My complete LEICA Kit EXPLAINED: What I Use and Why

[@Tedwill-home]

Happy New Year! My journey started with the M10R. My first lens was also the 50 Summilux. Then I signed up for a photography workshop in Iceland. I was concerned about the weather so I bought an SL2 and the 24-90, 90-280 and 16-35 because they were weather sealed. Then I later bought a Q2 because it shares the battery with the SL2. Then I later evolved into the SL3 and the Q3 28 which I later traded for a Q3 43 which is my focal range of choice. But it’s interesting how our gear matches up. My M lenses are SE24, Summilux 35, APO 35, 50 Summilux and APO 90 Though I’m not a professional photographer I do a lot of landscape and street photography. I shoot nearly every day and enjoy learning new things.

[@flofroschmayer]

Nice Kit!! The 35 Apo is amazing!

[@jonwalker3299]

A very Happy New Year to you. Please know that I really enjoy and look forward to your presentations. Please keep up the good, honest, work

[@flofroschmayer]

A very Happy New Year to you! Thank you for your message, this makes me vary happy!

[@janfogt]

Happy New Year! What a good video you made here - I totally share your Leica philosophy and enthusiasm in general. I'm also very much into the M10R. I have discovered that with a bit of practice I can actually do zone focus based street photography with the Summicron 90 mm ASHP with a relatively high success rate - you just have to practice starting from infinity and then 'get into your fingers' how much you need to turn the focus ring ... It actually works! Apart from that, I can only echo your US-friend regarding the S-system. The camera body is a bit bigger, but not bigger than it can also be used for street and landscape photography. I shoot a S Type 007 - and it is a FANTASTIC camera. The lenses are beyond description (probably the best lenses ever made by man). The 37 MP are perfect for most purposes - meaning that the raw pics are manageable in size. Last but not least the camera is now affordable (because of the coming of the S3) 🙂 Regards, Jan

[@flofroschmayer]

Hey Jan... Happy New Year to you! Thank you for the S input. I am a bit afraid of the weight because I always like to have everything with me... but I will eventually look into the S System. My friend reported the same thing to me about the quality of the lenses. - I will try out the zone focusing with the 90... an interesting approach, thank you!

[@tobiashupf]

The 90-280 is a incredible Lens !

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes it is!

[@rudigerwolf9626]

Happy New Year. Really appreciate your channel. Thank-you for the explanations around using your gear.

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you, Rudiger, for your kind words! Happy New Year to you!

[@wstillerphotos]

I bought the q2 monochrome earlier in the year wondering what was so special about leica and loved it, I now own the Q3 43 as well……………….and I get it

[@flofroschmayer]

This is a very cool Q combo!

[@mrchrixx]

Auch Dir ein Happy New Year und vielen Dank für die immer wieder interessanten Videos.

[@flofroschmayer]

Danke und sehr gerne!! Danke fürs schauen.

[@thomaslarsen5057]

I love your less is more approach ! 🙂

[@flofroschmayer]

lol

[@madtom67]

You should try the 21mm Super Apo Summicron SL, it's phenomenal! For portrait I can recommend the 75mm Apo Summicron SL. Happy New Year!

[@flofroschmayer]

Okay... to lenses to try out! Thank you for the tip! I had the 21mm Summilux M, which I sold to get the 90-280 SL. I know something completely different, but it was the right decision at the time.

[@blackforestshooter]

Happy new year! Looks pretty similar to my system! But I own no Q. I love the M-system, but I also love the SL system. This offers a few very good non-Leica lenses: I love the Sigma Art 105mm f1.4 for moody portraits and the Panasonic 100mm f2.8 macro, which is a very interesting and lightweight walk around-lens. The 90-280 is on my bucket list.

[@flofroschmayer]

The macro sounds interesting. This is something I have no solution in my kit yet.

[@luisbperez368]

I do not own a Leica, nor can I afford a new one. The closest thing to a Leica is my Aires IIIc, which I love, and I plan to get myself a Canon IVSB shortly. Your honest opinion is well received. Thank you for the video; you earned my sub. By the way, your night photos are breathtaking. I am an old man with an old equipment taste 😂 stay safe.

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you! Stay safe as well!

[@Reportageandart]

Flo, I also had the 85 Art lens but sold it recently for the SL. While the sigma was pretty good, the SL APO lenses are really amazing.

[@flofroschmayer]

Okay... got it... I was afraid of that ;-) It is on my list... Thanx!!

[@IamUke]

Haha my gateway drug to Leica was the Q2 monochrom. Now I own 6 Leicas and sold off my medium format gear.

[@flofroschmayer]

Very good!

[@GamachePhoto]

Happy kit ! Happy New Years !

[@flofroschmayer]

Happy kit do you as well! ;-)

[@GamachePhoto]

Sorry my bad typo, I meant “Nice kit! Happy new years. “

[@flofroschmayer]

@@GamachePhoto No! I liked it… it is good to have a happy kit… :-)

[@deepaksammi]

Hi!! .. I am planning to buy Leica sl3 system instead of Sony’s a1ii .. very much in landscape, street, travel and very little on sports and wildlife side . Have Leica Q2 and impressed by leica’s image quality and colours . So will you please give me good suggestions?? . I was in canon system for almost 10 years . After then I sold my all gears and bought Leica Q2 . Now I am planning to buy a new system. I am a hobbyist and traveler .. please reply…🙏

[@flofroschmayer]

