Leica released the much anticipated SL3-S, their new full frame hybrid camera aimed at combining stills photography and video. We got our hands on a prototype, and here are our first impressions.

New with quick hands-on: Leica SL3-S
The price of the Leica SL3-S is SGD 7,500 inclusive of GST. This is the same price as the most recent price of the SL2-S before being discontinued and discounted.

What is new?
The SL3-S and SL2-S are more video centric cameras, while the SL3 is more stills photo centric. The S models feature lower megapixel count, and better light performance than the corresponding non-S bodies. We reviewed the SL2-S in detail in 2021 not long after its release. We put it through its paces, and were impressed with the camera and the lens ecosystem. The SL2-S is discontinued and replaced with the SL3S. But the base for the SL3-S is the SL3. The SL3 is a great still photography camera which does pretty good video, and the SL3-S is a great video camera which does pretty good still photographs. Here are the key differences.
- The big headline for the SL3-S is the new hybrid autofocus system which combines contrast measurement, depth and phase comparison measurement. This autofocus debuted in Leica with the SL3. The SL2-S is contrast detect only. This is a big feature, and the finally, we have a Leica which you can depend on the autofocus. The autofocus is still not as fast as with Sony or Canon or Nikon, but this is definitely the fastest and most accurate of any Leica.

- As part of the S family, the sensor is 24 Mp. For 99% of the use case, and especially for video, 24Mp is plenty. And actually preferred as file sizes are smaller and easier to manipulate. And low light performance is better. For a given sensor size, in this case full frame 36mm x 24mm, the smaller megapixel will give better low light performance, as each pixel is larger than one with a higher pixel count. The sensor is a BackSide Illuminated (BSI) CMOS, like the S2-S. The Leica literature says this is a new sensor, but we don’t know what has changed. In recent years, Leica does not reveal the sensor manufacturer. The SL3 has a much larger BSI full frame sensor with 60Mp.
- As a consequence, the SL3-S has an expanded ISO range which is now 50 to 200,000! At ISO 200,000 the camera can almost see in the dark. At least better than most humans can. Sure the pictures and video at this ultra high ISO is grainy, but is usable in a pic/no pic scenario. SL2-S and SL3 both have ISO range of 50 to 102,400. In my short tests, I find that for still photographs up to ISO 6400, the image is usable even though it is visibly grainy, especially when I pixel peep. The sensor has Dual ISO at 400 and the higher ISO at 2500 in L-Log. This means that at both 400 and 2500, the sensor noise is exactly the same. This also means that at ISO 2200, the noise is poorer than at ISO 2500. This is a useful feature for video. The dual ISO is also applicable in photo mode, the low ISO is 50 and the high at 640.
- In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) performance is not changed from that in the SL2-S and SL3. This is an interesting point, as the SL body is based on a collaboration between Leica and Panasonic Lumix, thus the IBIS performance is a very similar 5 stops.

- Shutter speed range increased from 30min to 1/8000 mechanical shutter, with the electronic shutter going from 60s to 1/16000s. Flash sync is 1/200s. The SL2-S’ mechanical shutter goes from 500s to 1/8000s to 500s, and the electronic shutter from 60s to 1/16000s. The SL3 had a mechanical shutter range of 60min to 1/8000 mechanical and 60s to 1/16,000 electronic.
- In Cinema mode, the camera (all the Leica SL collection) support the standards used in the cinema industry rather than the photo industry. Aperture is shown as T stops instead of F stops, and shutter angle is supported, as are waveforms and zebra.


- Video specifications have improved over the SL2-S. The SL3-S now supports Open Gate, allowing the full 36×24 sensor to be used producing a file with a maximum resolution of 6K Open Gate, measuring 5952×3968 pixels in a 3:2 aspect ratio. This is very useful for shooting footage which can be repurposed by cropping in post production to either vertical format for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels or TikTok; or to a horizontal format for YouTube. This also allows the use of anamorphic lenses to create cinematic 2.35 aspect ratio with less crop than sensors which do not allow open gate. Non open gate sensors fit the image on either 17:9 or 16:9 format. One point to note is that even at 3:2 Open Gate shooting, the rear LCD still shows a 16:9 image. I have not fully investigated how this crop is achieved.
- However, in the pre-production SL3-S that we have, there is no anamorphic desqueeze available in-camera. This can be an annoyance, as it will be difficult to judge the framing on the SL3-S’ rear LCD. However, the body has a full size HDMI port and USB-C port which can be used for power delivery as well as data transfer. And with an external monitor connected, desqueeze can be supported by suitable monitors. But I hope desqueeze can be included in a future firmware update.

- Physical dimensions remain very similar. The SL3-S and SL3 are exactly the same, though the SL2-S is slightly
- The SL3-S and SL3 both support CFExpress Type B as well as SD card. The SL2S uses two SD card slots. CFExpress cards are tougher and more reliable, but also cost more, and is the standard in the cinema industry.


- All the features like EVF, LCD, button layout and menu is the same as that on the SL3, which is a simplified version on the one found on the SL2-S..
- A rear tilt screen on the SL3-S, just like on the SL3. The SL2-S has a fixed screen. This is a useful feature, especially for low shots. However, the screen still does not flip around for vloging or selfies.

- The blacked out logo of the SL2-S remains on the SL3-S.

Why this is a strong contender in the high end hybrid photo video camera market
The superbly built quality remains. The best of breed ergonomics are still unchanged. The menu system is best in class. It is very intuitive and easy to operate. The base shape remains largely unchanged…no need to mess with what is already nearly perfect. The camera feels very comfortable on the hand, thanks to the very nice grip. Some may complain that it is a bit heavy, but we think this is because it is literally built like a tank. The SL3-S and lenses are rated to IP54 certified and feature all metal construction.

Detailed review coming, with more sample images.
