SL3 deleting photos options

[hoppyman]

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Fellow SL3 uses, from a photoshoot, I typically end up with a lot of images starred by the model on review.
Using the menu, I can only see an option to delete all photos without stars.  Then I have manually remove the stars one by one to be able to delete the remainder in bulk. That's painfully slow if there are a lot of marked ones. Perhaps it was a choice by the designers, different teams, different menus?
On the Q3 for example the Play Menu offers me Delete unrated or Delete all. That seems efficient to me.
Am I missing something or has anyone else been able to use that for SL3?
Any suggestions or comments appreciated.

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[Semerka]

I do have the same question for SL2, I was going to research it.

[jaapv]

It is better practice to delete in the computer when you rate in Lightroom. When you have a habit of doing so in the camera the memory card may get fragmented in the long run. 

[hoppyman]

Thanks, Jaapv that is an option yes. I do periodically reformat the card for that reason.

In my case I use a single fast card for everything in that camera and the number of exposures is large. Recently, I have had weekly shoots averaging 800-1100 exposures each and the number of starred is in 100's.  What's changed is that I ask the models to review and choose their favourites and those marked show one star in Lightroom on import of course. Those ratings easy to manage in Lr.

Ideally for me I prefer the way delete multiple is managed in the Q3. As far as I recall that SL3 limitation wasn't present in the other systems I have used previously.
Shall ask Leica here in Australia to pass on my query and about one or two other things that changed from SL2 to SL3. Possibly, might be addressed in an update if Leica get more requests and consider them worthwhile/viable. 
 

Edited Friday at 07:29 PM by hoppyman

[Photoworks]

Strange choice.

I would never delete single photos or bulk on the camera.

so easy to make a mistake.

Plus, it is hard to make selections on a small screen

[jaapv]

14 hours ago, hoppyman said:

Thanks, Jaapv that is an option yes. I do periodically reformat the card for that reason.

In my case I use a single fast card for everything in that camera and the number of exposures is large. Recently, I have had weekly shoots averaging 800-1100 exposures each and the number of starred is in 100's.  What's changed is that I ask the models to review and choose their favourites and those marked show one star in Lightroom on import of course. Those ratings easy to manage in Lr.

Ideally for me I prefer the way delete multiple is managed in the Q3. As far as I recall that SL3 limitation wasn't present in the other systems I have used previously.
Shall ask Leica here in Australia to pass on my query and about one or two other things that changed from SL2 to SL3. Possibly, might be addressed in an update if Leica get more requests and consider them worthwhile/viable. 
 

You don’t have a backup on the second card? 

[LBJ2]

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On 10/3/2025 at 12:57 AM, hoppyman said:

Fellow SL3 uses, from a photoshoot, I typically end up with a lot of images starred by the model on review.
Using the menu, I can only see an option to delete all photos without stars.  Then I have manually remove the stars one by one to be able to delete the remainder in bulk. That's painfully slow if there are a lot of marked ones. Perhaps it was a choice by the designers, different teams, different menus?
On the Q3 for example the Play Menu offers me Delete unrated or Delete all. That seems efficient to me.
Am I missing something or has anyone else been able to use that for SL3?
Any suggestions or comments appreciated.

Just curious and as you are dealing with a more complex process compared to perhaps more casual/enthusiast use, have you tried out your in-camera file selection deletion process using the Leica FOTOS app on an iPhone or iPad compared to trying to do the same via the camera's rear screen and menu?

 

Edited Saturday at 02:24 PM by LBJ2

[hoppyman]

13 hours ago, jaapv said:

You don’t have a backup on the second card? 

I have an not inexpensive 256GB CF Express card as my primary for best possible speed saving those 80+MB original DNG files very often shot in rapid series (2-3 seconds apart) for when the model is flow posing, that is continuous movement and capturing as many as possible unique moments.
The CF Express card has a maximum write speed of 1200 MB/s and the SDXC card a quarter of that. I think that if writing to that also, the camera's write performance would be slower, so I don't write to it.  If the camera physically supported (not possible of course) two CF Express cards I would write backup copies, sure. In practice for the first time since with any earlier cameras, I see no practical delay saving when shooting multiple single exposures no matter how rapidly. Unless I am missing something there?

Of course, we all use the cameras differently. This is just what suits me best for this particular style of shooting, which is particularly demanding on the camera I know. It's not a common situation or practice

[jaapv]

I was just thinking of the security of an in-camera backup, especially for a pro.
I am not sure whether the speed of the card has an impact on the speed of.shooting. The write speed of the camera may be lower than the speed of card. In the end it comes down to the question whether you shoot fast enough consistently enough to fill up the buffer. Only experiment can tell you this. After all there are cameras shoots by quite high-speed bursts on SD. 

