My Take on the new Leica SL2

[jonoslack]

Hi there
Been busy!
Here is my article on the new Leica SL2

The Leica SL2

Enjoy!

 

[JeRuFo]

Thank you. It seems to be all I was hoping for. Like you I can't really fault the SL yet, but a bit more resolution is always welcome, as is IBIS and hopefully better AF in low light. I was always impressed at how precise the focus on the SL was, how much resolution it could put in 24 megapixels and how it always just worked as expected. Looks like all those things are still there.

 

[iiiNelson]

Hi there
Been busy!
Here is my article on the new Leica SL2

The Leica SL2

Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading your take. The YouTube videos that I’ve watched of it look good and it looks to be a worthwhile upgrade for those that want more resolution to get more from their Leica lenses. Colors and IQ look outstanding IMO and it makes me glad they’re past the look of the early M240 days personally.

 

[Elderly]

I personally have ZERO interest in a £5000 camera body .....

..... but I always very much enjoy looking at your photographs shot in the course of producing your camera 'test' articles .

Thanks for the images Jono - if not the words .

 

[Godfrey]

Excellent impressions as always, Jono! Thank you for such an excellent piece and the usual superb photographs.

I'm happy with the new control design choices, just like I've been happy since I moved from the SL to the CL with the CL's simpler button arrangement. And for those that want a FF camera with more pixels, 47 MP is a good thing, and IBIS is certainly a nice addition.

That said, I've got my order in for a Hasselblad 907x Special Edition because I want the larger format for wide angle and 50 Mpixel, along with other factors (like it's 'box with a lens on the end' form factor, sharing the digital back with my Hasselblad 500CM and lenses, other accessories, etc...). For my "35mm derivative" camera, the CL does it just right for me: it's so versatile, can be configured from compact to whatever, and works so well with all my lenses there's little need for another 35mm size/shape camera.

Only so much money and time to work with... I'm sure this development of the Leica SL will be popular and a fine tool for Photography!

G

 

[ptomsu]

Excellent review as always Jono! Many thanks for this and it is always fun again to read your findings and opinion!

Anyway for me it will not be the camera of choice as I simply do not want to buy back into the Leica (SL) ecosystem again as I can get other FF alternatives for a much lower price and similar quality that either have a similar resolution or even more .....

But definitely so one can get the Leica feeling only with a real Leica :thumbs:

 

[Sanford Lavine]

Jono, I think your review was perfect. As a photographer who loves the current SL after switching to it from an M10. I currently only use M lenses and am happy the SL2 plays well with them. The addition of in camera IBIS certainly makes it attractive.

I also love the ergonomics of the SL and find no problem switching between it and my Q. Or, for that matter switching between the SL and my Hasselblad X1D II.

While I could probably adjust to the new buttons I have two questions.

1. Do I really need 47 M Pixels in a Full Format Camera?
2. I noticed the SL2 is larger and heavier than the SL . What effect will that have on carrying the camera and working with it in the field? The X1D has proven to be a great landscape and city carry camera.

Thanks again

 

[ron787]

Excellent review as always Jono! Many thanks for this and it is always fun again to read your findings and opinion!

Anyway for me it will not be the camera of choice as I simply do not want to buy back into the Leica (SL) ecosystem again as I can get other FF alternatives for a much lower price and similar quality that either have a similar resolution or even more .....

But definitely so one can get the Leica feeling only with a real Leica :thumbs:

I'd have to agree, the Leica SL2 appears to have incorporated the Panasonic S1R's technology with the addition of Leica's own unique aesthetic and UI twist, which you either adhere to or not. But we all, or at least many of us, had expected this would occur. The S1r can be purchased for considerably less than the SL2, and coupled with L glass—or even Lumix S glass—outputs a remarkably striking image. If I were in the market for a new FF I would find it difficult to justify the Leica premium. In years gone by—circa the film camera era— Leica cameras had been exceptionally durable, but in these times of advancing technology, IMO, durability will have less importance than function. Certainly, if you're out shooting in the Galapagos, or scaling K2 with your camera, you want it to be durable. But there a scarce few modern professional cameras that couldn't fill that bill. And chances are that three or four years down the road GAS will wield its ugly head and a new and improved camera will be on the agenda.

Do I own an S1R? Yes, I do, along with a Fuji GFX100 and many more. But, having been a longterm and stalwart Leica owner/ user I am off that train for good—with the exception of my existing Leica SL glass—and will earmark the $6,000 cost of the SL2 for a new Apple Mac Pro desktop, whenever it is released. But that's my opinion and my way forward, others may feel a burning, inexplicable and uncontrollable desire for the Red Dot.

