This is my full review about my Leica SL2-S. I’ve bought this camera about 1,5 years (and many clicks) ago as a replacement for my Nikon Zf (review here). To be honest I’ve always been a sucker for Leica camera’s. I love the look and more so the build quality. That was why I’ve never walked past a Leica booth at a photography exhibition. I always had to handle the Leica’s, just to feel the heft, the machined metal bodies and the fantastic buttons and layout. Well, never meet your idols they say… So will owning a Leica be as great as I hoped it was? In this review I’ll tell you about owning and using a Leica for the past 18 months.
Leica SL2-S in the greater scheme of things
The Leica SL2-S was introduced late in 2020 and was available for the public in 2021. It was introduced as the spiritual successor of the first generation Leica SL. It joins the Leica SL2 that was introduced in 2019. When the Leica SL2 was introduced it was offered next to the original SL offering a redesigned body, improved AF system, new controls and menu’s and a high resolution 47 megapixel sensor. While a big upgrade compared to the original SL the SL2 wasn’t a full replacement for many photographers. Many didn’t need the high resolution and were perhaps a little disappointed by the high ISO performance of the SL2. That’s where the Leica SL2-S comes in. The body is the same as the SL2 with some different internals.
SL2-S specifications
The SL2-S has 24 megapixels, just like the original Leica SL and offers good dynamic range, good high ISO performance and more speed compared to the SL2. This gave buyers a choice, speed and high ISO in the SL2-S or high resolution in the SL2. Oh, and the SL2-S is a little less expensive at 4500 euro compared to 6000 euro for the SL2.
Some key specifications of the Leica SL2-S:
- 24 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, probably made by Sony
- 5 axis in body stabilization with up to 5.5 stops of stabilization
- 5,7 megapixel EVF with 120 fps (0,78x)
- 225 AF fields
- 3,2 inch touch screen back panel 2,1 million pixels
- 1,28 inch monochrome top panel
- 2/5 fps continuous shooting with AF
- 9 fps with single AF or up to 25 fps with electronic shutter and with single AF
- 4GB buffer, for over 999 images
- Dual SD UHS-II card slots
- Full metal housing made of aluminum and magnesium
- IP54 splash proof
- Leica Maestro III processor
- 14 bit DNG RAW files (12 bit in super high continuous shooting)
- 4K full sensor width 4:2:2 video at 29,97 fps or 59,94 fps 4:2:0 video with APS-C crop with 10 bit output to SD card or via full size HDMI port
- 920g with battery (840g without)
Design – beauty meets engineering
The looks are one of the things that drew me to Leica’s in the first place, and the Leica SL2-S is no different. The body is a mix of beauty and engineering. The design doesn’t have unnecessary lines or details, everything has a purpose and is there for a reason. Most of the buttons are unlabeled, keeping the design clean. It gives me Bauhaus vibes. Elegant and simple lines with little design elements that you don’t notice at first that make the overall look pleasing instead of boring.
The body feels like it is made out of one block of aluminum. The original SL’s design was even more pure, but in that case there were some compromises made that impacted the comfort and usability of the camera. In the SL2-S you see small touches that make the body more comfortable to use. Like the smooth and rounded lines of the top plate around the shutter button. And also the indents in the front grip that give your fingers extra grip.
The SL2-S has the Leica name milled in to the EVF hump on the front. On the SL2 this is filled with white paint, but here they left it black, for a more stealthy look. On the left of the big text-logo you do find the coveted red dot with the Leica logo in it.
Taking out the battery
Who knew I would one day make a full paragraph about taking out a battery out of the camera. But this is one place where you feel the engineering department has moved the accountants aside. This doesn’t sit behind a cheap, simple and small door like on most camera’s, but it IS the door itself. The bottom of the battery is the part that seals the body, it also has a rubber seal to keep the camera weather sealed. Getting the battery out is a lot of fun (if you are strange like me). You flip the small silver lever next to the battery and wait for it to drop out… But it doesn’t, it just pops out about half a centimeter and just hangs there. Give a small tap and it will come out completely. Unnecessary? Certainly, but I love it!
