We covered the Leica SL3-S when it was released with a video of the novelty. We have had the camera a few days prior to the embargo date, so had a quick hands-on. Today, we go a bit deeper into the SL3-S, as we bought the camera with two Leica lenses for our use to produce content for this website and our YouTube channel.
Living with the new Leica SL3-S as the main camera (with video)
The Leica SL3-S retails at SGD 7,500. The Summicron-SL 35mm F2 ASPH retails at SGD 3,600 and the Summicron-SL 50mm F2 ASPH retails at SGD 3,050. The Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO retails at SGD 710. Prices include GST.
YouTube Video
We shot the video footage with the loan SL3-S, and I subsequently put in my order for the camera with the two Summicron-SL lenses.
Why I bought the Leica SL3-S and into the Leica L-Mount ecosystem
The Leica SL3-S is the newest and fastest camera ever made by Leica. It sports a 24Mp full frame sensor with image stabilisation. And yes, I bought the camera with two Summicron lenses and the Laowa 2x macro lens.
The SL3-S is the main video camera for our YouTube production. The Summicron-SL lenses are also chosen to particularly suit our style of talking head videos. This is slightly less flexible than the Vario-Elmarit 24-70mm F2.8 ASPH we loaned to prepare for the release thoughts article. I enjoyed using the system so much, I decided to buy it, but instead of the zoom, I decided on two primes. If our budget would allow, ideally, we would like to have two or three (!) SL3-S. One mounted with the Summicron-SL 35 as the main cam, and the other with the Summicron-SL 50 as the B Cam to isolate the person speaking, or as an overhead camera pointing down on the flat lay shot of the watches we are showcasing. We did try the two SL combo out with a loaner from our friend, Brighty, who extended his SL Type 601 to us.
And it works a charm. For our day to day work with only 1 SL3-S, the top down camera is an iPhone 16 Pro. We also pressed the SL Type 601 for this duty, when we had it. Colour grading the iPhone 16 Pro footage, shot with the Blackmagic app in .mov format while the SL3-S is records at H265 with the 25 fps 6K 4:2:0 / 10 Bit h.265 L-GOP 200 Mbps is a bit of a challenge with the iPhone 15 Pro. Gamma for the iPhone is set to Rec.709, while the gamma for Leica is set to L-Log Rec. 2020, HLG Rec.2020. We have not tried using Rec.2020 on the iPhone, and will test this as the Blackmagic iPhone app allows this. With the SL Type 601, colour grading in Davinci Resolve is a breeze, as it can also be set to the same L-LOG Rec.2020. Another option is to set both SL3-S and iphone to record in ProRes 25 fps 1618 Mbps 422HQ. But files would be humongous, and I feel, is overkill for YouTube videos. In fact, even at 4k h.264 uploads to YouTube, I think it is already overkill, as FHD will be already very good.
I also acquired the Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO for use for close ups. The is a Chinese made lens which is exceptionally high quality in both the all metal construction and the image quality. It demonstrates almost zero distortion and includes apochromatic elements. The lens is ultra sharp, and goes to 2x Macro. The lens is fully manual, and does not pass EXIF data to the camera. The focusing ring is very smooth to operate, and the aperture ring has a very light detent on each f stop. Focusing moves the lens elements internally, so the lens stays at the same length no matter what it is focused on. I could not get a Leica native macro lens, as it does not exist. Not yet, anyway.
When we used the SL Type 601 for our 2019 Baselworld, we used the Leica APO-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60 mm f/2.8 ASPH. The lens uses the same L-Mount and is quite exceptional, but the SL automatically crops to APC-C mode as the lens is designed for the TL APS-C system. With only 24Mp at our disposal for the SL Type 601 as well as the SL3-S, this means our macro photographs peak out at 10Mp. Not quite enough if I need to make prints as it maxes out at about 12 inch prints on the long side at 300 dpi. With this use case open, the L-Mount Alliance can be called to fit the gap. Panasonic Lumix makes S Series 100mm F2.8 MACRO which I hear is excellent, but I have not tried it. And Sigma produces the ART 105mm F2.8 DG DN MACRO, which I have used in the SL2 review. And as there is currently no native Leica lens for the SL system, I decided to go with the Laowa which offers not only full frame macro, but ultra macro mode up to 2X magnification.
With these 3 lenses, we can tackle all video and stills production needs. As a strategy, I will retire the GFX 50S II for work when higher megapixels are needed when using strobes. For high megapixel images without strobes, the SL3-S’ Multi-mode works very well.
Build quality: exceptional
The body is solidly built. It is an all-metal housing with magnesium and aluminium, a synthetic leather cover. And more importantly, the body and lenses are protected against splash water according to IEC standard 60529 (protection class IP54). Many cameras quote weather sealing, including the Fujifilm GFX 50S II, but none have gone to have it certified.
While it is not particularly lightweight, it feels rather light on my hands as I have come from much heavier cameras. The SL3-S weighs in at approx. 768 g (without battery, SD card, camera bayonet cover), while the Fujifilm GFX 50S II comes in at 900g, while the Hasselblad H3D-39 comes in at a hefty 1,424g.
