p.2 #1 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
Abuttolph wrote:
I- the 24-90 and the 90-280 are remarkable in my opinion.
The 90-280 got a new lease of life with V4 as well. It focusing is very competent now. Its nearest competitors are the Canon 100-300 2.8 (faster but giant) and the Olympus 40-150 2.8.
We could do with a V2 of the 24-90 to shave some grams.
p.2 #2 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
I use an Sl2S with 24-90 and recently picked up a SL 50 APO. I primarily use it when I need AF and use my M11 maybe 75-80% of the time. I’ve considered switching to other brands to get better AF, but remember being very frustrated with editing colors on my Sony A7R4. I like my SL2S since the files are very similar to work with like my M11. The lenses also have a really lovely look despite being larger.
Reading this thread, the new firmware is tempting me to get an SL3/S to get improved AF. I reminding my self I don’t use it too often though…
p.2 #3 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
flash wrote:
The 90-280 got a new lease of life with V4 as well. It focusing is very competent now. Its nearest competitors are the Canon 100-300 2.8 (faster but giant) and the Olympus 40-150 2.8.
We could do with a V2 of the 24-90 to shave some grams.
Gordon
Any insights into any other glass that V4 is giving a boost to? I've got my Siggy 24-70 II and 500/5.6 and Panny 85/1.8 ... wondering about the SL APO's 35 / 50 / 75 (mostly the 50 / 75) or the Panny 24-60 and the Siggy 70-200 II, etc.
p.2 #4 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
It's true that there are plenty of mirrorless systems out there that compete with the SL, and in some cases even outperform it on paper. For me, though, the real differentiator of the SL system is the Leica L-mount lenses, especially the APO primes and the zooms.
The SL 24–90 and 90–280 are simply outstanding. In my view, they're still unmatched as zooms. Yes, there are Sigma options, including some dressed up in Leica barrels, but they don't deliver the same micro-contrast, color, and overall rendering that the Leica zooms do. Every APO lens I've used has been exceptional right from f/2, sharp all the way into the corners. My personal favorites are the SL 35/2 APO and the SL 75/2 APO. That said, there's one lens I absolutely love that's neither APO nor a zoom and is an absolute mammoth in size , the Summilux-SL 50/1.4. That lens is just… wow.
Another big advantage of the SL system is the sensor stack thickness. It's essentially the only EVF-only mirrorless system, aside from the new EV1, that allows M lenses to perform almost optimally. My Sony A7CR with a Kolari mod does make M lenses perform better overall (since it matches the Leica M's sensor stack thickness), but the SL comes very close straight out of the box, with no modifications needed.
Another big difference for me is the EVF. It offers incredible clarity and color fidelity. Even compared to higher-resolution Sony EVFs, the SL's viewfinder just looks better to my eyes, and I don't think other brands quite match it in this area.
No question, the SL system isn't cheap. But on the used market, prices are very competitive these days, especially for the original SL 601, the SL2, and the SL2-S. It's worth checking recent sale prices, they might surprise you.
Jan 08, 2026 at 07:03 PM
JohnSC 9 Offline • [X]
p.2 #5 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
JohnSC 9 wrote:
"Another big difference for me is the EVF. It offers incredible clarity and color fidelity. Even compared to higher-resolution Sony EVFs, the SL's viewfinder just looks better to my eyes, and I don't think other brands quite match it in this area."
Fred,
I had the opportunity to test the SL3 for a few days, and my experience with the EVF was actually the worst I have ever had on a camera.
For context, I regularly use a Sony A9 III, a Nikon Zf, and a Leica M11 P. My main intention with the SL3 was to adapt my M mount lenses. However, when zooming in to confirm focus, the EVF resolution looked extremely poor. To the point where it felt embarrassing for a camera at this price level.
I double checked my settings, and after that I searched forums and Reddit and found many users reporting the same issue. So it does not seem like a one off bug or a faulty unit.
Because of this, I decided not to buy the SL3 and kept adapting my M lenses on the Zf instead, most of the time using a Techart adapter, which gives me a far more reliable focusing experience, or even my Sony A9 III, which is genuinely fun to use with M lenses since I only care about center sharpness when shooting creative portraits.
Do you currently own or use an SL3 or SL3 S? If so, have you noticed this behavior when focusing manually and zooming in? If your comment refers specifically to the third generation, I have to say I cannot agree with that assessment based on my experience.
p.2 #7 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
I tried the SL3 and didn’t like the EVF. I thought Leica had fixed it by now. I still shoot SL2.