[hoppyman]

9 hours ago, LBJ2 said:

Just curious and as you are dealing with a more complex process compared to perhaps more casual/enthusiast use, have you tried out your in-camera file selection deletion process using the Leica FOTOS app on an iPhone or iPad compared to trying to do the same via the camera's rear screen and menu?

 

I did consider that yes and I like the Fotos App, using it with Q3. not so much the connection process reliability/speed though.
Saving maybe 80GB to the iPad iPhone each time for a backup copy, maybe is less efficient than an automated backup copy on Lr import I think

I might try install the App on an iPad too, for managing what is downloaded (as Preview/DNG) and selections/deletions is a good suggestion thanks.
I do appreciate what I am doing is atypical use of the system of course and it is not how I use the Q3 for travel/family for example. 
I just want the Q3 menu design team to go visit the team for SL3 and say see how we did it.  Haah.
Once those stars markings included on LR import are in my PC I would love to be able to remove them in bulk from the originals in camera, if that makes sense?

[hoppyman]

3 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I was just thinking of the security of an in-camera backup, especially for a pro.
I am not sure whether the speed of the card has an impact on the speed of.shooting. The write speed of the camera may be lower than the speed of card. In the end it comes down to the question whether you shoot fast enough consistently enough to fill up the buffer. Only experiment can tell you this. 

Yes, a consideration thanks jaapv and a weak point in how I am using just that one card. We have actually met at a forum meeting some time back. I have never filled the buffer shooting this way, hence the effectively instant writing to the card.  Not the case with earlier cameras/systems. I am not a pro, just recently changing how I work with the models reviewing through many exposures in camera.
thanks for your input too.

[LBJ2]

24 minutes ago, hoppyman said:

I did consider that yes and I like the Fotos App, using it with Q3. not so much the connection process reliability/speed though.
Saving maybe 80GB to the iPad iPhone each time for a backup copy, maybe is less efficient than an automated backup copy on Lr import I think

I might try install the App on an iPad too, for managing what is downloaded (as Preview/DNG) and selections/deletions is a good suggestion thanks.
I do appreciate what I am doing is atypical use of the system of course and it is not how I use the Q3 for travel/family for example. 
I just want the Q3 menu design team to go visit the team for SL3 and say see how we did it.  Haah.
Once those stars markings included on LR import are in my PC I would love to be able to remove them in bulk from the originals in camera, if that makes sense?

At a minimum selecting, culling and deleting a few or many in-camera image files can be very efficient in the FOTOS app on-the-fly sessions giving models/clients easy and pleasant access too. I've not had connectivity issues myself, but I do use fairly latest devices/firmware OS and tend to be a bit more technically inclined. But also..."never say never" 

Edited yesterday at 12:16 AM by LBJ2

[hoppyman]

On 10/4/2025 at 9:09 AM, Photoworks said:

Strange choice.

I would never delete single photos or bulk on the camera.

so easy to make a mistake.

Plus, it is hard to make selections on a small screen

Not quite what I am doing thanks. Perhaps I didn't explain clearly

In camera initial selections marked on previews. Very difficult to judge accurately, I agree.
Once I have multiple copies in my system I later want to delete files from the CF Express card.
The complication is how the SL3 later manages deletions from the card
Perhaps that is clearer?

Edited yesterday at 12:51 AM by hoppyman
clarity

[hoppyman]

19 minutes ago, LBJ2 said:

At a minimum selecting, culling and deleting a few or many in-camera image files can be very efficient in the FOTOS app on-the-fly sessions giving models/clients easy and pleasant access too. I've not had connectivity issues myself, but I do use fairly latest devices/firmware OS and tend to be a bit more technically inclined. But also..."never say never" 

Perhaps getting into another discussion about Fotos App and my recent personal experiences with it while travelling with the Q3 43 and iPhone 16.
Keeping fingers crossed for you also.

[hoppyman]

And a solution is that I realised now of course is that I don't need to delete individually or in bulk the images actually in camera at all (which is fine for normal use). Once I had saved multiple copies, I just deleted in bulk via the card reader in computer. I left the last file on the card to assist in preserving for now the folder structure and file numbering.
Couldn't see the forest for the trees. Thanks all for your contributions to the discussion.

Edited yesterday at 01:22 AM by hoppyman

[MikeZ]

On 10/3/2025 at 7:09 PM, Photoworks said:

Strange choice.

I would never delete single photos or bulk on the camera.

so easy to make a mistake.

Plus, it is hard to make selections on a small screen

I have to agree.  I'm overly conscious of deleting the wrong image and then having no recourse.  On a PC/Mac there is always the trash/recycle bin to recover an errant image. 

[jaapv]

You can always recover the image from the card by dedicated software.