To your point, Leica needs to copy what Nikon ZF did with their manual focus system. Nikon allows for eye detect in manual focus so when you punch in it's already at the subjects eye, with the box turning green as well to give focus indication. They also allow for trap focus so the camera automatically triggers the shutter when your manual focus hits focus. I feel like Leica and every other company need to adopt this, makes too much sense.
Canon also does it really well. It shows you how far off your focus is next to the focus square without the need to zoom in. It also works with subject detection so you can focus on a person's eye really easily. And it works with fully manual focus lenses as long as they have electronic contacts like the new Vogtländer lenses for Canon RF.
@@iamtesting3824 it's more of a visual aid for people who want to work quickly or those who have trouble seeing the focus area with the naked eye. It's a great idea
Hello Ted. I think one of the big advanteges of the SL-system is that you can use the older Leica-R-lenses with the ROM-mount and the dedicated adapter with full funktionality excluding autofokus. But these lenses are mechanicly so well made that it is a joy to use in manual fokusing. And they are, although covering the full frame not that bulky as the new lens line up. I am using the Leica M system and the reflex Leicas for ages and I am quite happy that Leica provides this continuity in the use of equipment. The most exciting thing is for me when I go out with having an analoge Leica M and the digital one in my camerabag with only one set of lenses that fits to both. Great stuff. Best regards and cheers from Germany, Greg from „analoginsights“
Yeah I do love shooting my other vintage lenses with my SL2 but the SL3 is not a big advantage for me since I shoot manual focus for everything but wildlife.
I just posted a comment on Gajan's review asking about manual focus aides. That would be a killer feature of the SL cameras for me. I have a Zf, and with the Z mount Voigtlander lenses you get focus confirmation with a green square. Also if you use the TT Artisans 6bit adapter you get the focus confirmation with M lenses AND any other lens you adapt to M mount. This has been incredible for me as an M11 owner. I'd switch to the SL system if this was a feature they had! I believe Canon also has focus confirmation for manual focusing...
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You are absolutely right. The SL3 could get (even better) functions with Leica M lenses. For M users, it would make the jump to ALSO buying eb SL much easier. I look forward to a video if you can come up with good ideas for improvements. Maybe you could reveal a few here?
i may be in the minority but i found i really love tilt screens for a modern shoot from the chest style, both for street and just for being lazy. hopefully the P version is blacked out in the front. thanks for the quick and to the point review as always.
Excellent presentation. It was good to see you in Leigh’s presentation. It looked like Justin Mott at the table, too, and I know Hugh was around. It has been great comparing all your ideas. Leica UK arranged a “do” at Gleneagles for about 10 people, some of whom I regularly watch. But they clearly have an excellent product to present, and I’m so glad they found a way to invite you all to these presentation events. For the moment, I’ll stick with my SL2-S = which suits me really well. Having said that, I’m very grateful for the judgements you’ve shared here!
Sony sensor, phase detect from Panasonic, what's left from Leica? I have too many Leica cameras and lenses, but lately I feel Leica is going towards the direction of major camera makers direction. Sad
Nikon Zf + Leica M lens is a very good combo and got most if not all the modern manual focus features. The downside is a 24 MP sensor (therefore, more like a SL2S with modern features).
@@ofeykalakar1I don't know where you live, but I'd recommend snapping up a Z8 if you can then: over here they are at easily 1500-2000 euros more expensive than a Zf
I'm one of those people who wants a built-in EVF with the M cameras. The SL isn't it. People think they want a classic rangefinder until the reality of how small the range finder patch is. (The viewfidner magnifers are some of the more consistent selling accesories.) I worked at a Leica boutique and the M really fell off as film-era shooters aged out and their eyes got worse. A big bulk of the people who just wanted a simple M body and one-lens system went with the Q system, SL is a very thin slice of the pie. The M system isn't just about the rangefinder, its about having quality lenses in a very compact un-obtrusive form.
Thanks. Waiting for mine from Leica LA. They said they have no idea when they're getting any, but they don't anticipate the same wait that occured with the M11. That took 4 months to get.
Yesterday I shot a car event, carrying both an M10R and an SL2S. 28mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.4 respectively. The SL I used to shoot the cars fast and sharp through the EVF and the M I used to zone focus on the people, even faster. What a joy to use these Leica camera’s !!!
since you already need an M mount adapter I'd love to see an AFenablement for the manual lenses - I can shoot on my Z9 with M mounts and use AF as a result of the PRONTO adapter - would love to see that capability within the leica system. I'd love the convenience of small lenses with the speed and surety of eye detect AF.
