Leica Launches a new camera model. The web bursts with excitement. But what do the "experts" at VSL have to say about all of this?

Academy Award winning movie star hanging out at the studio...

Pentax 645 (the original one). 

Leica launched a new camera. It's the SL3-S. It's pretty much a perfect camera if you are looking for rock solid build quality, perfect menus, access to world class lenses, killer low light performance/high ISO, and state of the art, hybrid video and stills capabilities at a reasonable resolution. The AF is now not only phase detect but phase detect combined with contrast detect AF. It's faster than the AF in last year's Leica SL3; the high resolution model.  The new camera will set you back at the bargain price of $5300. Or thereabouts. 

The big news about this new camera is concentrated in two areas. One is its video capabilities and the other is fast autofocus: which pairs with fast handling. If you are a videographer who needs a high quality camera that can do double duty as an extremely good, medium resolution, photography camera this one might be of interest to you. Especially if you need to operate it in crappy weather (a real ISO IP54 weather resistance rating. Not just the hopes and prayers of brands that are unrated...) or you need to record your high res video to an external SSD (although Sigma beat them to that punch back in 2020 with their original fp camera...). 

There are some changes between the new model and the previous SL2-S. Whether they will be meaningful to you depends on how you work and what you really want from a professional camera. As I mentioned above the new model autofocuses faster by a long shot. It's a better camera for sports and fast moving journalism. The old camera has two SD UHSII card slots while the new one has one SD UHSII slot and one CFExpress B card slot. A nod to the need for faster storage for full gate, 6K, ProRes video. Yes, the camera is capable of shooting full res video to an internal storage card! If that's something you understand then you'll know if you need it or not. If you need it is a "good idea" of a "good idea." 

The processing chip in the new camera is a Maestro IV while the previous camera has a Maestro III chip. The new processing chip means faster throughput and, of course, faster focusing. But that's just about where the differences between the two sit. If you are into the latest thing you will, of course, want the newest camera model. But if you think about it for a while you might consider a different direction. 

When I woke up this morning (and after swim practice) I sat down to go through the reviews of the new camera because, as you know, I like shooting with at least two kinds of Leicas --- and the SL variants are one of my favorite platforms; especially for workaday work. I started rationalizing why I might need the SL3-S. I poked around on my favorite Leica Store site and realized that, if I acted quickly, I might be able to get a camera this month. In the first shipment. But if I hesitated then... maybe not. 

I took a breath and opened up Ted Forbes's YouTube introduction to the new camera. What he said put some stuff in perspective for me. He also shoots with a combination of M and SL Leica cameras and he was very adamant that his biggest concern when he heard about the new model was that it might not have the same image quality for still images as his current SL2-S. A camera he's been using for a while. And a camera which has, according to Forbes, some of the best image quality he's ever seen. And when I sat there listening I thought, "Yeah! That's what I wrote about the SL2-S just a week or so ago."  

Forbes went on to say that he felt the new camera didn't sacrifice in the quality realm. He did not say that the new camera was any better than the old one. In fact, if you listened between the lines what he was really saying was that the cameras, when it comes to photographic output, are pretty much the same. Or maybe exactly the same. 

Both cameras have the best EVF viewfinders on the market. With the best viewfinder optics to go along with the high res of their rendering. Both are IP 54 rated for moisture and dust intrusion resistance. Both can take the SCL-6 (new) batteries. Both have enormous dynamic ranges and equally good high ISO noise performance. In fact, the only reason for a photographer who works as I do to want the new camera is a misguided desire to "keep up". 

The new camera adopts the new, smaller size (not by much) introduced in the 60 megapixel SL3. It also has a flippy screen which tilts up by 90° but does not rotate to a forward facing position. OOOPS. There goes the selfie market.... The new camera will write video to an external SSD. The internal buffer is 8GB while I believe the older camera has a 4GB buffer. 

But, if you are a photographer who works with slow moving subjects (like corporate execs, people at events, found art object documentation and the all important mannequin cohort capture) and values instead a solid platform for good lenses as well as really, really nice, clean, color rich, color accurate files, and you already own an SL2-S, there is really very little practical reason to change. In fact, according to specs the older camera is slightly better (half a stop) at image stabilization. The old camera has a higher sync speed (1/250th versus 1/200) and, if you are also using an SL2 (the previous version of the new SL3 high resolution model) you won't have to get used to the buttons on the back of the camera having shifted from the left side (as you face the back of the camera) to the right side === as on the new cameras. 

I really like the SL2-S but, in fact, I really like all the cameras I currently have on hand. I'm not sure the newer cameras bring me anything new and special that would make any difference in the way I work. But it sure was nice to think about buying one, at least for a couple of hours. 

The real compulsion was the desire to source a lightly used, perfect condition, used SL2-S now that the new model is about to hit the streets. I've seen prices from several Leica stores for clean, used cameras as low as $2200. And that's with the original box and all the packing stuff. Given how great I think the camera is the idea of having a....back-up...is beguiling. But I had to remind myself that this stuff is built to last and, if I need a back up I do have 2 SLs and an SL2 just champing at the bit to go out and shoot stuff. 

It's fun when Leica introduces new stuff. All the big time V-loggers get review copies well in advance and by the time the embargoes are over it's becomes a gush fest. Until you scroll down to the comments and then it's an endless sea of gripes from the unwashed who can't believe anyone would spend a little extra cash to get a hand-built, massively good camera from Germany. The little darlings. I can just imagine the heated discussions dissing the new Leica taking place at Olive Garden Restaurants across the USA. I mean, how can you compete with unlimited breadsticks? Or cheaper cameras? 

But that's all I have for today. If you don't already have an SL2-S then now is the time to pounce. I predict the older product will be discovered for just how good it is and then become ..... scarce.

Memories of just how bad the original X100 camera was. It was so cute to look at 

and such a train wreck to actually use..... But even the most recent ones are far cheaper 

than Leica rangefinders so..... Sandwiches at Arby's?