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New Leica SL3-P Rumors

LBJ2
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p.13 #1 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

SlowDriver wrote:
My point exactly. Same for the APO 35mm with its 750g for an 35mm f2 lens.

I think you probably already aware, Peter Karbe discussed the fact that he designed a standard lens barrel size for all SL APO F2 primes and he could have made the 35 SL APO smaller, but instead decided to use the extra space to apply even more correction to the 35 APO optical formula.

To your point he could have made a smaller SL 35 APO. But he didn't for the reasons he discussed.

Jun 29, 2026 at 11:23 AM

SlowDriver
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p.13 #2 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

LBJ2 wrote:
I think you probably already aware, Peter Karbe discussed the fact that he designed a standard lens barrel size for all SL APO F2 primes and he could have made the 35 SL APO smaller, but instead decided to use the extra space to apply even more correction to the 35 APO optical formula.

To your point he could have made a smaller SL 35 APO. But he didn't for the reasons he discussed.

Yes, I am aware of that. I am guessing the standard barrel size is probably a cost savings thing, and additionally a videographers thing, and it looks cool if you have 3-5 APO lenses with a uniform size/look, but for me owning only the 35mm it is really a disadvantage as it makes the 35mm much bigger than it really should be. The APO Summicron-M weighs 320g. That is a big difference with the 750g of the APO Summicron-SL. The AF motor and the weather sealing obviously account for part of the difference but how much better is the SL lens really than the M lens as they both have the APO designation? Would anybody notice if the "even more corrections" were not applied? Are the "even more corrections" really worth say 200g of additional weight? I don't own the APO Summicron-M so I can't really comment on the quality difference (if any) but my gut feel is that you should be able to shrink the size/weight of the APO 35mm easily with 25% with little to no quality impact. Sony, Sigma, Hasselblad, etc all make version 2 lenses nowadays and they all tend to be (much) smaller.

Jun 29, 2026 at 11:53 AM

1bwana1
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p.13 #3 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

RomanMF wrote:
3-5 years away for a new sensor leads me to believe this M11-R rumor may be true. A little holdover until they can get their proper M12 revamp out. Hopefully that thing at least has a Maestro IV in it.

I would not view that as a rumor. That is what will happen. We don't know the exact sensor that will be used, only that it will still be a Sony one. The M12 has been held up by processor issues. So we really don't know about that at this time either.

Jun 29, 2026 at 12:37 PM

rscheffler
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p.13 #4 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

M11-R would be interesting with the SL3-P's sensor to at least provide usable e-shutter options.

Curious what else Leica could include with a more powerful sensor and processor package...

SlowDriver wrote:
I am guessing the standard barrel size is probably a cost savings thing, and additionally a videographers thing, and it looks cool if you have 3-5 APO lenses with a uniform size/look, but for me owning only the 35mm it is really a disadvantage as it makes the 35mm much bigger than it really should be. The APO Summicron-M weighs 320g. That is a big difference with the 750g of the APO Summicron-SL. The AF motor and the weather sealing obviously account for part of the difference but how much better is the SL lens really than the M...Show more →

My impression is it's more a video thing and is also what Canon is doing with their line of VCM f/1.4 prime lenses. With Canon it's definitely about 'hybrid' photo/video use in consideration of those who are frequently working with gimbals.

Those Canon VCM lenses are very similar in size to the Leica SL APO Crons, but average around 550g and do rely on software distortion corrections, particularly the wider angle models. They seem to be an example of what you're suggesting could be done with the SL APO Crons to reduce weight. If I had the budget, I'd buy both the Canon and SL APO Cron sets to see what the actual optical quality difference is.

So far I only have the Canon 20/1.4 VCM and while it's a very good lens, I feel it could still be better WRT flare control, which in some situations affects image contrast and saturation.