Poked around the SL3 at the Leica Store. I dig it. But think I’ll keep my SL2 just the same. M11 or a Q3 someday. BTW Ted did a great job reviewing the Sony 12-24 F2.8 GM but I’m finding the Leica (Sigma) 14-24 F2.8 works fantastic on the SL system. And the Leica FOTOS app is great, sooo much better than Sony or Fuji. Another thing about the SL that no one seems to talk about is how great the Diopter is; I love it for when I forget to put in my contacts! 🎉
Hey there, Ted! Thanks for your initial review - even though it seems we disagree on this camera😅. Actually I have to admit that I was a little underwhelmed when I read about the specs of the SL3 and watched some of the initial reviews here on RU-vid. Yes, within the Leica SL ecosystem this camera is of course a step forward. But compared to the competitors I can’t see anything that makes me want to throw about 7.000 Euro at Leica to buy this camera. I can see the USP of a Leica M (I own a M10-R, a M6 and a M7), I can see the USP of a Q3 (although personally I would prefer the X100VI from Fuji) but here with the SL line I can hardly see who should buy this camera except die hard fans with very deep pockets. It’s “just” a DSLR style mirrorless camera like so many others, it’s still pretty big with inferior specs except the 60 MP sensor. It leaves me somewhat perplexed🤷.
Great channel Ted, I enjoy all your videos. This SL-3 video is excellent. At about the 10 min mark, You mentioned the L-Mount alliance and the Panasonic 100mm Macro lens, which is a 1:1 ratio lens, but you stated that Leica does Not have a 1:1 L-Mount macro lens, however they do with the TL-60 model. I use one, it's also a very good lens for Macro work and I thought you may like to know it exists. Keep em coming!
The SL-3 can't be a good wedding camera for professionals let alone a ideal one if the SL-3s battery life is a paltry 250 shots per charge; it would need changing every hour and so a professional wedding photographer would need to bring 15 batteries with them.
Ran into you at gilt bar on like 2018 in Chicago. We got a selfie! lol I switched from Fuji to M11 and SL2 and SL2-S, I really am interested in the SL3 because of the sensor and ISO performance. But also I need to get more L lens before I get another body
Doesn't Canon have eye detection in the most recent cameras when using manual lenses? Really handy feature that can't be that hard to implement for the other makes if they already have subject detection.
This was a great initial impression, thanks! You mention the Leica Eternal look and how you feel the reds are a bit too intense, you also mention that you like to lift the yellows for a more filmic look? Could you go into more detail on the subject of colour? It's likely you already have in the past, but this is in relation to how you edit as well as set up your own presets/ profiles.
The use of an older battery in this new body is a pretty major handcuff from a video standpoint. You’re able to shoot FHD and that’s it. No 4k. Which is odd cause the SL2 and SL2S can
Thanks Ted. Yes, would love to see your thoughts on manual focus on the SL line a little more. My perspective on a possible SL3 is as a companion for my M10-R, for occasional A/F use, but to adapt M lenses that are tricky for critical focus (narrow DOF, or focus shift), or that are a bit bulky to work ergonomically on the M, or that are much longer - 135mm+, etc, than the M system. What do you think Leica can do here with the SL3 that's not in current firmware? Thanks
Im going to be a father in July. Looking for a decent compact camera to take photos with primarily. Good video would also be nice but it is secondary. However, there barely been any new releases in the past 3-4 years when looking around. Can you make a video about what compact camera to buy currently and what may be coming soon? Thanks in advance. -Isac
Great review and seriously tempting given I’m already shooting on an Leica M11P and just love the Leica experience, from using the M to living the rich history behind it. However, another camera I love is the Hasselblad, another brand I used back in the film days, along with my M6 and R series bodies. So… I’m going with the new 907X… will make an awesome pairing with the Leica.
Wow Ted really nice review. I have been a Leica system users for years. I have the SL2. I have the budget to either do an SL 3 or upgrade my MP240 to an M11 but not enough for both. I love shooting the 240 and the higher resolution better low light of the M11 would be a big improvement. Is the the upgrade from SL 2 big enough or should I go for the M11. ? Any opinions appreciated.
Great video! Does object-recognition work in case of adapted m-mount lenses? Is there a box an an human eye or body and does it affect manual focus in any way?