Body and controls
When you first pick up the Leica SL2-S you will be surprised by the limited number of buttons and especially the lack of buttons with text on them. Most Japanese cameras have many buttons and most of them are labeled on or next to the button (or both). Leica is the complete opposite, just a few buttons and most of them are completely black. But even with this minimalist approach the camera is easy to use and easy to get to know. In the next sections I’ll tell you about the controls and what they do.
The top plate
On the top plate you will find just 4 buttons and none of them are labeled. The silver one is obviously the shutter button. Behind that you have the big round dial that is conveniently placed and easy to reach. The default operation is different in each mode, but comparable to the front dial on most camera’s. For instance in Aperture priority it works as a exposure compensation and in Shutter priority or Manual mode it works as shutter speed dial. Behind the big dial there are two unlabeled black buttons. By default the left one will switch between photo and video mode and the other one opens the ISO setting.
As with any Leica you can customize almost any button. Doing that is easy, just press and hold the button for 2 seconds and the selection menu will pop up.
On the top you will also find the rectangular settings display. This monochrome screen shows options like the current mode, aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting, card setting (overflow, backup), number of images left on the card, Bluetooth status and geotagging status. And of course the charge level of the battery. It’s convenient, easy ot read and has a backlight for when it’s dark.
The front
The front is a short story. There is a silver lens release button, that also doubles as the marking for aligning the lens for mounting. Another great small design feature by the way.
Besides that you have 2 programmable buttons that you can assign to your favorite function. These are easy to reach and use while holding the camera.
Back of the camera
The back of the Leica SL2-S is by far the busiest side. But even on this side you will only find 4 labeled buttons. The on/off toggle, play, FN and menu. For most of those it is clear what they do. FN is a little different. By default this will cycle through the different display options going from a blank screen to one with information, grids and level etc.
The menu button does what the i-menu, fn or Q button does on other cameras. It will give you a quick-menu with the most used options (customizable of course). But there is no dedicated button to get to the full menu with all the options. To go there you can press the menu button a second time or rotate the top dial when you are in the quick menu. A lovely touch that saves one extra button.
Controls – continued
The other controls on the back are the generous 3.2 inch 2.1 megapixel touch screen, a black button next to the EVF, a small joystick and back-dial. The button next to the EVF will switch between screen, EVF or auto mode. The back dial can be used to adjust settings like Aperture in Aperture priority. This is also used for switching between the different modes (PASM). Just press the dial and the current mode will show up on the top screen. By rotating the back dial you can choose the desired setting and pressing it again will select it.
The joystick is an other highlight. It is rubberized and easy to find with your finger and use. You can use it to select the focus point, press it as AF-on button and to navigate menus and select options. When viewing images in playback pressing it will zoom the image to 100% magnification.
EVF
Also on the back is the big and beautiful EVF. Eye relief is set by rotating the whole EVF, making it easier to adjust than the small knobs you find on most other cameras. The EVF itself was ahead of its time in 2021 offering 5.7 megapixel resolution and 120 fps refresh rates. For instance Nikon’s first camera with an EVF with this resolution was the 2024 Nikon Z6III. The high-end Nikon Z9 and Z8 still only have a 3.69 megapixel EVF.
You have the option to run the EVF in the SL2-S at 120 frames per second. This will use a little more power and will also decrease sharpness a little. That’s why I’ve chosen to keep mine at 60 fps. This is more than smooth enough for me and I’d rather have the higher quality in stead of the higher frame rate.
Handling the Leica SL2-S
The Leica SL2-S isn’t a small camera. It is bigger than most competitors like the Sony A7, Nikon Z5/6 range or Canon R6. It is comparable the Canon R5 or Nikon Z8. I don’t mind as this also means the grip is big and comfortable, even with my big hands. This is a big advantage when using the camera with bigger and heavier lenses.
