Features

Overview: The all-black Leica SL3-S (#10643) is high-quality, full frame camera constructed with an all-metal magnesium and aluminum body with aluminum top and bottom panels. Its leatherette wrapping and advanced weather sealing makes it dust- and water-resistant with an IP54 certification. The camera is handcrafted at the Leica factory in Wetzlar, Germany.

Full Frame Image Sensor: The SL3-S is equipped with a Full Frame, backside-illuminated CMOS image sensor with 24.6 million effective pixels (25.3 total pixels) and a 3:2 aspect ratio. There is an APS-C Crop Mode (10.3MP) for shooting when only limited storage capacity remains or an APS-C optimized lens is used. Coupled with the sensor is a MAESTRO IV generation image processor to give the camera a blazing fast autofocus and a superior operating speed. The camera is capable of full-resolution burst shooting at 7 fps with the mechanical shutter, and 30 fps with the electronic shutter.

Lens Mount: The SL3-S has the L-bayonet mount for Leica TL- and SL-lenses. With the appropriate adapter, you can use Leica M or R lenses with the camera.

Monitor: The camera has a 3.2" TFT LCD touchscreen monitor with 2,332,800 dots. The LCD panel has a high-quality tilting mechanism which allows you to take photos and videos from difficult high and low angles while viewing the display straight-on. The touch controls are similar to those on most mobile devices, with tap, swipe, pinch, and spread actions. On the top plate is a 1.28" monochrome LCD screen (128 x 128 pixels) to indicate camera settings.

Viewfinder: In addition to the LCD monitor, the SL3-S is equipped with a high-quality EyeRes® electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 5.76-million dots and a 60 or 120 fps refresh rate. A built-in diopter adjustment of +2 to -4 (in 17 segments) lets you focus the viewfinder your eyesight so you can use it without glasses. An eye sensor near the viewfinder automatically switches from the viewfinder to the monitor.

Image Stabilization: The Leica SL3-S utilizes a suspended image sensor which adjusts its position to quickly compensate for camera shake. This 5-axis in-body system stabilizes the camera to the equivalent of 5 stops. There are four Image Stabilization Modes: Normal, Automatic, Vertical Panning, and Horizontal Panning.

Memory Cards: The SL3-S has dual slots that will accept SD/SDHC/SDXC and CFexpress Type-B (recommended) memory cards. The camera is compatible with UHS-II (recommended) and UHS-I high-speed SD cards. There are three options for saving data when two memory cards are inserted:

• CFe = SD (Backup): All files are saved to CFe and SD. One of the cards serves as a backup.
• CFe + SD (Standard): Files are saved to the CFe card first until its capacity is reached. Subsequent files will be saved to the SD card.
• CFe / SD (Split): Files are saved separately depending on their format: DNG files are saved to the CFe card, and JPEG files are saved to the SD card.

Battery: The camera is powered by the BP-SCL6 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (7.2V / 2200mAh / 15.8Wh). The battery charges in approximately 3 hours 30 minutes when charged inside the camera via USB with a USB-C wall charger (not included). The battery can be charged while the camera is switched on with a USB PD-capable power supply with a minimum output of 27W (9V-3A). If a power supply of less than 27W output is used, the battery must be charged with the camera switched off. A fully charged battery has the capacity for approximately 315 shots.

Still Image Types/Sizes: The SL3-S can record still images in JPEG or DNG (14-bit Digital Negative) in 3:2 aspect ratio in two sizes: 35mm mode: 24MP (6000 x 4000) and APS-C cropped mode: 10.3MP (3936 x 2624). In addition to the basic 3:2 aspect ratio, you can choose a different aspect ratio with the relevant cropped section displayed, such as 7:5, 4:3, 1:1, 3:1, and 16:9. DNG images will always have the natural sensor format of 3:2, and the set aspect ratio is only to aid you in composing the image. When displayed, the DNG images will show horizontal or vertical auxiliary lines showing the cropped section.

