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There’s nothing wrong with the way the traditional Leica camera worked. If anything, the Leica M series makes the photographer more aware of what’s around them. But let’s be honest, autofocus is very useful. And the Leica SL2s is probably the camera that answers the needs of the modern journalist the best. At the heart of the Leica SL2s is what Leica claims to be a newly developed 24MP BSI sensor. This variant of the Leica SL2 maintains the IP54 weather sealing rating, but it also received a speed boost.
Editor’s Note: We’ve updated this post as of May 2022.
Table of Contents
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Gear Used
Tech Specs
Ergonomics
Build Quality
Ease of Use
Autofocus
Metering
Image Quality
JPEG Output
RAW File Versatility
High ISO Output
Extra Image Samples
Conclusions
Likes
Dislikes
Pros and Cons
Pros
The fastest autofocus on a Leica ILC I’ve seen. It’s now on par with Canon and Sony.
Autofocus profiles are cool!
Solid build quality
Easy to use
Beautiful image quality
People detection is wonderful.
Functionality-wise, the buttons are fantastic with a good layout and give you everything you need.
A camera that you truly want to carry around with you everywhere
Both Panasonic and Leica lenses have comparable autofocus speeds.
Raw files are pretty versatile in Lightroom.
FANTASTIC high ISO print capability
Cons
A tad pricey. But when you consider the weather sealing, it’s not bad.
I wish it did Qi wireless charging.
I wish this had dedicated animal face detection
There should be an option to never let the display time out. This is especially true for the EVF-Extended mode.
It needs the right strap to be comfortable for long photo walks
Still no multiple exposure mode
I wish the menu was touch-capable and that it either flipped or tilted/pivoted.
Gear Used
We tested the Leica SL2s with:
Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL
Leica 24-90mm f2.8-4 SL
Panasonic 24-70mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro
Panasonic 16-35mm f4 Lumix S Pro
Tech Specs
A new 24 Megapixel CMOS BSI full-frame sensor. This sensor is image stabilized.
25fps in the electronic shutter mode, and 9fps in mechanical
4GB of internal memory
Up to ISO 100,000
96MP Multishot mode
4K 30p/60P video, Cinema 4K video at 30p/60p
No 29 minute filming limit
Capture One 21 support
5.76 Megapixel EVF
IP54 weather sealing rating and you can shoot with it down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit
Dual UHS II SD Card slots
Top display
USB C
Ergonomics
The Leica SL2s is pretty much identical to the SL2. The big difference is the blacked out Leica logo up top. But otherwise, this camera is very similar to its sibling. It’s still milled from a block of aluminum.
The front of the Leica SL2s has a few controls. There are two buttons near the lens release that are customizable.
Up top there are a few controls. The biggest things are the wonderful diopter control, the LCD screen, the exposure dial, shutter button, and two other buttons. We set these to ISO and white balance.
The back of the camera has little going on. It’s dominated by a large LCD screen. The left has a play button, function button, and a menu button. The power on/off switch is also located here. On the right there is another button that I set to the view mode. Plus, there’s the joystick.
And of course, a camera wouldn’t be a professional grade camera without dual card slots. And this camera has them. On the other side are other ports and the USB C terminal.
Build Quality
The Leica SL2s has an IP54 weather sealing rating. According to the web, that means it can take splashes from any direction and resist a bit of dust. Indeed, the Leica SL2s is one of the toughest and most rugged cameras on the market. I’d argue that it’s the most rugged for a photojournalist. Its predecessor quite literally saved the life of an Italian journalist. The build quality of the Leica SL2s has strengthened my beliefs in better cameras. And quite honestly, the next camera I purchase needs ...