A Popular Question This Month From Blog Members is: Should I buy one of the Leica SL (original) Cameras? "I found one used at a good price..." My answer will be fraught with contradictions.

A bit of background: The original Leica SL digital camera is a weird one. Hold one in your hand and you'll immediately understand why so many people believe it is built to a much higher mechanical standard than anything else on the market; especially back around 2015 when it was first launched. It seems like it's carved out of a block of solid alloy, the buttons are perfectly positioned and weighted, the EVF is still highly competitive today,  and the thinner AA filter, fine-tuned to perform better with Leica M lenses on the edges (as compared with other brands' integration of the tele-centric nature of digital sensor with older, especially wide angle, lenses) made it Leica M user desireable. The last point, the Leica SL's sensor pack design was a big deal for people who already own, use and love Leica's vast line of new and used M series rangefinder lenses. Many people who adapted those lenses to other brands of mirrorless cameras found that sensor filters in most other new cameras were (and are) too thick and reduce the sharpness and contrast of M series lenses a lot. Especially in the corners. The SL was the first mirrorless camera I know of that worked at tackling that problem. 

And the fix doesn't just benefit Leica M lenses. There are numerous really good lenses that were designed before digital came along that have degraded performance when used on most cameras (because of the sensor stacks) but show huge "improvements" when used on an SL. Or an SL2 for that matter. This is why power users of legacy lenses and most M series lenses were interested in the first SL.

Added to that were the advantages inherent in a mirrorless design such as constant preview, fast frame rates, the ability to use a great EVF in conjunction with all different focal lengths and the ability to preview ones potential images right in the finder or on the screen. And the Leica color science.

The SL upped the ante with its build quality. It is one of the few modern cameras that can truly boast weather resistance and from one of the few camera makers to label the camera with an IP 52 rating. No guess work about reliability when it comes to dust and moisture intrusion resistance. 

At the time of launch it was a damn expensive camera, retailing for $7450.00 without a lens. In today's dollars it would be closer to $9,000. A lot to pay at the time for a camera which had few workable, full frame, L mount lenses available for it. That was a tough sell. Now the L landscape has changed. Between Sigma, Panasonic and Leica there are dozens and dozens of really great lenses available for the system. 

It's a great camera and, about a year and a half ago I bought two of them on the used market for about $1,800 each. Both cameras with all their boxes, packing materials and accessories. I wanted them originally as backup units for my then newly acquired Leica SL2 (current model). I didn't imagine that I would get much use out of them at the time but looking back the SL has been my most used and most enjoyed camera from 2022. The color is really beautiful and the files are sharp in a way that other cameras aren't. 

But would I recommend the SL as a budget entry into the L mount system for people who, unlike me, aren't besotted by nostalgia for all things Leica? Nope. Not really.

If I tossed off my history with Leica products (many M series rangefinders, way too many R series cameras and lenses, and several compacts) and just wanted to concentrate on building a workable and productive system around the L mount I would, today, go in a different direction. And I'll tell you why. It would be all about image quality, budget and the fact that camera body performance and value are two things that rarely improve from generation to generation. Nor does resale value.

If I were to buy today I might eschew both the low cost option of the SL (no matter how cool it really does look and feel) nor would I make the same choice I did and buy the SL2. Without considering budget I would instead lock in like targeting radar on the middle ground. The Leica SL2-S. It's the same rugged body as the SL2, the same menu interface, the same beautiful EVF, and even better color science. But available for about $2,000 less than the SL2 when purchased brand new. I have seen used prices lately as low as $3600. It's also been bundled with several different Leica lens options at prices low enough that you can end up getting the included lens nearly free. 

While the SL2 has 47.5 megapixels the SL2-S has only 24. But I see that as an advantage, not a detraction. In my experience too many pixels in a camera which does not have scalable raw file capability is mostly a burden. And since the SL2-S sensor is newer, and a BSI version, the high ISO performance is much better than its more expensive sibling. Finally, it's got great specs for video--- though I realize some of you think that video in a predominantly stills oriented camera is the Devil's Work. But all-in-all, if you are interesting in getting a Leica mirrorless, FF camera the SL2-S clicks every box. 

If I decided that I just liked the L mount system and the chance to use some of the great Leica SL lenses but didn't want to chase camera specs and obsolescence I'd make different different choices in 2023. If it came right down to it I'd be hard pressed to choose an SL over the Panasonic S5 or S5mkii unless I really needed the advantages provided to hard core M lens users. 

The S5 wasn't on the market yet when I started plunging into Leica L compatible cameras like the SL, the SL2 and the CL cameras. The Lumix S5 came along just a bit later and the S5ii  really just hit the consumer space last Fall. 

I did end up buying the original S5 at launch and, with the exception of the mid-level EVF resolution I've found the camera to be without many flaws, and none of the flaws rise to the worn and stupid phrase: Deal Killer.

If budgets were tight, or if I didn't give an armadillo's butt about the Leica Legend and the brand allure I'd skip the Germanic camera sculpture garden and go straight to a brace of S5ii cameras. On a tighter budget? Right now you can order the previous model, the S5, and get it bundled with a Panasonic 85mm f1.8 lens for the lofty low price of just $1497, new in a box with a USA warranty. 

The one disadvantage besides the loss of snob appeal of the S5 cameras is the lower res finder. But other than that, and maybe the depth of the sensor stack, there is nothing to complain about with the S5 cameras. 

It's a camera that's got the same basic sensor as the newest Leica SL2-S, the same general high ISO performance and it's smaller, lighter and, for most people, more comfortable to handle (size and weight+grip). You can also buy inexpensive generic batteries for the Lumix instead of having to splash out $285 each for Leica SL/Q2 batteries. And no generics are available for those pricy cameras. 

The S5 has a couple of other advantages over the Leicas but they are mostly features in the video space. The audio adapter for the S5 will allow the use of several XLR terminated microphones and will provide phantom power for professional mikes that need it. It's an amazingly good device for videographers. Especially the "one man crews." Oh, an if you get the newer model, the S5ii, you'll also get faster AF because ..... PDAF.

The other advantage comes from the camera's more parsimonious use of electrical power. Since it's not powering up a nearly 6 million dot EVF it doesn't suck battery power at the same rate. So the cheaper batteries also last a longer time. Bonus, bonus.

Choosing the right camera seems tough but if you are logical about decision making it's really not so hard. Once you get over the idea that you "need" a nearly 50 megapixel sensor you've won half the cost savings battle. Once you decide that you probably are never going to buy and use manual focusing M series lenses you can let go of the idea that you "need" a certain sensor stack of filters and color pattern arrays to get the best from your camera. Now you are free to choose the Lumix instead. 

Your rich Leica friends may tease you but your even wealthier banker friends will applaud your financial restraint over a piece of gear destined mostly to be used as a hobby device. In case you haven't heard, commercial photography is in the process of being cancelled altogether by our robot overlords. 

Doing it all over again? Two S5ii cameras. A smattering of the f1.8 Lumix prime lenses. The 24-105mm zoom and a hard stop. The reality? I'm not pressed to economize so I can buy with my emotions instead of my brain. With that being the case I think you can count on me to keep chasing the ever elusive "value" of the Leica brand. It's more fun for me. But that's probably material for my therapist (if I had one...). 

Bottom line? Buy what you can afford AND what makes you happy. Always good when those two parameters intersect where you want them to. 

Happy times.