Besides being bigger than most competitors it is also heavier. At about 920 grams with battery it is about 150-200 grams heavier than the mid-range cameras I mentioned before. It also feels very dense. This adds to the tough and durable feeling the camera gives you. And because of the big grip I can hold the camera, despite the higher weight for long periods without any discomfort. This is even true when using a big and heavy lens like the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8.
Sensor – 24 megapixels of goodness
The sensor of the Leica SL2-S is a 24 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. As far as I have been able to check this sensor was made by Sony and is the same sensor that is used in the Sony A7III, the Nikon Z6II and many more. If that is true it is also the same sensor as in my Nikon Zf (review here).
So this isn’t the newest sensor, but it still offers very good performance. The dynamic range leaves nothing to be desired as you can easily push shadows in post processing without running in to any problems. What surprised me even more is that dynamic range is still very good at higher ISO’s. In my mind I had to be a lot more careful lifting shadows on my A7RIII when going above base ISO, so the Leica seems to do better in this regard.
This also goes for noise performance. As with my Nikon Zf I have set auto ISO to go up to ISO 12800 as this is no problem at all. Yes, over ISO6400 you will see some noise in your images, but this is easily corrected in post processing with all the new AI tools (Like DXO Photolab). The SL2-S performs as you can expect from a modern 24 megapixel camera in this regard.
IBIS on the Leica SL2-S
IBIS on the Leica SL2-S offers about 5 stops of stabilization and works very well. You have the option to set different stabilization modes, choosing between normal, auto panning, vertical or horizontal panning. I never had to change any setting as the stabilization just works. Using the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art (that doesn’t have optical stabilization in the lens) I can shoot images at 70mm at shutter speeds as low as 1/10th – 1/20th with most of the images still being sharp.
The IBIS also works when attaching lenses with built in optical stabilization. I’ve not been able to confirm if this works by combining both the IBIS and optical stabilization in the lens or that IBIS is shut off and you only use the optical stabilization in the lens. However it works, the performance is very good.
Autofocus – DFD wobbles
While I love my SL2-S it does have one area where it lags behind any of the other modern mirrorless cameras: autofocus. The Leica probably uses Panasonics DFD focus system, that is a form of contrast detection focusing. Most modern mirrorless cameras use phase detection systems built in to the sensor in stead of contrast detection as this is better at sensing depth. Because Leica (and Panasonic) don’t have phase detection in this generation of camera’s they had to revert to DFD.
DFD is short for Depth from Defocus. A system where the camera estimates the distance of the subject by making small focus adjustments and analyzing how the resulting image changes. This can help the system to be quicker, but it also means the camera will keep adjusting the focus position while trying to find the focus point. You can see this in the EVF and it makes the image wobble a bit. This, combined with the slower speed is probably the reason newer Panasonic and Leica camera’s (like the S5II and Leica SL3 and SL3-S) now also use phase detection focus systems in stead of DFD.
Autofocus in use
In single AF the Leica’s autofocus does work good. It is fast, mostly precise and the interface is easy to use. You can use eye-AF and most of the time it will find the eye and accurately focus on it. I even have the idea the actual focus on the eye is better than it was with my Nikon Zf. You do have to be in face/eye detection mode for it to work. You can’t combine other focus modes or tracking focus with eye-af as you can on a Nikon or Sony.
Auto focus reliability in continuous focus
The big problem with the SL2-S’s autofocus is that continuous focus isn’t good, at all. The contrast detection AF is accurate, but just not as good as phase detection for continuous focusing. The Leica SL2-S‘s DFD contrast detection system has to move the focus point forwards and backwards a little to estimate the depth/ distance. This leads to a visible ‘wobble’ in your view finder. In single-AF this isn’t noticeable as much, but in continuous-AF it keeps wobbeling. It is most obvious when using fast lenses with shallow depth of field. This is distracting and partly ruins the great EVF experience the SL2-S offers.
But this isn’t even the biggest problem, I would be fine with the wobble if the focus was spot on. But unfortunately that is not the case. During focusing you will see the image go in and out of focus the whole time. This ultimately also leads to unsharp images. It misses focus in single shot mode but it is even worse in higher speed continuous shooting.
