Have been using the SL2 slightly more than a year now. Both for personal shooting and some paid assignments. So here is my personal thoughts about what I like and don’t like about this camera. You would by now have read up so much about the juicy technical improvements the SL2 received over its predecessor.
What really stood out for me was how refine the ergonomics of the cameras was. The handgrip feels great in the hands and it just looks less clunky visually compared to the SL even though when placed side by side they are actually about the same. It just looks good to the eyes and felt right in the hand. Very much so like the transition from M240 to M10.
Mini JCW shot with the Leica SL 24-90
If like me you started your Leica journey on the M system, moving to the SL system, overall size may need some getting use to. The body alone is roughly the size of the M10 with a handgrip, however native L-mount lens are much larger in comparison to the M lens. You can of course stick to adapting your M lenses to achieve a similar footprint.
When pairing M lenses with the SL2, the Leica M to L mount adapter allows for auto-detect of lens and applies the correct lens profile to the camera as well as storing this info into the metadata. While its a good to have option, its definitely not a deal breaker. There are many other quality alternatives available out in the market such as Novoflex. Having transited from the Panasonic S1R, I noted that M lenses especially the wider angles (21mm and wider) had less smearing at the edges. While I strongly believe they have the same sensor I believe that the one used in the SL2 had added micro lenses which isn’t present in the S1R. Either that or there is some serious digital magic going on.
Things to note when entering the SL2 ecosystem is that the range of Leica L-mount lenses while growing isn’t that wide. Worst of all, the one and only fast prime available is the SL 50mm Summilux. Thankfully the SL system is part of an L-mount alliance which is adopted by Panasonic and Sigma. This means you get a wider range of lenses to choose from at various price point to suit your needs. Apart for Leica glass, I personally own the Panasonic S Pro 50mm and it works like a charm on the SL2.
The user interface of the SL2 is also really awesome. Leica a similar interface that is found on the Leica M10. Minimal buttons yet sufficient to navigate through the menus with ease. As compared to the Panasonic S1R which has more buttons, it was way less cluttering to look at.
Autofocus is definitely not blazing fast as compared to other brands like Sony or Canon. But for what i shot it is more than sufficient.
Colours out of the SL2 are amazing and nothing short of Leica standard. Then again your mileage may vary slightly depending on the lens you mount on.
For my personal usage the SL2 is nearly perfect. It has almost everything I would like to have in a camera less the following. Wider variety of flash support and better battery life. The only flashes available that allow HSS or TTL would be Leica’s own flash which is really limited. And if you’re interested in strobes, you’re out of luck. You’re limited to working in manual mode at max sync speed. The battery life on the SL2 is that fantastic either. About 350 shots on a full charge. Not very impressive by today’s standard.
The Leica SL2 is a very versatile camera that is capable of being a professional workhorse as well as your daily shooter. Apart from using it for paid assignment, I’ve personally used it to capture street photography as well as some product photography.
So here is the summary of the Pros and Cons.
Pros
1) Ergonomics
2) User interface
3) Wide range of L-mount lenses and works great with M Lenses
4) Great colours
5) Very versatile Camera
Cons
1) Costly
2) Limited flash support
3) Poor battery life
4) Mediocre autofocus speed
