been wishing for, and at what cost?”. The SL3s is clearly an enhanced SL2s but the enhancements aren’t important for my applications. But for others the new features on the SL3s might be critical. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Harper Posted March 22 Share #39 Posted March 22 28 minutes ago, NightPix said: Thanks very much for the insight. I agree with your assessment of SL2s vs SL3s. Whenever Leica releases a new camera, my first reaction is usually “I want that!”. That quickly got expensive so now I’ve learned it’s better to ask “What features does that new camera have that I have been wishing for, and at what cost?”. The SL3s is clearly an enhanced SL2s but the enhancements aren’t important for my applications. But for others the new features on the SL3s might be critical. I agree and that’s why I ended up with 5 leicas in total including a couple of films. As far as I can see, SL3-S most significant enhancement is the PDAF and it supposedly has much better AF performance, which I can’t refute one way or the other. But when I look at my usage of SL2-S, more than half of the time I’m using M lenses adapted so AF doesn’t really justify the price difference of more than $3000 if I trade it in. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightPix Posted March 22 Share #40 Posted March 22 10 minutes ago, Elliot Harper said: I agree and that’s why I ended up with 5 leicas in total including a couple of films. As far as I can see, SL3-S most significant enhancement is the PDAF and it supposedly has much better AF performance, which I can’t refute one way or the other. But when I look at my usage of SL2-S, more than half of the time I’m using M lenses adapted so AF doesn’t really justify the price difference of more than $3000 if I trade it in. Ditto. If having the fastest AF, best eye recognition and highest frames per sec were really critical to my photography I’d probably just get a Sony body anyway. Thing is, I enjoy the experience of shooting with my Leica cameras and M lenses, and regret selling the ones I sold in the past. I wish I could still use an M camera but my eyes won’t cooperate. If the much rumored EVF-M ever appears, though, I’ll probably order on day 1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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