I have had the SL3 since day one. I kept my SL2 as a backup. So far the SL2 is gathering dust. I have had no issues with the SL3. The high ISO is amazing and 2-3 stops better than the SL2-S which I found to be not that great. I have no stabilization problems with the camera, about a stop less than the SL2. I make prints up to 40"x60" and the sensor with the SLAPO lenses are amazing. I have not had the issue of losing images from changing the battery. I have heard this can be a problem and Leica is working on this in the new firmware. The battery life is far better than the SL2. I can shoot all day easily with 1 battery. I was really surprised how much cleaner the new sensor is in resolution. Did not think 47 to 60 would make the much difference. The color science is fantastic. I prefer it over the M11. Like all new cameras, they take time to understand how to best to use them. Will never have an accurate review from someone who walked around with it for a day. I make adjustments to my settings over time and have the functions set up to how I create. Everyone may have the settings slightly different to what they do. Flip out screen not a big deal for myself. I still find myself laying down on the ground to compose in the viewfinder. Just my nature I guess, never really use a screen to compose with.
I got the sl3 and from day 1 I was disappointed in the performance. Specifically the stabilization and ISO performance was really lacking compared to my 4 year old Nikon z7ii which seemed insane to me. Thankfully they allowed me to return it to the Leica store without any issues and no fee as I've bought many cameras from them over the years. A few days later I purchased and SL2-S and it solved both of the main issues I had with the SL3 for at a fraction of the cost. The other things that bothered me about the sl3 is the plasticy feeling body compared to the other Leica bodies I've owned...it felt more like my Nikon gear and for that price it's hard to justify. Also this new on off button is terrible as I would try to turn the camera off and it would go into sleep mode slowly draining the battery...I'm sure this is something I would've figured out after some use but it annoyed me. Things I loved about the sl3 was the tilt screen as it allowed me to get shots more comfortably and the other is the super quick file transfer using the fotos app its really the fastest I've ever seen a 80mb raw in a second is insane. All in all though wasn't worth the $7k in my opinion which bums me out to saw I was super hyped to finally have a good all around Leica. Tbh I'm much happier with the SL2-S even putting price aside I don't have to fight with the camera to get the shots I want...the IBIS in the sl3 is insanely lacking and with a BSI sensor I expected to be able to shoot to ISO 3200 without an issue but heck even 1600 was bad for my macro work.
The people who are complaining about the autofocus haven’t bothered to dig into the menu system. Is it for NFL? Probably not. But I have no problem catching my dogs running on the beach or in the water. The color OOC is awesome. Just get it!
I have had the SL3 since March…I have started to put more videos because I have not had much luck finding non-influencers as well. I live in Southern California and I love the camera. I previously owned an SL2-S and loved the colors and image quality. I just couldn’t justify keeping it based on the work I do and the way I like to shoot. The auto focus on the SL3, fast processor, slightly smaller body, flip screen and upgraded sensor is amazing.
Short & Long answer (No) I’m 62 years old and had Leica cameras in the past 40 years and we all are so excited when a newer and better version comes out. I bought into thinking Wow.. I have to have it.. And decided after those new purchases.. It was nice to have but it wasn’t necessary.. My advice.. We all need to fix our beliefs in being satisfied with what we have first… And condition ourselves with that so when the marketing experts says It’s the latest and greatest think that look what you’ve missing out on by not buying this updated edition camera.. Once you train yourself to be satisfied in having something that’s does 80-90% of the newest model You will have been rewarded (Satisfied ) in beating the hype that goes with every new model each company makes.. Say No to the hype and say yourself Yes in saving $$$ Blessings Greg
More research is needed to sort out the advantages of the SL3 over the SL2 in my mind. Talking to the Leica store sounds like a good place to start the discovery and better understand the issues. Good Luck...
I suggest renting it. I have a feeling it is not worth the upgrade. Considering the price, they did cut a lot of corners IMO. Leica here in the UK does offer a free test drive, maybe they offer something similar in the US?
