Introduction
The Leica SL is a high end 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera that has an astonishing `EyeRes` high-resolution viewfinder, an incredibly high level of build quality and weather sealing, and unconventional though effective controls. Perhaps most significantly, this is the first non-rangefinder 35mm full-frame digital camera Leica has made, and the company`s first full frame mirrorless camera in the modern sense.
Key specifications
24MP full-frame CMOS sensor
0.8x magnification electronic viewfinder with 4.4 million dots
11 fps continuous burst shooting
Maestro II image processor
Native ISO range of 50-50000
49-point contrast-detect AF system
Dual SD card slots
4K video recording with 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI out
Sturdy, weather-sealed construction
Leica, for all its cachet, mystique and eye-watering price points, has been consistent in its manufacture of somewhat unconventional digital cameras. There`s the X-U, which is the only camera with an APS-C sized sensor that`s designed to be submersible right out of the box. There`s the T and TL, which, at the time of its release anyway, was unique in its heavy reliance on touch control. And then there`s the M Monochrom, the only digital camera on the market that only shoots in black and white.
Enter the SL. Priced body-only higher than an M10 but (far) less than the company`s S line of medium-format bodies, the SL is aimed squarely at professionals and advanced amateurs with deep pockets. The SL is a blend of the S, M and Q cameras in terms of specifications, overall design aesthetic and controls.
The sensor performance of the SL isn`t quite class leading, but the native lenses are lovely. Out of camera JPEG, Leica Summilux-SL 50mm F1.4. ISO 500, 1/100 sec, F2.2. Photo by Carey Rose
Although the SL shares a lens mount with the T (whose lenses are now designated `TL` while the SL`s are, predictably, `SL`), you`ll really want to use full-frame lenses t ...
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