 

[ptomsu]

I'd have to agree, the Leica SL2 appears to have incorporated the Panasonic S1R's technology with the addition of Leica's own unique aesthetic and UI twist, which you either adhere to or not. But we all, or at least many of us, had expected this would occur. The S1r can be purchased for considerably less than the SL2, and coupled with L glass—or even Lumix S glass—outputs a remarkably striking image. If I were in the market for a new FF I would find it difficult to justify the Leica premium. In years gone by—circa the film camera era— Leica cameras had been exceptionally durable, but in these times of advancing technology, IMO, durability will have less importance than function. Certainly, if you're out shooting in the Galapagos, or scaling K2 with your camera, you want it to be durable. But there a scarce few modern professional cameras that couldn't fill that bill. And chances are that three or four years down the road GAS will wield its ugly head and a new and improved camera will be on the agenda.

Do I own an S1R? Yes, I do, along with a Fuji GFX100 and many more. But, having been a longterm and stalwart Leica owner/ user I am off that train for good—with the exception of my existing Leica SL glass—and will earmark the $6,000 cost of the SL2 for a new Apple Mac Pro desktop, whenever it is released. But that's my opinion and my way forward, others may feel a burning, inexplicable and uncontrollable desire for the Red Dot.

If you do not own currently any SL lenses but only a pile of M lenses then it becomes a somewhat difficult decision on today market. I can flange my M lenses also on a Nikon Z7 with pretty excellent results - maybe not as good as on the SL, but hey, then I still can use them in a great and satisfying way without spending additional 3k Euro on just the body. For that I get the stellar 2.8/24-70 Z ans also one or two of the outstanding 1.8 Z mount lenses and call it a day. And still have the advantage of a well functioning Eye AF and in general very excellent PD AF that the SL2 lacks at all.

But for Leica hard core fans I fully get the appeal of this great camera - just not for me and the money I can/want to spend on photography gear.

Still and outstanding camera and I applaud Leica for this

 

[ron787]

If you do not own currently any SL lenses but only a pile of M lenses then it becomes a somewhat difficult decision on today market. I can flange my M lenses also on a Nikon Z7 with pretty excellent results - maybe not as good as on the SL, but hey, then I still can use them in a great and satisfying way without spending additional 3k Euro on just the body. For that I get the stellar 2.8/24-70 Z ans also one or two of the outstanding 1.8 Z mount lenses and call it a day. And still have the advantage of a well functioning Eye AF and in general very excellent PD AF that the SL2 lacks at all.

But for Leica hard core fans I fully get the appeal of this great camera - just not for me and the money I can/want to spend on photography gear.

Still and outstanding camera and I applaud Leica for this

In regards to "M" lenses what you say may be true, but we are, in essence, no longer talking about Leica technology. Sadly, the costs of R&D are high, and I presume that part, if not all of the logic behind the creation of the L alliance—from Leica's standpoint— was geared toward this end. As a result, and as I have postulated in my earlier post, the SL2 is in many ways a clone of the S1R, as Leica has undoubtedly licensed Panasonic's technology. IMO, the SL2, with the possible exception of its more effective acceptance of "M" lenses, is no greater than its cousin, the Panasonic S1R and time will tell whether or not it is its equal.

And while we're on the topic of M lenses, why expend all that capital for the purpose of employing manual lenses, when the camera is geared toward its automated features? If an old collection of M lenses were my primary concern, I would buy a used M camera and be done with it. Or, given the retained value of the older lenses, I would trade them—as I had done—for new SL glass and move on.

 

[JeRuFo]

It's most likely a complicated deal that was struck at the start of the L-mount alliance. It is hard to tell for bystanders who contributes what exactly. But that's fine if it means we get to choose from more competitive camera systems. How the camera came about is a business decision on Leica's part. All we can do is judge its value. If you want to dismiss it on their bussiness affiliations, that is your prerogative (but it is unnecessary to dismiss SL users as gullible) If the new SL2 is as good a camera as the SL is, then I would happily pay that premium to get a camera that works in what I find to be a pleasant way. To me that is like using better film for certain shots. Yes it costs twice as much, but if it gives me the colors or tonal range that I'm after it is much better than faffing about for hours afterwards getting it all just right. But then, I don't buy and use as many camera systems simultaneously. I usually just have one for maximum resolution and one for social events and everyday use.