I know the obvious differences, but it would be interesting to compare the production SL3 with the Lumix L-Mount alternatives (particularly the S1 and S5 II). Is it really 3x the camera of either of those? How much is that red dot really worth in terms of UX and IQ?
I’m on the fence as to whether I should upgrade from my SL2S. I went with the S as the noise was much better controlled than the SL2. Is it really on par at high ISO with the SL2-S?
With how good sensors have become in low light I'd like to see a bracketing feature that adjusts aperture in large stop increments based on a minimum selected shutter speed and varying the ISO. It would be nice to be able to do a burst of 3 shots when taking portraits and getting the look of a wide open shot, slightly stopped down shot and say an f8 shot all in a matter of seconds. With enough light the noise would probably be unnoticeable and often times the look of a lens can drastically change between wide open and f4. Sometimes it's hard to decide on what look you want and when changing iris manually even in aperture priority you could miss some shots.
Hi Thanks for the review Owning S5iiX I know about the new AFC and still find it far behind my Nikon D6 when the subject moves fast Did you see good result in this regards ?
Did thy fix the well known issue with dead pixels in Lightroom for long time exposure? If not, so this is still just another not well prepared for market camera :)
I have the Hasselblad and the SL2. I would say, based on that comparison alone, I choose the Leica SL system. The Hasselblad is just too slow, and is still buggy. The image quality is amazing, and it probably has the best color accuracy of any camera, but it has so many limitations. I only use it for studio work, but I use my SL2 for everything. If I could only keep one, it would be the Leica, without a doubt.
I’m not convinced by this tbh. I’m a professional photographer with 2x SL2-S’s , which is a beast BTW, M11 and M6 For me to upgrade it’s not just the excessive cost of the camera but also I will have to buy a charger and a whole load of very expensive new cards as well as a raft of new batteries Plus and most importantly I still get awful Leica Customer service, who basically don’t look after their pros but pander to those who put their cameras in a cabinet and look at them all day with Kleenex in hand
they don't take care of their amateurs either. they've had my sl2 for over three months now. maybe i should have just put my camera in a cabinet and look at it all day ... that way, it will never break down :)
Thats the ff cameras i would get , build qualtiy , awesome image qualtiy and descend autofokus with eyefpcus . I only neee 1fps so the speed is ok för my work
The battery life of the SL-3 is rubbish at best, 250 shots per charge which is well below average of 350 shots per charge, one would have to invest in a battery-grip and leave it on the SL-3 permanently to get 500 shots per charge.
I take the opinions seriously of Australia's foremost portrait and fashion photographer, Peter Coulson, when making his decision to replace his Hasselblad 100mp camera with the Leica SL2-S, a 24mp body, not the SL2 or SL3. He got sick of his clients and agencies specifying that his finished files be less than 30mb. So whats the point? Any bigger, he says he now uses Gigapixel and the files look better than the 100mb files from Hasselblad. So why Leica? 1) He can see everything in the viewfinder. 2) The menu system is simpler than the Lumix S5. 3) He says the sensor is definitely the same, but the Leica has a better rendering engine. 4) His lens of choice is a Leica M 75mm Summilux f1.4 Mk1 for 90% of his shots. He uses an adapter. His only gripe is that tethering to Capture One is buggy on a Mac. His interview is on the Mr Leica RU-vid channel.
I honestly don't get how this is worth the upcharge over the sony. Am I missing something, or is it just Leica tax? At this price I'd get the GFX over the Leica in a heartbeat
Ted, you got me thinking.. Yes, I’m excited for the SL3 as I’m looking for a resolution jump from the SL2-S. Most notably for my 50mm and 90mm SL APO lenses . In that same breath, I’m just as curious to see how the SL3 performs with the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.2 ASPH "1966". Obviously, the light lens lab is completely different lens in comparison to the APO lenses but still the same. Could the “1966” hold up to a 60 megapixel sensor..
📸 The stuff that DREAMS are made of & if you don’t have a dream how can you make it come true. Like a good ROLEX watch a LEICA SL3 is a good investment and wonderful camera to have as a family heirloom to hand down to the next generation of photographer filmmaker. I now know what I am working towards and saving up for.✌🏻😎🇦🇺 fyi - $20k to $30k camera & a couple of lenses (AUD)
Great camera, but they just kill the design with that brick on the back. Much preferred thicker body, if needed, with the tilt screen like the Fujifilm X100VI. I just understand how they couldn´t manage to make a better design. They can learn with Hasselblad how to go for the tilt screen and not losing the sleek design. What a waste of opportunity.