Jun 29, 2026 at 12:43 PM

RomanMF
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p.13 #5 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

Wouldn't the real strength of Leica's optical supremacy be them designing lenses that are of similar size to their competitors that perform better? If your lenses have to be mini-telescopes to narrowly outperform your competitors, are you actually better at lens design than them? Or do people believe they've just hit a wall with physics?

Jun 29, 2026 at 01:10 PM

1bwana1
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p.13 #6 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

I watching this video both the questions and answers don't seem consistent with the development process of a camera being ported over from one developed by another company. That process and that relationship seemed to not exist at all?

What do you all think?

Jun 29, 2026 at 01:32 PM

rscheffler
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p.13 #7 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

RomanMF wrote:
Wouldn't the real strength of Leica's optical supremacy be them designing lenses that are of similar size to their competitors that perform better? If your lenses have to be mini-telescopes to narrowly outperform your competitors, are you actually better at lens design than them? Or do people believe they've just hit a wall with physics?

Physics certainly dictate what can be done purely optically vs. optically with software corrections. When the SL system was first imagined by Leica, what was their position with regard to software corrections? I don't know that answer. If the original SL lenses don't lean heavily on such corrections, it would certainly explain their size.

You could ask Zeiss that same question with their various Milvus and Otus lenses. Only recently have they 'downsized' Otus with the ML series that also introduced some optical compromises, apparently for 'character' reasons, compared to the original Otus DSLR series.

Leica knows how to make small. Consider their 50 Cron AA and 35 Cron AA for the M series compared to the Voigtlander equivalents. But one of the core design goals for the M system is keeping lenses as small as possible. Those two lenses are also examples of the cost one needs to bear to achieve such degree of optical correction in as small as possible packages.

I can't speak for Leica but my impression is that the SL system is/was about fewer optical compromises and that the SL system better accommodates larger lens designs to achieve these design goals. The original trio released with the SL, the 24-90, 90-280 and 50/1.4, are all huge lenses. The zooms are apparently optically excellent but also unconventional compared to other systems because of their longer than typical zoom ranges (i.e. rather than 24-70 or 70-200). They were also released in ~2015 when the mirrorless landscape was different and perhaps also optical design capabilities and/or design goals.

The new 50/1.4 suggests that Leica is aware that there is a desire for smaller, lighter, yet still high quality lenses for the SL system.

Jun 29, 2026 at 01:54 PM

LBJ2
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p.13 #8 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

SlowDriver wrote:
Yes, I am aware of that. I am guessing the standard barrel size is probably a cost savings thing, and additionally a videographers thing, and it looks cool if you have 3-5 APO lenses with a uniform size/look, but for me owning only the 35mm it is really a disadvantage as it makes the 35mm much bigger than it really should be. The APO Summicron-M weighs 320g. That is a big difference with the 750g of the APO Summicron-SL. The AF motor and the weather sealing obviously account for part of the difference but how much better is the SL...Show more →

I've only seen images posted from the very small MF M 35 APO and I indeed recognize the modern Leica APO signature IMO a realistic/ true-to-life pop similar to the larger SL APO primes.

Jun 29, 2026 at 02:23 PM

RomanMF
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p.13 #9 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

rscheffler wrote:
Physics certainly dictate what can be done purely optically vs. optically with software corrections. When the SL system was first imagined by Leica, what was their position with regard to software corrections? I don't know that answer. If the original SL lenses don't lean heavily on such corrections, it would certainly explain their size.

You could ask Zeiss that same question with their various Milvus and Otus lenses. Only recently have they 'downsized' Otus with the ML series that also introduced some optical compromises, apparently for 'character' reasons, compared to the original Otus DSLR series.

Leica knows how to make small. Consider...Show more →

The focal ranges on those two zooms is super appealing to me, even with the variable aperture. That covers most of what I generally use, and the tiny bit on the long end I'd be missing, I feel comfortable going into crop mode with a 60MP sensor. They're just comically large and heavy, especially the 90-280, and pretty slow focusing by today's standards. It feels like both could use a V2 for handling and AF purposes alone.