There is hardly a camera manufacturer left that does it all on its own. Especially smaller ones usually specialise in one area. And especially sensors are often sourced from others.

 

[iiiNelson]

If you do not own currently any SL lenses but only a pile of M lenses then it becomes a somewhat difficult decision on today market. I can flange my M lenses also on a Nikon Z7 with pretty excellent results - maybe not as good as on the SL, but hey, then I still can use them in a great and satisfying way without spending additional 3k Euro on just the body. For that I get the stellar 2.8/24-70 Z ans also one or two of the outstanding 1.8 Z mount lenses and call it a day. And still have the advantage of a well functioning Eye AF and in general very excellent PD AF that the SL2 lacks at all.

But for Leica hard core fans I fully get the appeal of this great camera - just not for me and the money I can/want to spend on photography gear.

Still and outstanding camera and I applaud Leica for this

M lenses, as great as they are, aren’t the pinnacle of lens design they once were. The SL lenses are better (technically anyway) by every sense of the measure and many competitors have exceeded Leica or gotten close enough to lens design that it’ll likely take pixel peeping to tell the difference. In any case I think much of the debate is purely for the photographers enjoyment so to that I say use what makes you happy and don’t look back. Those M lenses could easily fund your next kit should you choose to sell.

 

[MGrayson]

I'd have to agree, the Leica SL2 appears to have incorporated the Panasonic S1R's technology with the addition of Leica's own unique aesthetic and UI twist, which you either adhere to or not. But we all, or at least many of us, had expected this would occur. The S1r can be purchased for considerably less than the SL2, and coupled with L glass—or even Lumix S glass—outputs a remarkably striking image. If I were in the market for a new FF I would find it difficult to justify the Leica premium. In years gone by—circa the film camera era— Leica cameras had been exceptionally durable, but in these times of advancing technology, IMO, durability will have less importance than function. Certainly, if you're out shooting in the Galapagos, or scaling K2 with your camera, you want it to be durable. But there a scarce few modern professional cameras that couldn't fill that bill. And chances are that three or four years down the road GAS will wield its ugly head and a new and improved camera will be on the agenda.

Do I own an S1R? Yes, I do, along with a Fuji GFX100 and many more. But, having been a longterm and stalwart Leica owner/ user I am off that train for good—with the exception of my existing Leica SL glass—and will earmark the $6,000 cost of the SL2 for a new Apple Mac Pro desktop, whenever it is released. But that's my opinion and my way forward, others may feel a burning, inexplicable and uncontrollable desire for the Red Dot.

I am a fan of both Leica and Apple products. Users of either one are regularly lambasted for their poor financial judgement. "I can get better tools for half the price if I do X, Y and Z! You must love paying up for the Red Dot/Apple Logo" is the common refrain. Users of both company's products defend their choices with "I use what I like using. It works for me, so why should you care?"

As you are considering the new Mac Pro - a wonderful machine receiving a torrent of silly disapprobation - I find your use of "inexplicable", well, inexplicable.

Matt

 

[ron787]

I am a fan of both Leica and Apple products. Users of either one are regularly lambasted for their poor financial judgement. "I can get better tools for half the price if I do X, Y and Z! You must love paying up for the Red Dot/Apple Logo" is the common refrain. Users of both company's products defend their choices with "I use what I like using. It works for me, so why should you care?"

As you are considering the new Mac Pro - a wonderful machine receiving a torrent of silly disapprobation - I find your use of "inexplicable", well, inexplicable.

Matt

It's odd that you found it necessary to hone in on one word, but I can tell you that from my years of owning Leica cameras going back to the early 1970's, that when asked why I chose to pay a premium for that particular brand, my response would be that aside from the quality of the body and lenses, there was a certain, inexplicable sense of pleasure that I received from ownership. I find that many of today's owner/users, and prospective owner/users, are faced with the same predicament.

As for the Apple Mac Pro, yes, I am considering its purchase. I am currently using two, ten year old Mac Pro towers that cannot be upgraded to the latest OS. I have tried Windows machines in the past, and still have one that I have repurposed, but in my experience the Windows OS is unreliable and somewhat dodgy, The Apple OS, on the other hand, has been rock solid for the most part.