All three lenses I have selected are full metal construction. The Summicron-SL 35 (750g), the Summicron-SL 50 (370g), and Laowa 90 (618g) are all rather lightweight lenses. Coupled with any of these lenses, the SL3-S feels well balanced and comfortable to hand hold.
Menu system: easy to use, clean interface
The menu system on the SL cameras are excellent. The layout of critical knobs and buttons are very well thought through, and instead of a plethora of buttons with countless possibilities to customise in Japanese cameras, the Germans have a simple, clear approach. The button layout is almost the same as that of the SL3. Each button can be customised by a long press, which brings up a menu where one can select the specific function that button will execute when pressed. Almost all the buttons are not labelled, safe for PLAY, MENU and FN. Use is very intuitive, and can be managed even without reading the manual.
Autofocus: excellent
The autofocus has been the bane of Leica cameras for as long as I can remember. And the SL3-S’s 24 megapixel sensor is equipped with PDAF autofocus and image stabilisation. It boasts of a total of 779 PDAF pixels, and is able to achieve a burst rate of up to 30 fps in 12 bit in AF continuous mode. With this PDAF autofocus system, the autofocus is reliable, and very fast with both Summicron-SL lenses. It focus quickly and accurately, with little hunting. While not exactly as fast as best performing autofocus from Sony, Canon and Nikon, but I would rate the SL3-S autofocus very close. Call it a tad behind the current Sony A7RV, and slightly ahead of Sony’s A7RIV.
Autofocus in AFs or AFc on both photo or video modes are excellent. Subject tracking is very dependable, and gives excellent results in video. The human and eye detection is also excellent.
This is game changer #1 which I outlined in the video.
6K Open gate recording
And the second game changer for video is that the SL3-S allows the entire sensor to be used for recording 6k video. The camera does not implement a crop in this mode. And the decision to crop is left to the post production process, with enough room to crop into vertical or horizontal, and even pan crops to 4K highest resolution that YouTube uses.
Image stabilisation: very good
Image stabilisation is rather good, even in video, but we have not tested it extensively yet, as most of the work we have done in the past month is on tripods.
Multi-shot mode: nice feature
The camera also has a 48Mp and 96Mp which can be used both handheld as well as on tripod. Thsi is achieved using the multi-shot mode. So on the rare occasions where I need higher resolutions for large prints, this can be used. And the SL3-S is capable of up to the 96Mp image in either hand held mode or in tripod mode. And what is more important is that the image is compiled in-camera, and the result is a single high resolution raw image. The drawback is that this system works by moving the sensor one pixel in multiple directions, use with strobes is not possible. Multi-shot mode is not available on the 60Mp SL3.
High ISO performance: exceptional
The low light performance of the sensor on the SL3-S is exceptional. The entire ISO range can be used effectively. Even at ISO 200,000. Here is a photograph I took at ISO 200k, with noise reduction on Adobe Camera Raw AI.
Content Credentials
In stills Photo mode, the SL3-S brings back the Leica includes Content Credentials, first seen on the MP-11, but absent on the SL3. This help photographer to digitally sign the image to provide proof of origin.
Concluding thoughts
The camera system is a joy to use. It feels very nice on the hand. The SL3-S has worked flawlessly. And I have enough confidence that I will be bringing the SL3-S and lenses to cover Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025. Watch out for the “What’s in my bag” article just before the show begins.
The elephant in the room when it comes to Leica gear, especially cameras and lenses is always the price. In my case, it is justified as it does make me want to shoot with it, be it photo or video, and with either of the 3 lenses I currently own. All three lenses have stellar performance. And the sensor is very very good with detail, micro-contrasts, and rendering tonal range. I find the post-processing workflow to be simpler (less steps) with the SL3-S than with the other cameras I currently own. This is a fast camera. Not quite for sports use, but for almost all other scenarios, the SL3-S excel. Of course the 24Mp sensor is one of the reasons why the SL3-S fast, and compared to the 61Mp SL3 sensor or the Q3 43. And for me, 24Mp is the sweet spot. I almost never need larger prints. At 24Mp, the long side is 6000 pixels, which will make 20 inches in a 300dpi print. Plenty enough. If I really need higher, I can go multi-mode and get up to 96Mp, or if I need the large image with strobes, then my GFX 50S II will be pressed into duty, or if even higher resolution is needed, then renting a Phase One XF with IQ4 150 will make more sense.
But that said, the Leica SL3-S, or any Leica is not the camera for everybody. It suits my working style, which is slower, more deliberate. I love how it handles and feels on my hands. And I enjoy that its autofocus is fast and precise, and when used for macro with the Laowa, the focusing is precise and I can get 2X magnification. And most important of all, it makes me want to shoot more photographs.
Photo Notes
Photographs not labelled with a Deployant watermark are provided by Leica Singapore. Those with the watermark is taken by me, with the appropriate EXIF extract. Photographs of the Leica SL3-S and lenses are taken with the Leica Q4 43.
