Nevertheless, its manufacturer is suggesting improved ergonomics on the SL2, and, as part of this, we get a simplified three button layout to the left of the LCD on backplate – preferable to the thin unmarked strips that stood for controls on the even more minimalist original SL.Īt least here, then, we’re not always prodding around in the dark trying to find the functionality we crave, though a dedicated delete button and a ‘back’ button to jump back to prior settings on occasion may have improved the overall user-friendliness. It’s not as comfortable as operating a DSLR with a comparable lens might be, however. While it isn’t moulded to our fingers like the grip on a DSLR might be, thereby making it easier to balance out the weight if we’ve a big lens on the front, on the SL2 it’s certainly big enough to wrap our full four fingers around, while the thumb automatically brushes up against the control dial – or as Leica refers to it, ‘click wheel’ – peeking out at the back. Given the heft of this camera, it’s perhaps not surprising that Leica has been pushing the fact that, this time around, we get a slightly/subtly remodeled and, the suggestion is, more comfortable handgrip thanks to it being coated in ‘elastomer’ material. That’s if, to play devil’s advocate for a moment, at this price they’re not otherwise tempted by a mirrorless medium format camera like the Hasselblad X1D II 50C released earlier this year (a suggested £4,500 in the UK, whereas the Leica SL2 is a wallet destroying £5,300). Landscape photographers, who will be able to take some of the weight off (officially 835g without battery – considerably more with lens and battery) by placing it on a tripod, or portrait photographers, shooting for fixed time sessions, may therefore get the most out of it. However, if you’re someone who is going to be embarking on a more considered approach to shooting and who isn’t rushing around like a wild thing, then the SL2 may be a better fit. While the rock-solid build quality may reassure someone prepared to spend more buying a body-only Leica SL2 than a vintage Moog Model D synthesizer, it’s probably not the ideal travel camera for lugging around for an entire day on a city break – even if you were to return with some cracking photos as a result. In fact, used in tandem with the aforementioned zoom, the SL2 feels like it weighs a ton – it’s been fashioned from two solid pieces of aluminium with a central magnesium alloy portion sandwiched in its midst – so we were thankful for the padded strap that also came with our sample. It has to be said that, while Leica may have tried to update this camera while keeping the weight down, it’s not the most portable option ever. You’re not just reviewing the pictures from the Leica SL2 – the detail draws you in, so that you almost ‘inhabit’ them. The level of detail, then, is astounding – and, viewed large on-screen, almost overwhelming. It’s worth noting that unless you (or your subjects) are blessed with perfect skin, the Leica SL2 can be quite unflattering, in picking up and magnifying every minor blemish or wrinkle. Though the SL2 is directly based on the original SL camera from back in 2015, the SL2 and the Q2 do have some equally obvious similarities – not least a 47 megapixel resolution from a full frame sensor that, when coupled with some high quality Leica ‘glass’ – we had a 24-90mm lens in use, suitable for delivering some lovely de-focused background effects – produces images that are almost too sharp. Interestingly, Leica claims that the refined and more intuitive user interface on the mirrorless full frame SL2, when compared with its direct predecessor, should enable any users familiar with the Q2 to immediately get to grips with it. Now arrives the Leica SL2, another solid, black-bodied camera, but differing this time in being equipped with Leica’s L-mount, thus enabling around 150 lenses to be utilised if investing in specific adapters. When we reviewed Leica’s Q2 earlier this year, we wondered if it was perhaps the most over qualified and over specified street photography camera ever. The Leica SL2 is available now priced at £5,300 / $5,995 body only in the UK and US respectively. The SL2 also offers in-body image stabilisation, a continuous shooting rate of up to 20fps, a 187 megapixel multishot mode, built-in wi-fi, NFC and GPS connectivity, a highest ISO setting of 50,000 and dual UHS-II SD memory card slots. It features a 47 megapixel full-frame (24x36mm) CMOS sensor with no optical low pass filter, the latest Leica Maestro III series processor, 4K/60p video recording, a class-leading electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 5.76 megapixels, and a 3.2-inch LCD screen with 2.1 megapixels and touchscreen control. The Leica SL2 is a new professional full-frame mirrorless camera aimed at both photographers and videographers.
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