JohnSC 9 wrote:
Fred,
I had the opportunity to test the SL3 for a few days, and my experience with the EVF was actually the worst I have ever had on a camera.
For context, I regularly use a Sony A9 III, a Nikon Zf, and a Leica M11 P. My main intention with the SL3 was to adapt my M mount lenses. However, when zooming in to confirm focus, the EVF resolution looked extremely poor. To the point where it felt embarrassing for a camera at this price level.
I double checked my settings, and after that I searched forums and Reddit and found many users reporting the same issue. So it does not seem like a one off bug or a faulty unit.
Because of this, I decided not to buy the SL3 and kept adapting my M lenses on the Zf instead, most of the time using a Techart adapter, which gives me a far more reliable focusing experience, or even my Sony A9 III, which is genuinely fun to use with M lenses since I only care about center sharpness when shooting creative portraits.
Do you currently own or use an SL3 or SL3 S? If so, have you noticed this behavior when focusing manually and zooming in? If your comment refers specifically to the third generation, I have to say I cannot agree with that assessment based on my experience.
p.2 #8 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
JohnSC 9 wrote:
I double checked my settings, and after that I searched forums and Reddit and found many users reporting the same issue. So it does not seem like a one off bug or a faulty unit.
How did you "double check" your settings? See below.
I haven't had any issues with my SL2-S (or when I demo'd an SL3 in the store), but I do recall reading this from Overgaard.
However, if you want to get 100% detail, so much that you might be able to focus without having to zoom in on the image, then do this: Take a photo of something where some element of it is in focus. Then press PLAY on the camera to see that image in the EVF. Now, adjust the diopter adjustment ring untill a detail in the photo is clear and crisp. It might even be grain noise in the image.
I learned that the text in the EVF is not on the same level as the image. If I adjusted the EVF to crisp text, I was never really able to focus the Noctilux on the Leica SL2 without having to zoom in. With the finetune of the focus, by using an actual image, the image is now crisp enough in the EVF that I can focus without having to zoom in.
The point about the text / image planes not being exactly the same ... ... but, if folks are having issues as you've mentioned, it might be worth considering
p.2 #9 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
Strange I have always found the SL3 EVF to be excellent and one of its strong points. But, I mostly shoot APO-SL AF primes with the camera. I tend to shoot my M lenses on my M11. Those times that I have shot M lenses on my SL3 I have had a good EVF focusing experience.
I am not inclined to trade a lens to sensor mismatch that effects IQ for an EVF preference. For sure not willing to trade for corner smearing. One of the primary reasons I shoot Leica is the quality and personality of the glass.
p.2 #10 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
1bwana1 wrote:
I am not inclined to trade a lens to sensor mismatch that effects IQ for an EVF preference. For sure not willing to trade for corner smearing. One of the primary reasons I shoot Leica is the quality and personality of the glass.
+1
That's not to say that other mfr's don't make good stuff, etc.
But, if I'm gonna shoot M glass on anything other than an M ... the SL is engineered / designed with the M in mind.
p.2 #11 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
RustyBug wrote:
+1
That's not to say that other mfr's don't make good stuff, etc.
But, if I'm gonna shoot M glass on anything other than an M ... the SL is engineered / designed with the M in mind.
Other mfr's ... not so much.
Of course that is not meant to disparage any other brands. We are blessed with good products from all of them. I was just pointing out that M lenses are special in many ways. Size, construction materials, and optical design. This results in unique angles of incident especially at the edges and corners. The optical engineering required to keep the lenses small but still holding the highest optical quality, and unique rendering, requires that the camera and sensor be optimized as a system. Leica invests heavily in this. I prefer to take advantage of that engineering excellence.
p.2 #13 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
I have an sl2s and been trying to sell it for quite some time.. I rarely use it.
To use it with m lenses is a joy, specially small m lenses and with that georgeous viewfinder. I also really really like the colors coming out of the camera. But with autofocus lenses i find it to be cluncky and slow and given the size of the camera, i rarely take it out.
p.2 #14 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
1bwana1 wrote:
Of course that is not meant to disparage any other brands. We are blessed with good products from all of them. I was just pointing out that M lenses are special in many ways. Size, construction materials, and optical design. This results in unique angles of incident especially at the edges and corners. The optical engineering required to keep the lenses small but still holding the highest optical quality, and unique rendering, requires that the camera and sensor be optimized as a system. Leica invests heavily in this. I prefer to take advantage of that engineering excellence.