Jun 29, 2026 at 02:45 PM

RoamingScott
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p.13 #10 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

They may be prohibitively expensive and ridiculously heavy, but at least the lens hoods are only $300 each.

RomanMF wrote:
The focal ranges on those two zooms is super appealing to me, even with the variable aperture. That covers most of what I generally use, and the tiny bit on the long end I'd be missing, I feel comfortable going into crop mode with a 60MP sensor. They're just comically large and heavy, especially the 90-280, and pretty slow focusing by today's standards. It feels like both could use a V2 for handling and AF purposes alone.

Jun 29, 2026 at 03:21 PM

RomanMF
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p.13 #11 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

The lens hood on the 24-90 took me out. I couldn't believe the shape of that thing.
RoamingScott wrote:
They may be prohibitively expensive and ridiculously heavy, but at least the lens hoods are only $300 each.

Jun 29, 2026 at 03:34 PM

flash
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p.13 #12 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

The 90-280 has only one other lens that’s even close. The Canon 100-300L. The Leica is small in comparison. I have the Canon and personally think the Leica is better. That APO signature is there. It really shoots like a bag of primes. I don’t mind the size. The Leica is replacing a 70-200 and a 300 prime after all.

It is not a super fast focuser though and could use a motor update for sure. And TC support.

Gordon

Jun 29, 2026 at 03:49 PM

RomanMF
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p.13 #13 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

Gordon,

Where do you store all these cameras and lenses?!

1bwana1 wrote:
I watching this video both the questions and answers don't seem consistent with the development process of a camera being ported over from one developed by another company. That process and that relationship seemed to not exist at all?

What do you all think?

On another note for this video, and this is a bit off-topic, Leica's approach to marketing is fascinating to me. I think they leverage their arsenal of ambassadors better than other brands. Jamie being the interviewer here is a choice. They're a pretty savvy company and much better than Hasselblad at this part of the process. Master marketers.

Jun 29, 2026 at 04:06 PM

philip_pj
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p.13 #14 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

It's certainly true that larger form lenses can be designed to a high technical standard more readily. That's been Zeiss's thinking for the entirety of the digital era, and even their new light cine / video Nanos are far from lightweights. The ML Otus 50mm is 14/11 with two asph and four APD elements. It's very common these days to use double-sided asph surfacing, but it's not stated for this one.

One of the chief Leica M designers of the 35/1.2 M said designing for M-mount was like working with a tunnel of glass.

As to optical correction, we can compare. The 35/2 APO-Summicron in M-mount carries six APD elements and four aspherical surfaces. The equivalent SL APO 35/2 has nine APD elements and five aspherical surfaces spread over three of its elements.

The M 35/2 APO lens is a revolutionary 10/5 design, a masterpiece no less; the SL lens is a more Japanese typical 13/11 design. Every extra element buys the design more flexibility and more potential correction. One of Leica's design goals with the M APO 35mm was to match the SL lens series.

It's kind of passe to mention this in these days of magical coatings, but the M APO 35mm lens has just 10 glass/air surfaces (same as the 50mm APO in M-mount) and the SL APO 35mm has 22 such surfaces.

There is remarkably little discussion of the imaging differences produced by these two lenses.

AI re the two 35/2 APOs: 'The SL is designed for peak, edge-to-edge micro-contrast and resolving power, making it unforgivingly crisp. The M provides identical, stunning levels of sharpness but with slightly smoother transitions.

Micro-contrast & Rendering: SL lenses are optimized for modern, high-megapixel sensors, resulting in highly vibrant colors, deep blacks, and a pronounced 3D "pop". The M version leans into the traditional Leica film-lens lineage, offering a gentler contrast fall-off and a more forgiving, vintage rendering that is flattering for portraiture.'

