As recently announced, the Leica SL3 mirrorless camera is set to be available in Malaysia sometime next month. Fortunately, those attending the event yesterday didn’t have to wait long as the company had prepared a short preview for its newly launched RM36,400 shooter.
Having participated in the session, I was able to explore what the camera had to offer during the limited time given. Without further ado, here’s my initial impressions of the Leica SL3.
For starters, the camera is bulky and hefty, made even heavier when paired together with larger lenses such as telephotos and so on. Even so, Leica claims that it is smaller, but just slightly, than its predecessors – coming in at 141.2 x 108 x 84.6 mm and weighing at 769g.
On the flip side, it does feel solid and durable – a trait that the German camera manufacturer takes pride in. Complementing this is an IP54 water/dust resistance rating, and the device itself is touted to be capable of surviving extreme temperatures as well.
Despite its ruggedness, it does retain its predecessor’s minimalist yet elegant design, where clutter is reduced by providing only the essential dials and buttons to users. For someone who is unaccustomed to Leica’s layout, I did find that label-less interface to be confusing, but I reckon this is something that can be overcome after some familiarising.
Handling-wise, the SL3 feels no different than using a high-end DSLR from yesteryear. While weighty, it doesn’t really strain my arms, and the built-in image stabilisation helps when trying to focus on a particular subject – especially when utilising a zoom lens. And while we’re at it, autofocusing as well as subject recognition and tracking kicks in pretty fast.
Leica SL3 Sample Shots
As for image quality, it’s safe to say that the onboard 60MP sensor didn’t disappoint, at least throughout the limited time I had with the camera. Photos appear crisp with plenty of details, while colours are vibrant yet natural. The bokeh effect when shooting at lower apertures are a joy to look at, and the intensity of contrast and shadows are just nice to make the lighter and more colourful parts of a photo stand out.
Sadly, testing was mostly conducted indoors, so I was unable to evaluate its performance under sunlight or in poorer lighting conditions. I should also mention that I was shooting in Auto the entire time, as there’s only so much I could do throughout the short session.
And that’s all I have on the new Leica SL3. Perhaps one day I could share an in-depth review if I ever get the chance to fully evaluate it in the near future.
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