I wasn't inferring you were trying to disparage others. Sorry if that came across wrong. I'm in full agreement with you that Leica's engineering of OEM + OEM = best possible optics outcome from M glass, than a mixture of OEM's cobbled and hacked together (i.e. nothing new here, with sensor thickness, smearing, etc.).
That said, there are some of us that enjoy the fruits of cobbling / hacking. So, where there are those who are imbedded to a different system (for various reasons), and they take the mixing route, I get it. I used to have plenty of adapters and mixing onto my Canon EF platform. Been there, done that. Today, not so much for me.
p.2 #15 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
Fred Miranda wrote:
I tried the SL3 and didn’t like the EVF. I thought Leica had fixed it by now. I still shoot SL2.
I have read others comment about the SL3 EVF quality. But I haven't noticed any significant difference compared to the SL2's EVF during normal operations. I think I remember Stefan Daniel was asked about this in the SL3 firmware 4.0 interview video w/ Bobby ToneIli I posted on this forum. I think Stefan Daniel said something like he was aware of the complaint, which I took to mean after being put on the spot, somebody would be looking into it pronto... if not already. Ha!
Comparing the SL2 and SL3 EVFs side by side, I see overall similar MF EVF quality with the SL3 EVF showing a slight resolution drop as seen in some very small print under MF magnification that I tested so far. So maybe it is worse for some SL3 than others, or there is some setting causing a more pronounced issue. Or maybe there have been some undocumented improvements in one of the three SL3 firmware updates we've received to date.
p.2 #16 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
LBJ2 wrote:
I have read others comment about the SL3 EVF quality. But I haven't noticed any significant difference compared to the SL2's EVF during normal operations. I think I remember Stefan Daniel was asked about this in the SL3 firmware 4.0 interview video w/ Bobby ToneIli I posted on this forum. I think Stefan Daniel said something like he was aware of the complaint, which I took to mean after being put on the spot, somebody would be looking into it pronto... if not already. Ha!
Comparing the SL2 and SL3 EVFs side by side, I see overall similar MF EVF quality with the SL3 EVF showing a slight resolution drop as seen in some very small print under MF magnification that I tested so far. So maybe it is worse for some SL3 than others, or there is some setting causing a more pronounced issue. Or maybe there have been some undocumented improvements in one of the three SL3 firmware updates we've received to date. ...Show more →
I did not do a side by side comparison, since I only tried it briefly in the store. What I am referring to is the magnified view behavior. It jumps automatically to the middle magnification level, which looks a bit soft, not as crisp as the lowest magnification or the LCD view. That is one thing I preferred about the SL2, it remembered your chosen magnification setting. Maybe Leica has addressed this since then, but I do not know as I did not move to the SL3.
There is also some blurriness during continuous AF, but that is not unique to the SL3. I have seen the same behavior on the SL2 and even the Q series.
p.2 #17 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
Fred Miranda wrote:
I did not do a side by side comparison, since I only tried it briefly in the store. What I am referring to is the magnified view behavior. It jumps automatically to the middle magnification level, which looks a bit soft, not as crisp as the lowest magnification or the LCD view. That is one thing I preferred about the SL2, it remembered your chosen magnification setting. Maybe Leica has addressed this since then, but I do not know as I did not move to the SL3.
There is also some blurriness during continuous AF, but that is not unique to the SL3. I have seen the same behavior on the SL2 and even the Q series. ...Show more →
"It jumps automatically to the middle magnification level"
Thanks for the additional details. I did not look at it in this way "jumping to the middle magnification level" I'll look at that more closely. OTOH, not sure I want to discover this behavior either, because once I "see" then that's all see
p.2 #18 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
LBJ2 wrote:
"It jumps automatically to the middle magnification level"
Thanks for the additional details. I did not look at it in this way "jumping to the middle magnification level" I'll look at that more closely. OTOH, not sure I want to discover this behavior either, because once I "see" then that's all see
It was a reported bug so perhaps Leica fixed it. Check on your SL3 with the latest firmware.
p.2 #20 · Do You Still Use the Leica SL System? (Poll)
Fred Miranda wrote:
There is also some blurriness during continuous AF, but that is not unique to the SL3. I have seen the same behavior on the SL2 and even the Q series.
The EVF resolution drops in AFC, which is frustrating. And it seems to my eye it does as well when magnifying for some reason.
That being said, I quite enjoy the SL3, and with V4 Firmware it is even more fun to use.
, the Summilux-SL 50/1.4. That lens is just… wow.
... but, if folks are having issues as you've mentioned, it might be worth considering
