Leica SL3 Camera Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

Of the many iconic camera manufacturers, Leica have proven to be one of the most tenacious in maintaining their presence and moving with the times into the digital world. With the SL3, this can be seen quite clearly as can the seamless melding of the electronic and the traditional into a fine photographic tool. Coupling the camera up with the Leica 24-90mm lens, we see how this works out in terms of handling and also in terms of the technical tests. Does the reality match up to the expectation? Let’s find out.

Leica SL3 Features

Leica moves in its own way, and there is no attempt to move towards a more compact kit. The camera is large and heavy, weighing in at a substantial 769g and measuring up at a chunky 141.2mm x 108mm x 84.6mm. It must be said that in some ways this is a bit unwieldy, especially when coupled with a large lens such as the 24-90mm. Within the body is a full frame 60.2MP BSI sensor that offers 15 stops dynamic range and 14-bit colour depth. The resolution can be set lower at 36MP and 18MP, useful if the full 60MP is not required. The sensor output is handled by the Maestro IV processor with L2 technology. 5-axis IBIS is built into the sensor assembly. There is no claim offered by Leica for the effectiveness, not so far as I could find anyway, but testing it out on this day with this reviewer 4 stops would seem a reliable expectation. This may not be class-leading, but it is extremely useful anyway.

The Hybrid AF system offers Eye/Face/Body detection, plus in the sample received for review, a Beta setting for Animals. This is relatively basic compared to many other marques.

There are two card slots, one for CF Express Type B and one for SD cards. SD/SDHC/SDXC, UHS-I and UHS-II are supported. Connectivity is via HDMI Type A, USB-C, Bluetooth, WiFi and control is available via the Leica FOTOS App.

The top plate carries a small info screen plus two large dials. These actually work extremely well, the left dial controlling ISO and the right dial controlling exposure compensation. There are two small buttons, the first for toggling the info screen display and the second to bring up a menu covering the white balance settings. Thus, the most commonly used parameters can be set in an extremely well designed and intuitive way.

The OLED EVF is simply brilliant, with its 5.76M dots showing masses of detail without any strain on the eyes. Frame rate is 60fps or 120fps, so fast action can be followed. The 100% view has a magnification of 0.76x. The 3.2” monitor is touch sensitive and has 2,332,800 dots. 

The large lithium ion battery is housed in the baseplate but only offers a basic 260 shots (CIPA standards) so a spare or two would seem to be a good idea. 

Handling can, as mentioned, be a little cumbersome, but there is no doubting the solidity of the construction. However, ergonomically, everything is well designed and the working procedures are smooth and efficient.

Leica SL3 Key Features

• 60MP BSI sensor, 15 stops, 14-bit
• 36MP and 18MP selectable
• Maestro IV processor
• Shutter speeds 1/8000s to 60m (mechanical shutter)
• Shutter speeds 1/16000 to 30s (electronic shutter)
• 5 axis IBIS 4 stops
• Subject detection: eye/face/body and animals (Beta)
• ISO range 50-100,000
• CF Express Cards Type B
• SD Memory Cards: UHS-II, UHS-I, SD/SDHC/SDXC
• OLED EVF 5.76M dots
• Tilt 3.2” LCD Touch screen 2,336,800 dots
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• 8K video
• ProRes

Leica SL3 Handling

The initial feeling with the Leica SL3 is of course the bulk and weight, this reviewer being used to routinely using much more compact cameras. However, there is something in that Leica feel that grows with use, and what initially feels like an over large set of controls becomes much more comfortable. The placement of the controls is logical and everything falls into place. Those with larger hands will likely be much more at ease with the Leica than with ultra-compact designs. The downside is the weight but there is no escaping this natural consequence of the design choices made.

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Leica SL3 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
 

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Leica SL3 Sample Photos

Lens Performance – Most of the testing was done using the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 ASPH lens. This has been reviewed as a separate item and the conclusions on performance were:

At 24mm, central sharpness is outstanding from f/2.8 to f/5.6, excellent at f/8 and f/11 and very good at f/16. The edges are very good from f/2.8 to f/5.6, good at f/8 and fair from then onwards.

At 50mm, central sharpness is outstanding from f/3.6 to f/5.6, excellent at f/8 and f/11, very good at f/16 and fair at f/22. The edges are very good from f/3.6 to f/16 (notwithstanding a couple of anomalous lower but repeatable readings at f/5.6 and f/8) and fair at f/22.

At 90mm, central sharpness is excellent at f/4, very good from f/5.6 to f/16 and fair at f/22. The edges are good from f/4 to f/11 and fair at f/16 and f/22. This focal length will no doubt please portrait photographers, the lower edge sharpness being ideal for portraiture.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is well handled at the centre of the frame, less so at the edges, but it is all kept at levels that will not be intrusive in most images. Challenging subjects will show up some colour fringing, but this can be tackled in software if needed.

Distortion is low for a zoom lens, measuring -0.57% barrel at 24mm, +0.08% pincushion at 50mm (almost perfectly rectilinear) and +0.68% pincushion at 90mm.

Bokeh is pleasant and smooth, showing good gradation in the out of focus areas. Not at the level of being gorgeous, but very acceptable.

Flare is well under control, with even the most severe lighting being well handled. 

Vignetting is low for a zoom lens, and especially impressive at 90mm.

Leica SL3 ISO test images

ISO Performance – Images are pretty much noise free up to ISO 400, but by ISO 800 are already seeing artefacts creep into the darkest areas. ISO 1600 and ISO 3200 show definite noise, but the sharpness remains good and the integrity of the chart boxes is maintained. ISO 6400 to ISO 2500 show steadily increasing noise levels that could be acceptable with the right sort of subject matter. ISO 50000 and ISO 100000 completely lose the plot and the smeary noise levels are not particularly attractive. This is not the best noise performance seen recently by any means, and the best results can be expected with ISO levels of 3200 and lower.

Leica SL3 White-balance test images

White Balance – There are various white balance presets. On offer are AWB, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Daylight, Flash, HMI, Fluorescent Cold, Fluorescent Warm, HMI, Shade and Tungsten. All the settings can be tweaked to taste. HMI refers to a specific range of continuous lighting and there is merit in the idea of having this very specific white balance available as a preset.

Leica SL3 Digital filters

Digital Filters – There are few options provided in terms of digital filters, it being restricted to a selection of film styles: standard, vivid, natural and monochrome. This could usefully be expanded, but to be fair those on offer can be tweaked to taste.

Source: Photography News
Leica SL3 Camera Review
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