hello! check out Jonathan Slack's review of the SL3, it seems he shared some of your concerns and he's open about it in the post =) i'm an SL shooter myself and i opted out of the SL2 since the ISO performance was the same as the SL but the colors were a slight downgrade. was initially thinking of passing out on the SL3 aswell, but it seems like leica really did a great job with this one =) even tho i kinda have mixed feelings about the sensor being (what i believe) of sony origin. imo, the only manufacturer that has proven to be able to tame the sony sensors properly is Nikon (not even sony themselves). hopefully Leica were up to the challenge tho =)
As a former SL3 owner it's a camera that's 5 years too late, and yet still needs another year before it's ready. Really, most of its issues (of which there are plenty) are because of the processor. I suspect it's old and far too underpowered for what it needs to do. It simply can't keep up. Unless you are shooting just photos in a studio then it would be great at that. The AF is not that much better than the SL2/S. The box that finds the face (when using Face detect AF) is far faster and stickier, but it doesn't actually mean that what you're seeing is in focus. The rolling shutter is awful. Electronic shutter is almost unusable for photos and the rolling shutter effect in video is the worst I've personally used. The build quality albeit better than Sony, canon, fuji etc.. feels like a step back compared to the SL2/S Its menu for video is a jumbled mess. The rest of the menu is great. The iso dial gets bumped way too easy. Part of the build quality issues for me is that the dials do not feel nearly as good as the previous generation. Having CFexpress Type B is awesome. Image quality is the best I've personally used. It's incredible. (it's why I got an M11P when I returned it) Battery life is bad. This camera sucks through batteries, and it also overheated on me while taking just photos last week in 80 degree weather. The power on/off switch is a huge miss for me - it's a crap shoot whether or not the camera just goes into sleep mode or actually turns off, and so when you need it to wake for a quick shot, there were many I missed because of it. The 2 copies (my first I sent into repairs in NJ and the 2nd was a loaner) Both had EVF and LCD issues. When I'd magnify to focus it was a pixilated blurry mess. I've talked to a few others that also have this problem. If you love the Fotos app and downloading photos from your camera using it, you'll love the SL3. The speed is insane. Takes less than a second to download a 90MB photo. Gigs worth of photos in 10-20 seconds. I loved it. Those are my thoughts from using it a Ton over the last two months.
@@TheJalbertstudios I mean if you haven’t tried it, try it. Insane image, but for the work I do, despite how Leica marketed this camera it ended up not working for me
The thing is I have an SL2 and I have a Q3 and I have two Nikon Z9’s I know the resolution is higher on that camera than the one I have but it’s not always about the resolution so I just may hold off on it because not many people will let you buy it and return it without paying a 10% or 15% restock fee
I have had the SL3 since day one. I kept my SL2 as a backup. So far the SL2 is gathering dust. I have had no issues with the SL3. The high ISO is amazing and 2-3 stops better than the SL2-S which I found to be not that great. I have no stabilization problems with the camera, about a stop less than the SL2. I make prints up to 40"x60" and the sensor with the SLAPO lenses are amazing. I have not had the issue of losing images from changing the battery. I have heard this can be a problem and Leica is working on this in the new firmware. The battery life is far better than the SL2. I can shoot all day easily with 1 battery. I was really surprised how much cleaner the new sensor is in resolution. Did not think 47 to 60 would make the much difference. The color science is fantastic. I prefer it over the M11. Like all new cameras, they take time to understand how to best to use them. Will never have an accurate review from someone who walked around with it for a day. I make adjustments to my settings over time and have the functions set up to how I create. Everyone may have the settings slightly different to what they do. Flip out screen not a big deal for myself. I still find myself laying down on the ground to compose in the viewfinder. Just my nature I guess, never really use a screen to compose with.
I got the sl3 and from day 1 I was disappointed in the performance. Specifically the stabilization and ISO performance was really lacking compared to my 4 year old Nikon z7ii which seemed insane to me. Thankfully they allowed me to return it to the Leica store without any issues and no fee as I've bought many cameras from them over the years. A few days later I purchased and SL2-S and it solved both of the main issues I had with the SL3 for at a fraction of the cost. The other things that bothered me about the sl3 is the plasticy feeling body compared to the other Leica bodies I've owned...it felt more like my Nikon gear and for that price it's hard to justify. Also this new on off button is terrible as I would try to turn the camera off and it would go into sleep mode slowly draining the battery...I'm sure this is something I would've figured out after some use but it annoyed me. Things I loved about the sl3 was the tilt screen as it allowed me to get shots more comfortably and the other is the super quick file transfer using the fotos app its really the fastest I've ever seen a 80mb raw in a second is insane. All in all though wasn't worth the $7k in my opinion which bums me out to saw I was super hyped to finally have a good all around Leica. Tbh I'm much happier with the SL2-S even putting price aside I don't have to fight with the camera to get the shots I want...the IBIS in the sl3 is insanely lacking and with a BSI sensor I expected to be able to shoot to ISO 3200 without an issue but heck even 1600 was bad for my macro work.
I really appreciate your feedback! Maybe firmware will address some issues but I’m going to hold off unless I can return it without a fee.
The people who are complaining about the autofocus haven’t bothered to dig into the menu system. Is it for NFL? Probably not. But I have no problem catching my dogs running on the beach or in the water. The color OOC is awesome. Just get it!
