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I keep seeing interviews like this one from Leica leadership where they speak of the SL-3P as if it was an in house development project, or at least a co-development project in line with other cooperation between the companies, not a simple porting over of a Lumix camera.
Either this is a purposeful misdirect by omission from Leica marketing, or the SL3-P was a serious development project inside of Leica. This has caused me to take a deeper look at what the truth of this matter actually is. I decided to start by looking at the hardware the SL3-P and the Lumix actually share and what is different.
For sure the SL3-P is being manufactured by leica, in Leica's facilities. That is a huge difference.
They share the core sensor for sure. But this is not a Panasonic sensor, it is a Sony sensor. If we were to judge all cameras that share a Sony made sensor as simple copies the list would be long. In this case we know that Leica almost always uses different cover glass on it's sensors to optimise for Leica lens designs. I am guessing that is true here too.
The sensors share autofocus points so I am guessing that they share some algorithms here too. That would be consistent with a co-development process.
The two cameras have similar ports, slots, and inputs. Maybe they share those. But both buy these, not make them. All camera manufactures do this. It doesn't add up to proof of a copy.
For sure the two cameras don't share body design, materials, or manufacturing, Except for the L-Mount alliance. Huge difference here too. Clear differentiation in weather sealing, ergonomics, and haptics.
The do not share the same EVF, and optics in the Viewfinder. The SL3 line of cameras is my favorite EVF I have ever used. Big difference.
They do not share the same rear screen in size, resolution, or mounting. Again very different.
They may share the same Fujitsu processor hardware. Many camera manufactures use the same one. But the firmware engine that drives that processor is the Maestro IV which is absolutely proprietary to Leica, and used in may of its cameras. Big difference.
They do not share the same IBIS judging by the specs and performance. Probably advantage Lumix here.
When it comes to firmware, and software differences the two cameras a very different. In both video, and still there are advantages for each system. But clearly it is not the same and a simple port.
They certainly don't share the same interface, and workflow software of design esthetics. The SL3-P is certainly pure Leica in this area. Pick you preferences here.
Because of the L mount they 100% share the same lens libraries either OEM or 3rd party. I think wit certain Leica lenses the result may also very because of sensor covers and such.
The result is that the cameras, the user experience, and the ownership experience are very different.
If we just go by output in both video and stills, we cannot say which is absolutely better. That is personal, and very use case driven. You could probably use any number of cameras, from many brands, and achieve that at many different price points.
Clearly there is more that is different than there is the exact same. Although clearly there is some co-development between leica and Panasonic, the SL3-P is not a straight port and rebranding of the Lumix camera. I think this makes those saying that the primary difference is cost are really not looking at the whole issue in a neutral light. That is just not true. So, in the end we must each decide for ourselves what is important to us, and where the value is.
Your thoughts?
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