Leica SL3: 60 Megapixels, 8K Video, etc
Related: 4K and 5K display, 8K display, botched design, color space and gamut, computer display, digital sensor, focusing, imcompetence crisis, Leica, Leica M, Leica SL3, Multi-Shot High Resolution Mode, Panasonic, please fix this, please fix this camera, please fix this Leica, Roy P, USB, USB-C
re: botched design and color space and gamut
• Leica has the most brain dead camera on the market for color rendition. Inexcusably stupid: "Color space Photo: sRGB". No AdobeRGB. So ALL your bright/saturated reds and greens will be mashed/trashed. JPEG = garbage color for images that won’t fit into sRGB (any bright red!). Your RGB histogram will be extra misleading... oh wait, it doesn’t have one. Design by dilettantes.
• The Leica SL3 apparently REMOVES the multi-shot high-res mode of the Leica SL2. See: Thoughts on Ultra High Resolution Imagery with Multi-Shot High-Res Mode. I can find no mention of it in the manual.
All good, glad to see a 60MP Leica SL camera body. A little late to the party, the Sony A7R V having been out for 15 months already, but still nice to see. Still, that beats Canon and Nikon, still trailing at 45MP.
These Leica cheapskates charge 80% more than a Sony A7R V, but do not include a battery charger—a hassle whether at home or on the road for multiple reasons. You need to spend another $220 for the Leica BC-SCL6 USB-C Dual Charger, which brings the effective camera price (with one $200 spare Leica BP-SCL6 battery) to $7415.
Get $6995 Leica SL3 at B&H Photo.
Should I review it? Along with some of the newer lenses.
Leica SL3 camera manual download.
- 60MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Sensor
- Maestro IV Image Processor, 8GB Buffer
- Hybrid AF System with PDAF & Contrast AF
- 5.76m-Dot 0.78x-Mag. EyeRes OLED EVF
- 3.2" 2.3m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
- 8K, C8K, 4K, C4K & FHD 10-Bit Recording
- ProRes 1080p & Apple MFi Support
- ISO 50-100000, Up to 15 fps Shooting
- 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
- CFexpress Type B & SD UHS-II Card Slots
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Description
Coupling a powerful 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor with the Maestro IV image processor, the SL3 promises swift focusing performance and excellent image quality with 15 stops of dynamic range and 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization.
Improvements to the camera body include a 3.2" 2.3m-dot tilting touchscreen LCD for dynamic viewing options while capturing imagery, a CFexpress Type B slot and SD UHS-II slot for file-saving versatility, and a reduced weight of 1.7 pounds. Also noteworthy is the SL3's hybrid autofocusing system, which integrates Phase Detection AF with Contrast Detection AF and Object Detection AF, resulting in reliable performance in a multitude of shooting scenarios. These critical improvements to the camera's hardware and body have positioned this iteration to leap ahead of its predecessors.
60MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Sensor and Maestro IV Processor
At the front and center of the SL3's notable upgrades are its 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor and Maestro IV image processor. This duo combined with 8GB of buffer memory allows for incredible capturing speeds as well as superb image quality. This is double the amount of buffer memory available in the SL2-S, which means you'll experience noticeable speed improvements for all operations, including startup time. Additionally, this improved processor provides a wide ISO sensitivity range from 50-100000.
Triple Resolution Technology
Choose between 60, 36, or 18MP output while still utilizing the full sensor area with Leica's Triple Resolution Technology. This unique pixel binning process allows you to capture DNG and JPEG files at smaller sizes while still benefiting from the sensor's rich 14-bit color depth and 15-stops of dynamic range.
[DIGLLOYD: inferior to downsampling with ACR and can't make use of AI Denoise +Enhance Details at full-res. Dumb idea]Hybrid AF System with PDAF
Utilizing a hybrid AF system for optimized focusing, the SL3 features Phase Detection AF with Object Detection AF and Contrast Detection AF, ensuring speedy shifts in focus as well as reliable performance in low light scenarios. With this improved focusing system, the camera tracks eyes, faces, bodies, and animals much more effectively.
[DIGLLOYD: great idea if it works (CDAF)]8K Video Recording & ProRes 1080p
Take full advantage of the SL3 with its impressive video capturing capabilities. All video resolutions, including 8K, frame rates, and quality settings can be recorded internally or externally without limit. ProRes 422 HQ recording can be done with Full HD resolution at frame rates up to 60p. HDMI 2.1 Type A and USB-C ports provide greater access to accessories like external recorders, gimbals, and power banks, making the SL3 a great tool for video creation.