Jun 29, 2026 at 05:19 PM

RustyBug
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p.13 #15 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

I still think the intent of the SL design is imbedded in the "S" part of SL.

The L is the mount, the "S" designator is S Series level optic designed for an L mount. Given that Leica's departure from the S series bodies relinquised their flagship potential to a FF camera, the "S" makes (imo) to take that top spot ... sized as needed to achieve that level of performance.

Karbe has stated that the SL series APO's are for those who want the best Leica can offer, the M's are for those who want the smallest (and whatever compromises that might incur, variance from the SL).

In that context, the relationships with the L Alliance in Panny / Siggy offer physically / optically different options than the SL APO series. Here again, I think Leica is fully aware of the size they are making the SL APO's ... and, how that fits into their entire eco-system ... even, as it seems they may have begun a new chapter that is a tier change from the SL APO.

From that perspective ... the size of the SL APO's make sense ... or are at least accepted as such, to me.

Jun 29, 2026 at 06:50 PM

LBJ2
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p.13 #16 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

RustyBug wrote:
I still think the intent of the SL design is imbedded in the "S" part of SL.

The L is the mount, the "S" designator is S Series level optic designed for an L mount. Given that Leica's departure from the S series bodies relinquised their flagship potential to a FF camera, the "S" makes (imo) to take that top spot ... sized as needed to achieve that level of performance.

Karbe has stated that the SL series APO's are for those who want the best Leica can offer, the M's are for those who want the smallest (and whatever...Show more →

You wrote "I still think the intent of the SL design is imbedded in the "S" part of SL" is interesting and got me thinking and googling til I found this..."Spiegellos"

"...the "SL" nomenclature carries two historical meanings: it nods to the brand's pioneering through-the-lens (TTL) spot metering film cameras, and it serves as the abbreviation for the German word for mirrorless...

Speaking of DNA, the new SL is positioned as a professional mirrorless camera system with many similarities from the S-System, and the name refers to the German word ‘Spiegellos”, meaning “ Mirrorless” . The SL name has also been derived from Leica’s first SLR camera, originally named the ‘Leica SL’.....or another way to look at is that it can't be named an SLR, as it lacks the reflex mirror, so 'SL' will suffice...

The Lens System

There are 148 possible Leica lens combinations that can be used with the SL. Due to the short flange distance of the lens mount, nearly all ever produced Leica lenses can be used on the Leica SL.

The SL lenses have been designed specifically for the SL body, and come straight out of the Leica S design manual. They look and feel just like S lenses, which is a very very good thing. The shiny finish, robust feel and smooth zoom/focus are of the highest manufacture and are a joy to use. While they share the same lens mount as the Leica T, the lenses have been specially designed with the highest quality optics in mind, offering pure colour reproduction and clarity from the center to the edges, at all distances, focal lengths and f-stop settings. They were also designed for demanding professionals who may use their exquipment in extreme weather conditions, so they are also dust and spray water sealed. Additionally the lens elements are coated with AquaDura coating to ensure extra protection from the elements."

https://kristiandowling.com/blog/2015/10/20/the-leica-sl-type-601-professional-mirrorless-camera

Jun 29, 2026 at 07:32 PM

RustyBug
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p.13 #17 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

Looking at the spec sheet on the SL3-P, saw this ...

Dual Basis ISO settings Low Basis-ISO: Photo ISO 50-ISO 360
High Basis-ISO: Photo ISO 400-ISO 200 000

Curious to hear others thoughts about this ... and relative to Auto-ISO. Seems to be something similar in the S1R II, but I don't have any experience with understanding its utility / rational for giving this split vs. the auto-ISO settings setup, etc.

As an aside (won't know till a comp can be done), I noticed it seems like the dual gain rates on Panny vs. Leica models can be a bit different. I was shooting something around ISO 800 on the S1R II and noticed the jump in noise vs. the lower ISO's. I'll be curious to see if the "jump" is similar with the SL3-P, or does it transition more cleanly through its ISO range / dual gain, etc.

