News Leica SL3 Reporter

[xaviergut]

It seems we have a "new" camera in the L-Mount system. I find it incredibly attractive from a design perspective. The price is €7,200 in Europe, €400 more than the price of the "regular" Leica SL3.

Technical Specs - Leica SL3 table | Leica Camera AG

leica-camera.com

I was thinking that if you donate a kidney they give you between €5,000 and €10,000... but on second thought, maybe I'll keep my Lumix S1Rii and my two kidneys...
and wait until someone in my family or circle of friends really needs a transplant...

Leica SL3 Reporter Announced – Engineered for Exceptional Durability | CineD

The Leica SL3 Reporter brings the SL3’s 60MP sensor and 8K video to a tougher, weather-sealed body built for fieldwork.

www.cined.com

 

[pdk42]

Who buys Leica L Mount bodies? And honestly, €400 for a paint job?

 

[Jayneboo]

Who buys Leica L Mount bodies? And honestly, €400 for a paint job?

Well thank goodness somebody did or there wouldn't be an L Mount I would also add that after seven years use of my first L mount Leica (a CL) when I eventually moved it on, the value was still pretty high, and didn't hurt nearly as much as when I moved on my Panasonic S52. Other L mount Leica's I've had have generally been bought used with very small losses at sale. Some just do prefer the minimal controls and menu system of the Leica's and can afford to pay for the pleasure, don't knock it.

 

[Jayneboo]

I should add that there is no Leica Reporter on my shopping or wish list. But then again I did buy a Sigma BF which many also consider slightly barmy given the availability of the Panasonic S9.

 

[Miki]

I was thinking that if you donate a kidney they give you between €5,000 and €10,000... but on second thought, maybe I'll keep my Lumix S1Rii and my two kidneys...

I think, you have made the right choice. And, don't trust those, who are telling you, you don't need two kidneys.
There is nothing in the whole cosmos without the reason.
Some may know the reason,.. others, don't.

 

[Miki]

It seems we have a "new" camera in the L-Mount system. I find it incredibly attractive from a design perspective. The price is €7,200 in Europe, €400 more than the price of the "regular" Leica SL3.

Technical Specs - Leica SL3 table | Leica Camera AG

leica-camera.com

I was thinking that if you donate a kidney they give you between €5,000 and €10,000... but on second thought, maybe I'll keep my Lumix S1Rii and my two kidneys...
and wait until someone in my family or circle of friends really needs a transplant...

Leica SL3 Reporter Announced – Engineered for Exceptional Durability | CineD

The Leica SL3 Reporter brings the SL3’s 60MP sensor and 8K video to a tougher, weather-sealed body built for fieldwork.

www.cined.com

Judging from the looks of camera, its rugged, and discreet design,.. it is more geared towards the war reporters, instead of just regular citizens. Surely, it can survive the Gaza bombing, etc.

 

[pdk42]

Well thank goodness somebody did or there wouldn't be an L Mount I would also add that after seven years use of my first L mount Leica (a CL) when I eventually moved it on, the value was still pretty high, and didn't hurt nearly as much as when I moved on my Panasonic S52. Other L mount Leica's I've had have generally been bought used with very small losses at sale. Some just do prefer the minimal controls and menu system of the Leica's and can afford to pay for the pleasure, don't knock it.

Yes, good points Jane. I guess I'm a bit anti-Leica, which is somewhat irrational.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

I’d buy an SL3 if I could afford it. I do think their industrial design and ergonomics are the best in the industry. And it would make a great compliment to an S1II.

 

[Quentinquirelino]

I’d buy an SL3 if I could afford it. I do think their industrial design and ergonomics are the best in the industry. And it would make a great compliment to an S1II.

Same here.

 

[xaviergut]

Leica offers now Interest-Free Financing with flexible Repayment Periods. You can choose between 12, 18, 24 or 36 months according to your needs.

Leica financing | Leica Camera AG

Buy Leica cameras and lenses with our exclusive interest-free financing – enjoy flexible repayment periods and uncompromising Leica quality.

leica-camera.com

The Leica SL3 reporter: 7.200 € / 36 = 200 €/month

 

[pdk42]

I’d buy an SL3 if I could afford it. I do think their industrial design and ergonomics are the best in the industry. And it would make a great compliment to an S1II.