5-Axis Image Stabilization
Complementing this camera's powerful sensor is a 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization system that provides up to 5-stops of shake reduction, allowing you to capture sharper handheld images.
Body Design Updates & Additional Features
- One CFexpress Type B slot and one SD UHS-II slot are available for added versatility for file saving, allowing you to separate JPEG and raw files to different cards or save duplicate files to each card.
- A USB-C port allows for fast file transferring and tethering with full support for Capture One, Adobe Photoshop, and Lightroom. Also supports high-speed in-camera battery charging.
- A full-size HDMI 2.1 Type A port benefits video applications and a 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks for advanced audio recording needs.
- Its durable magnesium and aluminum construction withstands tough weather conditions and is splash and dust protected with a rating of IP54.
- Video recording capabilities: Video recording capabilities: 8K, C8K, 4K, C4K, FHD, MP4 + MOV, H.265, and ProRes 1080p.
- Leica L2 technology allows for a vast selection of L-mount compatible lenses.
- Mechanical shutter speeds up to 1/8000 of a second.
- Flash sync speeds up to 1/200.
- Built-in Wi-Fi 5 (MIMO) and Bluetooth 5.1 work in conjunction with the Leica FOTOS app for wireless file transferring and remote camera control.
- New graphical user interface with new icons and custom font for a more modern design and increased menulegibility.
- Support for Live View portrait and landscape shooting with orientation auto-detection.
- Photocentric menu settings are highlighted in red, while video centric settings are highlighted in yellow, aligning with the design language of the Leitz Cine lenses.
Multi-Shot High-Res mode
Sony and Fujifilm and Nikon pixel shift suck for field use—not usable in practice. Hasselblad doesn’t even have pixel shift.
But like the Panasonic S1R, Leica SL3 has the multi-shot high-res mode, which is very usable, sometimes even on moving water. Or does it? I do not see mention of it in the description.
See also: Thoughts on Ultra High Resolution Imagery with Multi-Shot High-Res Mode
Versus...
Some of the $5K or so APO lenses are an argument in favor of the Leica SL system and and also weigh against it ($5000 or so each). I particularly like the 28mm and 35mm and 50mm f/2 designs. But I’m not sold on non-APO Leica lenses since even their APO ones are not as APO as they ought.
- Why not a Hasselblad X2D-1ooC (even prettier) or Fujifilm GFX100 II? By the time you buy lenses, there is little system-cost difference and 100MP on a 44 X 33mm sensor rocks. Actually lens cost on Fujfilm is a lot less.
- Sony A7R V is half the price and with a lower-res EVF (5.76 Leica vs 9MP Sony) and AF that is unbeatable and a better grip too. And there is no shortage of superb Sony FE lenses including the compact ultra high performance Voigtlander FE 35/2 APO and Voigtlander FE 50/2 APO.
Yes, I know that Leica fans love their Leicas and there doesn’t have to be logic involved. But I think that a Sony A1 or Sony A7R V plus a medium format kit makes a lot more sense.
Roy P writes:
Absolutely. In my head to head comparisons at the same f-stops between the Leica 50 f/2 APO-Summicron-SL and the Sony 50 f/1.2 GM, the two things that really stood out were (a) the Sony 50 GM is as sharp as the Leica, and (b) the Sony actually has a shallower DOF than the Leica. So the transition into out of focus is actually noticeably better with the Sony, if shallow DOF is your goal (e.g., people, subject isolation).
OTOH, if max DOF is your goal (landscapes, cityscapes), then the Voigtlander FE 50 f/2 APO Lanthar (for Sony E mount) is as good as the Leica, perhaps even a tad superior. So much so that when I first tested the CV 50 f/2 APO, I suspected Cosina might be cheating, pushing an f/2.8 or f/3.5 lens as an f/2, so I actually took test shots at the same ISO with the CV and another 50mm lens to verify that both lenses took the same exposure times! (I think I had mentioned this to you a few years ago).
At any rate, a Sony A7R V + one extra Sony battery + Sony 50 f/1.2 GM + a CV 50 f/2 APO Lanthar VM for a total of about $6760 is $5,500+ less than the cost of the body of the SL3 ($6995) + BP-SCL6 battery ($170) + $5095 for the Leica 50 f/2 APO-Summicron-SL, which add up to $12,265. That $5500 can buy a slightly used Sony A1 in 9+ condition in the B&H Photo Used department, or finance more than two thirds of a Fuji GFX 100 II ($7500).
DIGLLOYD: yep.