Jun 29, 2026 at 08:07 PM

rscheffler
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p.13 #18 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

I thought the base ISO of the second gain stage should be cleaner with more DR than the last roughly one stop ISO of the first gain stage. I.e. if the first stage is 100-320 and second stage is 400-∞, 400 would be as clean as ~200. This is what the Photons to Photos site's DR graphs seem to imply. I.e. with the S1RII, ISO 400 has comparable DR to ISO 160.

Knowing this, one would then avoid the 'in between' ISOs between first stage base ISO and second stage base ISO as they offer no DR advantages. With the dual-gain camera I use, I'd like an option to disable those in-between ISOs...

RustyBug wrote:
I still think the intent of the SL design is imbedded in the "S" part of SL.

The L is the mount, the "S" designator is S Series level optic designed for an L mount. Given that Leica's departure from the S series bodies relinquised their flagship potential to a FF camera, the "S" makes (imo) to take that top spot ... sized as needed to achieve that level of performance.

Karbe has stated that the SL series APO's are for those who want the best Leica can offer, the M's are for those who want the smallest (and whatever...Show more →

LBJ2 wrote:
You wrote "I still think the intent of the SL design is imbedded in the "S" part of SL" is interesting and got me thinking and googling til I found this..."Spiegellos"

"...the "SL" nomenclature carries two historical meanings: it nods to the brand's pioneering through-the-lens (TTL) spot metering film cameras, and it serves as the abbreviation for the German word for mirrorless...

Speaking of DNA, the new SL is positioned as a professional mirrorless camera system with many similarities from the S-System, and the name refers to the German word ‘Spiegellos”, meaning “ Mirrorless” . The SL name has also been derived...Show more →

I'd be curious the dating of the SL = Spiegellos explanation. I think it would be the logical explanation for the system's naming back when the SL was initially released and the S system still existed.

Now that the S system is no more, I agree with Kent that S in SL could equally reference the passing of the technical design goals of the S system to the SL system. A passing of the torch so to say. I was going to suggest this in my previous comment but didn't...

Jun 29, 2026 at 10:25 PM

letchhausen
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p.13 #19 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

1bwana1 wrote:
If an EVF is important to you, in the Leica line it seems to me that a used SL3 would be your best value. The SL3-P is about speed and AF. The SL3 is about Image Quality. It is Leica's best solution for M lenses and EVF.

I use the rear screen only. It feels more like my 4x5. Mostly, I was looking for simpler menus than Sony. The SL3-P has better low light than the SL3, which is important to me. For lenses, I was interested in Voigtlanders. I took the SL3-P out for a spin and it didn't really wow me. There were some menu issues and though I was shooting manual mode (a buddy brought his M glass that we adapted) it kept popping up messages about changing some AF setting. I tried to set the menu choices, but couldn't find some things very easily. As others have expressed here, I don't care about most specs since I don't shoot anything that moves. Mostly, it's about menus and handling and yes, low light would trump megapixels. Overall the experience wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped. The size and weight didn't fit my hands as well either. The Leica store sent me some videos to check out more about the menus and I'll likely go back and see if we can spend a few minutes to setup the 3 or 4 things I care about. Perhaps stuck in the middle with my Sony....

Jun 29, 2026 at 11:01 PM

johnvanr
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p.13 #20 · New Leica SL3-P Rumors

RomanMF wrote:
Gordon,

Where do you store all these cameras and lenses?!

On another note for this video, and this is a bit off-topic, Leica's approach to marketing is fascinating to me. I think they leverage their arsenal of ambassadors better than other brands. Jamie being the interviewer here is a choice. They're a pretty savvy company and much better than Hasselblad at this part of the process. Master marketers.

But then Hasselblad sent tons of kits to YouTubers, many of whom now keep shooting with it.

Jun 29, 2026 at 11:47 PM

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