The SL3-P is Leica’s latest addition to its interchangeable lens mirrorless camera lineup and I’ve been able to spend some time testing it. Sitting right in between its siblings, the SL3 and the SL3-S, the P version is best thought of as the Goldilocks of the range, offering better specs than the entry level S model, but at a more palatable price than the flagship SL3 — despite having higher specs in some areas. It packs a 44-megapixel full-frame image sensor, offers 40 frames per second raw shooting, phase detection autofocus (with subject tracking) and advanced video skills including 8K open gate recording and Apple ProRes codec support.
As with any Leica it comes with a pretty hefty price tag attached. It’ll set you back £5,150, which sits neatly between the £4,500 of the SL3-S and the £5,920 of the SL3. US prices aren’t known at the time of writing but for reference that UK price converts to roughly $8,090.
I was lucky enough to get hold a model ahead of its launch, along with a 28-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens, both of which I took away with me on a photography trip to the Scottish island of Mull. Here’s a selection of my favorite example photos from the Leica SL3-P. Note that all images were taken in raw and have been edited in Adobe Lightroom. You can click each image to see larger versions.
For my first image I wanted to take advantage of the camera’s in-body image stabilization which can let you take slow shutter images without needing a tripod. I took this at about half a second in order to blur the motion of the water and ordinarily I’d require the camera securely locked on a tripod to avoid the whole image being blurred due to the camera movement. The built-in stabilization has done a great job here, capturing crisp details on the static parts of the scene and turning that water into silky smooth ribbons.
A more tranquil scene here. The camera offers around 15 stops of dynamic range which has been helpful here in capturing a balanced image with subtle tonal gradations from the darker parts of the scene to the bright clouds. I’ve done little to the edit here, instead wanting to maintain a natural look that complements the soft feel of the scene.
I took this image of this cute dog at the full 70mm end of the zoom lens I was using — plus I cropped a bit more in post. It’s pin-sharp though and I loved being able to shoot in aperture priority mode here to quickly get the snap when the moment happened.
This beach was nice enough but I wanted to find some more interesting foreground to put into the scene and I felt I’d struck gold when I saw this haggard old tree stump. While I put the camera into black and white mode to help me visualize the scene, as I was shooting in raw I could have reverted to color in post if I wanted to. However, I love the dramatic, moody look here and I 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 concerned — the camera is IP54 rated for water resistance, so a bit of rain wasn’t going to be a problem. Instead, I kept on shooting through the bad weather and came away with an atmospheric shot of these abandoned fishing boats. I’ve upped the drama in Lightroom and I love that the camera’s raw files offer enough flexibility to let me edit my shots however I want.
This image was taken with a 1-minute shutter speed which absolutely meant it had to be locked down on a tripod — there’s no way any human could keep that still for a full minute! I noticed these old pier supports and I knew they’d make for an interesting monochrome scene.
Whereas this image was taken with a whopping shutter speed of 3.5 minutes. I used a PolarPro 10-stop neutral density filter here to limit the amount of light coming into the lens and therefore allow me to use such long exposure times. The result is that the motion of the clouds overhead has been turned into these ethereal streaks across the sky, while the water lapping around the rocks has been turned ghostly still. This technique can be great for taking dramatic-looking images especially in cloudy conditions like this.
Not long after I took the long exposure shot the sun broke through the clouds and I was even treated to a bit of blue sky. I love the colors of this scene but I think I got especially lucky as the CalMac ferry chugged its way through the frame. By combining both elements — the lighthouse and the ferry — along with the mountains in the background I’ve been able to capture a photo that really tells the story of this island.
The following day I was on the ferry, traveling back to mainland Scotland and eventually back to my home in Edinburgh. I snagged this shot looking over the back of the ferry and I love how vibrant it is. The vivid reds stand out beautifully against the green floor of the deck and against the blue sky above, while the waving flag adds the perfect central focal point.
Back in (rainy) Edinburgh, I took the camera out for a spot of street photography and I’m particularly pleased this image. Shot through the glass of a bus stop, I was relieved that the camera’s autofocus was able to detect the true subject of this image — the chap in the phone booth — rather than try to focus on the people in the foreground.
While here, the camera’s subject detection did a spot-on job of identifying — and locking onto — this person taking a photo on their phone. Quick street photography can be enhanced with accurate subject tracking autofocus as it allows you to quickly fire off a frame when you see an image-worthy moment take place and you don’t need to worry that you might miss focus.
However here I happened to be in manual focus and quickly got in close to snag this image of a little dog looking mournfully out of the car window.
I’ve enjoyed my time with the Leica SL3-P. It’s a solid all-round mirrorless camera that combines great image quality with the typically solid feel you’d expect from an expensive, hand-built Leica camera. Still, it’s not the Leica for me. As a more “regular” mirrorless camera it feels and operates in much the same way you’d expect of a Canon, Nikon or Sony camera, without the same thrill you’d hope from a Leica product — at least in my opinion. I bought a Leica Q3 43 last year and its smaller size and fixed 43mm lens means it remains not just my favorite Leica camera, but my favorite camera I’ve ever owned.
But this is the camera you’d choose if you want more pro-level specs for commercial photo and video work, along with a wide choice of lenses at your disposal — as an L-mount camera, you can use not just Leica’s lenses, but options from Panasonic, Sigma, Viltrox and various others. It’s a solid all-round “do anything” camera and while it might not give me the creative thrill I want from a camera, maybe you’ll feel differently.
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