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The SL3-P is Leica’s latest addition to its range of interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras and I was able to spend some time testing it. Sitting between its siblings, the SL3 and SL3-S, the P version is best viewed as the Goldilocks of the range, offering better specification than the entry-level S model, but at a more palatable price than the flagship SL3 model – although there is higher specification in some areas. It has a 44MP full-frame image sensor, offers 40fps raw shooting, phase detection autofocus (with subject tracking), advanced video skills including 8K open gate recording and support for the Apple ProRes codec.
As with any Leica, it comes with a very hefty price tag. It’ll set you back £5,150, which is between £4,500 for the SL3-S and £5,920 for the SL3. Prices in the US are unknown at the time of writing but for reference the UK price converts to approximately $8,090.
I was lucky enough to get a pre-release model, as well as a 28-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens, both of which I took with me on a photography trip to the Scottish Isle of Mull. Here’s a selection of my favorite images from the Leica SL3-P. Note that all images were captured in raw format and edited in Adobe Lightroom. You can click on each image to see larger versions.
For my first photo, I wanted to take advantage of the in-camera image stabilization feature that allows you to take slow-shutter photos without needing a tripod. I took this photo in about half a second in order to distort the water movement and I would normally have the camera locked securely to a tripod to avoid blurring the entire image due to camera movement. The built-in stabilization did a great job here, capturing crisp detail on still parts of the scene and turning that water into silky-smooth ribbons.
A quieter scene here. The camera offers about 15 stops of dynamic range which here helped capture a balanced image with subtle tonal gradations from dark parts of the scene to bright clouds. I did very little editing here, instead wanting to maintain a natural look that complemented the soft feel of the scene.
I took this photo of this cute dog at the full end of the 70mm zoom lens I was using – plus I cropped more in the post. It’s very clear and I loved being able to shoot in aperture priority mode here to quickly capture the photo when the moment happens.
This beach was nice enough but I wanted to find a more interesting foreground to put in the scene and I felt like I had struck gold when I saw the old, weathered tree trunk. While I put the camera in black and white mode to help me visualize the scene, while I was shooting raw, I could go back to color in post if I wanted to. However, I love the dramatic and choppy look here and enhanced the “cinematic” feel with this wide, narrow panoramic crop.
But if you want moody shots, this boat scene is for you. It was raining hard this morning, but I wasn’t worried – the camera is IP54 waterproof rated, so a little rain wouldn’t be a problem. Instead, she continued filming through the bad weather and came up with an aerial shot of these abandoned fishing boats. I’ve turned up the drama in Lightroom and love that the camera’s raw files offer enough flexibility to allow me to edit my shots however I want.
This photo was taken with a shutter speed of 1 minute which definitely means it had to be mounted on a tripod – no human being could hold this photo still for a full minute! I noticed these old pier supports and realized they would make an interesting monochromatic scene.
This photo was taken at a tremendous shutter speed of 3.5 minutes. I used a PolarPro 10-stop neutral density filter This is here to limit the amount of light entering the lens and thus allow me to use these long exposure times. The result is that the movement of the clouds above is transformed into these ethereal lines across the sky, while the water swirling around the rocks is transformed into a ghost. This technique can be great for taking dramatic looking photos especially in cloudy conditions like these.
It wasn’t long after I took the long exposure shot that the sun broke through the clouds and I felt a sliver of blue sky. I love the colors of this scene but I think I was especially lucky when the CalMac phrase made its way through the frame. By combining the two elements – the lighthouse and the ferry – along with the mountains in the background, I was able to capture an image that really tells the story of this island.
The next day I was on the ferry back to mainland Scotland and eventually back home in Edinburgh. I took this shot looking at the back of the ferry and I love how lively it is. The bright red color stands out beautifully against the green floor of the roof and the blue sky above, while the waving flag adds the perfect central focal point.
Back in (rainy) Edinburgh, I took out my camera for a street photography spot and I’m particularly happy with this photo. The photo was taken through the glass of a bus station, and I was relieved that the camera’s autofocus was able to detect the real subject of this photo – the young man in the phone booth – rather than trying to focus on the people in the foreground.
While we’re here, Camera Target Detection did the job of identifying — and catching — that person taking a photo on their phone. Fast-paced street photography can be enhanced with precise subject-tracking AF as it allows you to quickly fire off the frame when you see a photo-worthy moment and not have to worry about missing focus.
But here I happened to be in manual focus and quickly got close to capturing this photo of a little dog looking sadly out the car window.
I enjoyed my time with the Leica SL3-P. It’s a solid all-around mirrorless camera that combines great image quality with the solid feel you’d expect from an expensive, hand-built Leica camera. However, it’s not a Leica for me. As a ‘regular’ mirrorless camera, it feels and works the same way you’d expect from a Canon, Nikon or Sony camera, without the same thrill you’d expect from a Leica product – at least in my opinion. I bought Leica Q3 43 last year Its smaller size and fixed 43mm lens mean it’s not only my favorite Leica, it’s the favorite camera I’ve ever owned.
But this is the camera to choose if you want more professional specs for commercial photo and video work, along with a wider range of lenses available to you – as an L-frame camera, you can use not just Leica lenses, but options from Panasonic, Sigma, Viltrox and many more. It’s a solid all-around “do anything” camera, and while it may not give me the creative thrill I want from a camera, perhaps it will feel differently.