I have had the SL3 since March…I have started to put more videos because I have not had much luck finding non-influencers as well. I live in Southern California and I love the camera. I previously owned an SL2-S and loved the colors and image quality. I just couldn’t justify keeping it based on the work I do and the way I like to shoot.
The auto focus on the SL3, fast processor, slightly smaller body, flip screen and upgraded sensor is amazing.
I have an SL2-S. Is the SL3 a MASSIVE upgrade or better in some ways, not in others upgrade. Every so often I think about upgrading.
Short & Long answer (No)
I’m 62 years old and had Leica cameras in the past 40 years and we all are so excited when a newer and better version comes out.
I bought into thinking
Wow.. I have to have it..
And decided after those new purchases..
It was nice to have but it wasn’t necessary..
My advice..
We all need to fix our beliefs in being satisfied with what we have first…
And condition ourselves with that so when the marketing experts says
It’s the latest and greatest think that look what you’ve missing out on by not buying this updated edition camera..
Once you train yourself to be satisfied in having something that’s does 80-90% of the newest model
You will have been rewarded (Satisfied )
in beating the hype that goes with every new model each company makes..
Say No to the hype and say yourself Yes in saving $$$
Blessings Greg
So very true! Thank you!
More research is needed to sort out the advantages of the SL3 over the SL2 in my mind. Talking to the Leica store sounds like a good place to start the discovery and better understand the issues. Good Luck...
I have the SL3 upgraded from the SL2. What do you need to know? No issues great camera, depends on what you need. Shoot me a message happy to help.
I suggest renting it. I have a feeling it is not worth the upgrade. Considering the price, they did cut a lot of corners IMO. Leica here in the UK does offer a free test drive, maybe they offer something similar in the US?
Thank you! I’ll check into it!
hello!
check out Jonathan Slack's review of the SL3, it seems he shared some of your concerns and he's open about it in the post =)
i'm an SL shooter myself and i opted out of the SL2 since the ISO performance was the same as the SL but the colors were a slight downgrade.
was initially thinking of passing out on the SL3 aswell, but it seems like leica really did a great job with this one =)
even tho i kinda have mixed feelings about the sensor being (what i believe) of sony origin.
imo, the only manufacturer that has proven to be able to tame the sony sensors properly is Nikon (not even sony themselves).
hopefully Leica were up to the challenge tho =)
As a former SL3 owner it's a camera that's 5 years too late, and yet still needs another year before it's ready. Really, most of its issues (of which there are plenty) are because of the processor. I suspect it's old and far too underpowered for what it needs to do. It simply can't keep up. Unless you are shooting just photos in a studio then it would be great at that.
The AF is not that much better than the SL2/S. The box that finds the face (when using Face detect AF) is far faster and stickier, but it doesn't actually mean that what you're seeing is in focus.
The rolling shutter is awful. Electronic shutter is almost unusable for photos and the rolling shutter effect in video is the worst I've personally used.
The build quality albeit better than Sony, canon, fuji etc.. feels like a step back compared to the SL2/S
Its menu for video is a jumbled mess. The rest of the menu is great.
The iso dial gets bumped way too easy. Part of the build quality issues for me is that the dials do not feel nearly as good as the previous generation.
Having CFexpress Type B is awesome.
Image quality is the best I've personally used. It's incredible. (it's why I got an M11P when I returned it)
Battery life is bad. This camera sucks through batteries, and it also overheated on me while taking just photos last week in 80 degree weather.
The power on/off switch is a huge miss for me - it's a crap shoot whether or not the camera just goes into sleep mode or actually turns off, and so when you need it to wake for a quick shot, there were many I missed because of it.
The 2 copies (my first I sent into repairs in NJ and the 2nd was a loaner) Both had EVF and LCD issues. When I'd magnify to focus it was a pixilated blurry mess. I've talked to a few others that also have this problem.
If you love the Fotos app and downloading photos from your camera using it, you'll love the SL3. The speed is insane. Takes less than a second to download a 90MB photo. Gigs worth of photos in 10-20 seconds. I loved it.
Those are my thoughts from using it a Ton over the last two months.
How does it compare to the Panasonic S1?
@@shApYT I have no clue. I’ve never used that camera.
Thank you for your input! I think I’ll stay with my SL2 and Q3. My Z9 is a killer for all my work but I love the color pallet of Leica.
@@TheJalbertstudios I mean if you haven’t tried it, try it. Insane image, but for the work I do, despite how Leica marketed this camera it ended up not working for me
The thing is I have an SL2 and I have a Q3 and I have two Nikon Z9’s I know the resolution is higher on that camera than the one I have but it’s not always about the resolution so I just may hold off on it because not many people will let you buy it and return it without paying a 10% or 15% restock fee