Movie Recording: Movies are recorded in MOV, RAW, or MP4 format. Frame rates include 59.94fps, 50.00fps, 29.97fps, 25.00fps, and 23.98fps. High frame rate movies can be recorded at 119.88fps, 100.00fps, 179.82fps, and 150.00fps. Available movie Resolution and Aspect ratios include:

6K Open Gate/HDMI RAW Recording: Using the full size of the sensor in native 3:2 aspect ratio instead of cropping to 16:9 gives you added flexibility in creating video content for a wide variety of outlets. It allows you to record 4K videos in 9:16 with no loss of quality. You can also record in HDMI-RAW in 5.9K at 30 fps, or 4K at 60 fps, directly to an external display recorder.

Exposure Modes: The Leica SL3-S offers four Exposure Modes, including one fully automatic mode (P), two semi-automatic modes (A/S), and one fully manual mode (M):

• P (Program AE): The camera automatically sets the aperture and shutter speed based on the exposure metering. Using the Shift function, you can change the preset values to fit with a desired result while maintaining the same overall exposure.
• S (Shutter Priority): Lets you set the shutter speed, while the camera chooses the aperture setting based on the exposure metering. Shutter speed range is 60 to 1/16000 seconds with the electronic shutter and 30 to 1/8000 seconds with mechanical shutter)
• A (Aperture Priority): Lets you choose the aperture setting, while the camera chooses the shutter speed based on the exposure metering.
• M: (Manual): Full manual setting lets you set both the shutter speed and aperture.

Drive Modes: The menu offers the following drive modes:

• Single: Normal, single image recording.
• Continuous Shooting: You can shoot a continuous series of images. With the mechanical shutter engaged, you can record at 7 fps, 5 fps, or 2 fps. With the electronic shutter, you can shoot at 15 fps or 30 fps.
• Interval: For shooting a series of photos over an extended period, you can set the camera to record a specific number of images over a set amount of time. You can even delay the beginning of the recording. In the menu, you can select the following:
  • Number of Frames: 1 to 9999
  • Interval between Frames: 1 second to 24 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
  • Countdown to First Shot: 1 second to 24 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
• Self Timer: You can use the self timer to delay the shot to avoid camera shake, or to allow the photographer to get into the frame. Available delay times are 2 seconds, 6 seconds, 12 seconds, or 30 seconds.
• Exposure Bracketing: Exposure Bracketing lets you take 3 or 5 images, each with different exposure compensation. Bracketing range is ±3 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV increments.

Multishot: In multishot mode, up to eight individual images are taken with a very small offset. The image sensor is moved minimally between each frame, by less than a pixel width). The individual frames are merged into a single shot with extremely high resolution (96MP) and a DNG image is additionally saved. Use of a tripod is highly recommended for multishot images.

Focus Methods: The Leica SL3-S utilizes a fast and reliable Hybrid Autofocus system with Intelligent AF, AFs (single), and AFc (continuous) focusing modes. You can also focus manually using the focus ring on the attached lens.

Exposure Compensation: You can adjust the exposure above or below the metered exposure. The range of exposure compensation is ±3 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV increments.

White Balance: The Leica SL3-S offers automatic white balance correction, as well as the following presets (and corresponding Color Temperature): Daylight (5200K), Cloudy (6000K), Shadow (7000K), Tungsten (3200K), HMI (5600K), Fluorescent Warm (4000K), Fluorescent Cool (4500K), Flash (5400 K), Gray Card (pipette), Gray Card, and Color Temperature (2000K to 11500K).

ISO Sensitivity: You can adjust the ISO sensitivity manually or automatically. Manual settings range between ISO 50 and ISO 200000 for photo and video. Auto settings range from ISO 100 and ISO 200000.

External Flash: The camera does not have a built-in flash. On the top of the camera is an ISO accessory shoe with center and control contracts for Leica flash units. Flash synchronization is up to 1/200 second. You can also adjust the exposure with flash by ±2 EV in 1/3 EV increments with the Leica SF60, and ±2 EV in 1/2 EV increments with the Leica SF40.

Built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth: The camera has built-in Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac; 2.4GHz/5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE) for connecting to your smartphone or tablet. MIMO technology will allow fast stable transfers of large image and movie files in seconds. Using the Leica FOTOS app on your device (iOS 17+, Android 10+), you can remotely control the camera, and manage images on the camera's memory card. You can see the camera's live view on your device, perform Touch AF, change settings, trigger the shutter release, and start/stop video recordings. Images on the memory card can be viewed, rated, or deleted, shared on social media sites, or stored on your smart device in full resolution.