 

[MGrayson]

It's odd that you found it necessary to hone in on one word, but I can tell you that from my years of owning Leica cameras going back to the early 1970's, that when asked why I chose to pay a premium for that particular brand, my response would be that aside from the quality of the body and lenses, there was a certain, inexplicable sense of pleasure that I received from ownership. I find that many of today's owner/users, and prospective owner/users, are faced with the same predicament.

As for the Apple Mac Pro, yes, I am considering its purchase. I am currently using two, ten year old Mac Pro towers that cannot be upgraded to the latest OS. I have tried Windows machines in the past, and still have one that I have repurposed, but in my experience the Windows OS is unreliable and somewhat dodgy, The Apple OS, on the other hand, has been rock solid for the most part.

Apologies. I clearly misunderstood your meaning in the last sentence. It read to me as exactly the dismissive criticism usually leveled at Leica users, which I found odd coming from an Apple user. If you meant it as "one uses what one likes, and has no need to explain it, even to oneself", then I understand and completely agree.

Matt

 

[ron787]

It's most likely a complicated deal that was struck at the start of the L-mount alliance. It is hard to tell for bystanders who contributes what exactly. But that's fine if it means we get to choose from more competitive camera systems. How the camera came about is a business decision on Leica's part. All we can do is judge its value. If you want to dismiss it on their bussiness affiliations, that is your prerogative (but it is unnecessary to dismiss SL users as gullible) If the new SL2 is as good a camera as the SL is, then I would happily pay that premium to get a camera that works in what I find to be a pleasant way. To me that is like using better film for certain shots. Yes it costs twice as much, but if it gives me the colors or tonal range that I'm after it is much better than faffing about for hours afterwards getting it all just right. But then, I don't buy and use as many camera systems simultaneously. I usually just have one for maximum resolution and one for social events and everyday use.

There is hardly a camera manufacturer left that does it all on its own. Especially smaller ones usually specialise in one area. And especially sensors are often sourced from others.

Not sure whose post you are responding to, but if it was mine, I wonder how in the world you had conjured the word, or even the sentiment of "gullible." That was not the intent of the post, and that word, nor its sentiment appeared anywhere within its content.

And by SL color are you referring to the jpg's? Because, as a prior SL owner/user I found nothing special, color wise, about the raw images, other the fact that they could be properly adjusted in post.

In summary, I suspect that you'd overlooked the intent of the post, which was to imply that the SL2 likely received a significant portion of its DNA from Panasonic, and that the "L" Alliance allowed for that scenario to take place.

 

[ron787]

Apologies. I clearly misunderstood your meaning in the last sentence. It read to me as exactly the dismissive criticism usually leveled at Leica users, which I found odd coming from an Apple user. If you meant it as "one uses what one likes, and has no need to explain it, even to oneself", then I understand and completely agree.

Matt

"If you meant it as "one uses what one likes, and has no need to explain it, even to oneself", then I understand and completely agree."

Yes, my sentiments exactly!

 

[iiiNelson]

Users of both company's products defend their choices with "I use what I like using. It works for me, so why should you care?"

Matt

Matt, that's probably true of many products and I suspect that a lot is derived from the opinions of the internet. Some is shaped by people's personal experiences which can be all over the place... and I suspect much is just simple misunderstanding which leads to people feeling somewhat defensive (which of course is just human).

I remember hearing and reading stuff when I was a Leica shooter... but then I hear just as much being a Sony shooter. Most of what I heard as a Micro 4/3 shooter was positive except from many DSLR shooters that constantly stated that mirrorless wasn't going to overtake DSLR's ever... the usual crap. When I shot Canon there was the Chevy vs. Ford style arguments but it really wasn't as polarizing as the internet wasn't as hostile a place then from my experience.

I still hear anti-Apple talk but it's mostly from Windows and Android users... but the irony is that Apple users don't usually remotely care about what's happening with either of those platforms which says a lot.

 

[Speedgraphic]

It's probably pointless to mention, as I believe others have, that you can buy this camera new or used now, under the name S1R. I suspected that Panasonic is making these new cameras for Leica. It makes sense considering their previous attempts at AF digitals were a parade of horribles. I wonder if we'll get a Lumix branded Q?

Leica people will 'have' to buy Leica. I'm happy to rock the Panasonic. I continue to be impressed with this camera, it's a real pleasure to use. I scanned about 10 8x10 negatives with it today in pixel shift mode. The results are pretty stunning.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Mr. McCurry seems to have gotten onboard too:

https://vimeo.com/368003013

https://uk.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-SL/Leica-SL2/Stories/Steve-McCurry