What sort of compliment do you think it would make ? Maybe “hey S1II, I love your sexy codecs!”?

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Hope this is OK:

Or, “Hey, S1II, you are SO stacked!"

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Leica offers now Interest-Free Financing with flexible Repayment Periods. You can choose between 12, 18, 24 or 36 months according to your needs.

Leica financing | Leica Camera AG

Buy Leica cameras and lenses with our exclusive interest-free financing – enjoy flexible repayment periods and uncompromising Leica quality.

leica-camera.com

The Leica SL3 reporter: 7.200 € / 36 = 200 €/month

Hmmmm.

 

[xaviergut]

The truth is, for the price of the SL3 Reporter, you could buy two cameras: the Lumix S1Rii (which I already own) and the Sony A7CR, whose sensor is also 61 megapixels. I spent a few months testing my brother's A7CR... this is the camera I could imagine myself buying or trading with my brother for other things... A small but very powerful camera (in terms of resolution) is what we need in the L-Mount system. I don't mind that the EVF isn't as good as on the Lumix or Leica SL; the screen is enough for framing.

That 61-megapixel sensor and the triple resolution function is what we all thought the S1Rii would have, just like the S1R and SL2 years ago, both with the 47-megapixel sensor.

But indeed, the Leica SL3 Reporter is truly beautiful. However, if I were sent to do a documentary report in some region of the world with a high rate of crime and delinquency, I would take the S5ii and the Lumix 20-60mm... never a Leica.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

It’s interesting that you say that. To me, the only way I can rationally justify an SL3 is to gain access to that 61MP sensor without having to buy new lenses. However, personally, I’m more likely to buy an SL3 out of pure passion and a desire to improve the experience of creating a photograph, as opposed to improving the photograph itself. At least, that’s how I feel right now, lying in bed at 4:30 in the morning.

Would I be happier with nothing other than an SL3 and the 35mm APO-Summicron-SL? Yikes. I need to go back to sleep. Or drink some coffee.

 

[Travis Butler]

It’s interesting that you say that. To me, the only way I can rationally justify an SL3 is to gain access to that 61MP sensor without having to buy new lenses. However, personally, I’m more likely to buy an SL3 out of pure passion and a desire to improve the experience of creating a photograph, as opposed to improving the photograph itself. At least, that’s how I feel right now, lying in bed at 4:30 in the morning.

Heh. Well, TBF, that’s what I’ve been arguing for a long time: “improv[ing] the experience of creating a photograph” naturally does improve the photograph itself. People do better work when they’re happy and comfortable with their tools than when they’re fighting them.

Would I be happier with nothing other than an SL3 and the 35mm APO-Summicron-SL? Yikes. I need to go back to sleep. Or drink some coffee.

Hey, I just woke up, what can I say?

 

[xaviergut]

I think if I spent €12,000 on Leica photo gear, I'd be incredibly inspired every time I went out with my camera to take pictures... hahahaha .

The problem is when you take 1,500 photos in a year and only 15 are worthwhile, which is what Sally Mann describes in her book "Art Work," which I'm reading these days and recommend on this forum. In her defense, it should be said that, according to her, her personal/family circumstances weren't ideal for the type of photography she wanted to do, which is why she took photos of her family.

Therefore, it's not "about gear," or at least it's almost never about the gear itself, but rather about opportunity, timing, location, etc.

A hard-to-believe but true statistic comes to mind. Roger Federer only won 54% of the points he played in his entire career. The same is true for Nadal and Djokovic, by the way. How is it possible that, winning only half the points, the Big Three were each able to win more than 20 Grand Slams, become world number one, etc., etc.?

Was it because of the rackets (Wilson, Babolat, and Head, respectively) they played with? Well, the rest of the top 100 players use the same rackets...