No more BBF
With my previous mirrorless cameras I got used to back button focusing (BBF) and using AF-C in all situations. On my Nikon and Sony this just worked, never had to worry about it and most images were in focus. It didn’t matter if you took one single image or even a long burst of images. On the Leica this just doesn’t work good enough for me. It even made me stop using back button AF, since I reverted to single AF for most of my shooting.
Autofocus in real life use
The good news is that after some time getting to know the Leica system I can now confidently use it for almost any situation and get more than enough keepers. As long as you don’t try to shoot anything moving towards the camera too quickly the AF-S is quick and precise enough most of the time. Even when using eye-AF. I even shot a wedding and had no problem getting sharp images of all the key moments.
So what my conclusion? When you take in account the cameras limitations the AF works good enough in single-AF for most situations. If you get to know the system you can confidently use it and get the images you need. Just don’t shoot fast action and don’t expect modern mirrorless levels of convenience and speed in continuous-AF.
Lenses for the SL2-S
Of course you want to use a Leica SL2-S camera with Leica lenses. But since I’m not Rockefeller and I’m just an amateur photographer I didn’t buy any Leica lenses for my camera. You can use any L-mount lens you want on the Leica. This means you can choose from the catalog of Leica, but also Sigma, Panasonic and many 3rd party brands. I chose to go for Sigma lenses because I was very happy with Sigma lenses on my Sony, especially the ART series.
Leica by Sigma?
My most used lenses are the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 DG DN Art, the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN Sports and the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary. These lenses have a very high build quality and the design matches that of the SL2-S nicely. Especially the 50mm Contemporary (find my review of the lens here) with its full metal build. Leica even used the optical design of the Sigma 24-70 and 70-200 to create their own more affordable (compared to the lenses designed by Leica themselves) Leica lenses.
These lenses have quite a big price premium over the Sigma versions. For instance the 24-70 from Sigma was 1199 euros (it is now replaced by a v2) and the Leica version costs no less than 2850 euro. But the Leica versions are built in a Leica factory, have even better built bodies and have better quality control. So for some of you this might make them worth the extra money.
Video
As you have seen in the specs the Leica SL2-S is a very capable video camera. But I don’t do video. I’ve never shot even a minute of video on the SL2-S. And besides accidentally switching to the video mode I’ve never used any of the options it has. So I can’t tell you anything about that.
Conclusion
So is owning a Leica as good as I hoped? Well the first big plus for me is the look and also a little feeling of pride every time it pick this camera up. Its a beautiful tool that inspires me to go out and take photo’s.
Small things that add up to a great experience are the fantastic EVF, the nice and bright touch sensitive back panel, easy to use interface and the great AF-joystick. This makes the camera stand out from competitors like the Sony’s, Nikon’s or Canons. The great sensor that delivers great color, contrast and dynamic range in almost any situation isn’t unique to the Leica SL2-S but the execution in this camera is very good. It seems like Leica squeezes every ounce of performance out of the chip.
The big let-down is and will always be the AF system. This just doesn’t work as good as it does on other modern mirrorless cameras. This is a shame, but when working around it you can make it work for you. It just requires a little more attention and thought than we are used to nowadays. Just don’t try to shoot fast action, as this will go wrong most of the time. If you shoot portraits, families, an occasional wedding or reportage, daily life and your vacations the AF will be more than enough.
All in all: yes, owning and using a Leica is a real pleasure!
The right camera for you?
So is the Leica SL2-S the right camera for you? Well second hand prices have gone down quite a bit. So for the price of a new mid range Japanese camera you can also buy a German made marvel of design and engineering. If you combine the Leica with Sigma lenses you will find that glass isn’t too expensive and will give you great optical quality. And the build and design match the Leica very well. So unless action and sports photography is your daily business I’d say: give it a try and buy one at MPB.com. And if you don’t like it after all you will be able to sell it without loosing too much money on it.