No, they achieved it because they won the DECISIVE POINTS of each match. And that's what a photographer should be able to identify and then execute. Or plan for, if necessary. Just ask any nature photographer:

2025 results People Choice - Nature Photographer of the Year

Exhibition featuring the 22 selected images of the People's Choice Award from the Nature Photographer of the Year Contest 2023.

naturephotographeroftheyear.com

Sorry, I'm not trying to be a "gatekeeper" here, okay? Heaven forbid. Let everyone take photos with whatever they want and however they want. I'm just saying that you can take great photos with the most expensive equipment and with less expensive equipment...

 

[pdk42]

Some interesting comments here and points here. A few responses from me…

1) 61 Mp vs 44Mp (S1Rii) - I’ve used the A7CR for a few hours and spent time processing the images from it. As far as I can determine, it’s the same sensor as in the SL3. I’m not at all convinced that 61Mp offers any real world improvement over 44Mp. I am however convinced that the 44Mp sensor in the S1Rii does better at higher ISO. So, I personally have zero desire for an L-Mount camera with that Sony 61Mp sensor. The triple resolution capability has benefits in terms of storage space, but you can do the same tricks in PP on the 44Mp images.

2) A7CR - I have mixed feelings about this camera. I thought I’d love it - small, FF, rangefinder style, hi res, stills orientated, … But I found its user interface appalling and its EVF a huge disappointment. In principle I’d love a LUMIX version of it (S9 sized with an EVF), but if it had the same awful EVF as the A7CR then I’m not sure the smaller body size would be enough to justify the loss of EVF quality.

3) Gear and its importance - I think we all fret about gear too much. In truth great photographers can make great images with anything. But we all know that! But I think photography is about more than the final output and I like to have gear I enjoy and whose output suits my expectations. And of course, good gear encourages us to shoot which is a really important “feature”.

4) Leica - I admit that I’m somewhat perplexed by Leica. It seems to me that they’re the photographic equivalent of a Rolex (or similar fancy Swiss watch). A Rolex will do nothing that a good Japanese watch (Citizen etc) can’t do, but it costs 10x the price and is bought mostly for bragging rights. In other words, all these things (Rolex, Leica) are luxury/fashion brands rather than an object to do a job.

I fully accept though that Leica is a serious camera company and that they make significant contributions to the industry. I’m sure in the right hands a Leica camera/lens can produce world class images. But a glance at many Leica forums reveals a huge amount of dross that could have been taken with an iPhone 6. In other words, many people (not all) who buy Leica gear are not very good at photography. Whilst this is true of all brands, I think it’s worse with Leica.

So for all these reasons, can’t see me ever buying a Leica camera. I sometimes have dark and evil thoughts of buying a Q, but apart from a brief flurry of interest in the SL3 (before the S1Rii was released), there’s never been a Leica camera that’s interested me.

So I’m summary, I have a sort of weird relationship to Leica. Part of me does recognise their contribution and heritage to photography, and the gestalt of their design and build, but my logical brain just can’t justify the crazy pricing and obviously poor value for money when compared with the Japanese brands.

 

[CharlesH]

It seems to me that they’re the photographic equivalent of a Rolex (or similar fancy Swiss watch). A Rolex will do nothing that a good Japanese watch (Citizen etc) can’t do, but it costs 10x the price and is bought mostly for bragging rights. In other words, all these things (Rolex, Leica) are luxury/fashion brands rather than an object to do a job.

I've always assumed the high Leica prices are because the cameras are made in Europe where the cost of manufacturing is much higher than in Asia.

 

[pdk42]

I've always assumed the high Leica prices are because the cameras are made in Europe where the cost of manufacturing is much higher than in Asia.

That’s probably the case Charles. The same is true about Swiss watches. I guess if you’re manufacturing in Europe with much higher labour rates then you have two main options to remain in business:

- Keep prices low through large-scale automation, usually meaning high capital investment. This works when production output is high and residual labour costs are a small proportion of the total cost (like the car industry). Clearly the camera market is too small for this.

- Put prices up and justify it somehow. In a consumer market, this usually means appealing to richer buyers and differentiating your product by perceived class/quality/brand value/fashion etc.

Clearly Leica are in the latter camp. I understand entirely why they’ve positioned themselves this way but the end result is that the appeal of their products has little to do with their capabilities; but rather their brand appeal - i.e. as a luxury/fashion brand.