Hi! Fantastic idea ;-) The SL3, of course, is a bit heavier than a Q camera when traveling. But if you come from a Sony or a Canon system, you are familiar with heavier lenses. The quality is similar to the Q3, which I think is a big step from the Q2. I personally love Leica's 24-90 and 90-280 zoom lenses. But of course, they are pretty expensive. When I first changed to the SL system, I got the Panasonic S Pro zooms... 24-70 and 70-200 with a 2x extender... The lenses are really good, and I can totally recommend them... the 2x adapter is not so good. It not only loses apertures, it loses sharpness as well. Maybe check out Leica's 100-400 instead. Without ever trying it, I am pretty sure you'll get better results than with the Panasonic 70-200 and the 2x extender... maybe you start with the 24-70 from Panasonic and the 100-400 Leica lens? Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

[@deepaksammi]

@ thanks a lot for ur valuable replay..😍😍😍

[@nathanmiller5658]

The review of the 90-280 was very helpful as not many reviews from regular users are available on KZbin. I have the SL 90 2.0 which I use with a CL body. Very fun. I also have a Leica APO-Macro-Elmarit-TL 60mm f/2.8 ASPH. Very nice for product work as the min distance from the lens end is about an inch. Also the aperture will close to f32 ... so less need for focus stacking ... just open the shutter, get a cup of coffee and when you come back the very detailed macro shot will all be in focus.

[@flofroschmayer]

I heard about the 60 Macro. Something I have to look into! Thank you!

[@r423fplip]

Thank for the info, I can now live better.

[@flofroschmayer]

great!

[@paulsehstedt6275]

Nettes und informatives Video. Ich habe sowohl eine M240 als auch eine MP240, beide perfekt für Pressefotografie. Im November kaufte ich eine neue SL2s, damit ich alle meine R-Objektive voll ausnutzen kann. Bis auf ein P. Angenieux 2.8/45-90 habe ich nur Leicaobjektive, obwohl ich Voigtländer und Zeiss auch besessen habe. Meine Q verkaufte ich an einen Bekannten, der von ihr begeistert ist. Habe ein Abo dagelassen.

[@flofroschmayer]

Klingt super mit den R Objektiven. Hab leider nie welche probieren können, aber mir wurde schon oft gesagt, wie toll die sind.

[@StephenPodrasky]

I use my S lenses on my SL3 and they are fantastic. When the S4 is released they are supposed to have an adaptor for the original S lenses to work as well. We will see. Nice video

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you! Yes, I tried an S lens once... fantastic!

[@MARKLINMAN1]

Beautiful Collection. I shoot with an M6 and the Q3 28, LOVE Leica, if they come out with a medium format camera that would be VERY INTERESTING.

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you! M6, very nice!!

[@paulboskerphotography]

Happy New Year Florian. Thank you for this review and all you do for photography. I totally agree with the Q being the gateway drug, I too was Nikon only and so far I'm able to resist further Leica addiction GAS. But just sold my Z9 and a couple lenses to reduce my kit (and help pay for my Leica addiction) and carry the two Q3's as EDC. Maybe I should stop watching your video so I won't want an M. 🤣

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you for your kind words! Please don't stop watching my videos ;-)

[@blubberflutsch]

Regarding a lens for product photography: Perhaps the collapsible 90mm f/4 Macro Elmar (together with a macro adapter) may be an option. Also interesting for a lightweight travel lens set.

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you! Can you tell me the exact name of the adapter?

[@yt3dkraft]

@@flofroschmayer Leica provides a macro adapter especially for that Macro Elmar.called "Leica Macro-Adapter M"

[@tapadk1466]

Thank you for your informative videos. I have a question and I hope you can help me with an answer. I’m not a professional photographer, but I’m in deep in the Leica digital system. I have an SL2S, that I love. With the release of the SL3, it seems the SL2’s are drastically reduced in price but I’ve heard issues about the SL two with ISO beyond 6400 and its focusing capabilities. Would you recommend that I jump on a SL2 for the resolution jump or stay with the SL2S? Or save for an SL3?

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes... I did not like the SL2 over ISO 1600! The SL3 is much better regarding the low-light situation! I recommend sticking with the SL2S. If you need a higher resolution, I think you will not be happy with an SL2. Especially coming from the SL2-S and its low-light capabilities. Focus, I guess, is the same on the SL2 and SL2-S. The SL3 is an improvement.

[@jaycoffsky8979]

I also have the Q3 and SL3--still with grandkids athletic stuff, have to use my Nikon Z8 for speed of focus and that kind stuff that Leica is kind of slow doing.

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes, I guess the Z8 is much better for fast stuff. I still hope they can improve the SL3 through firmware.

[@garymc8956]

Too came from Nikon to the M system via Q2. But I’m not ready to get rid of my Z6ii and Z7ii in favor of Leica SLs. I use an adapter for my M lenses to the Zs and appreciate the small form factors of these cameras plus the focusing, IBIS, etc. So what am I missing out by staying with Z Nikons rather than Leica SLs other than the Leica “experience” at a considerable cost? I keep thinking about this but can’t come up with an overwhelming justification. Thanks for this article.

[@flofroschmayer]

Very good solution! The Z cameras are amazing!

[@ChrisSaunders]

Do you use the Summicron-m 90 for portraits on the SL3? I’ve been thinking about the pre-asph or APO M 90 to go between M and SL for portraits and would love to hear your thoughts. Save my bank account from buying the 90 SL please!!

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes, I use the Apo 90 M for portraits. If you are cool without AF, this is a wonderful solution!

[@MikeBear1000]

Happy New Year Florian. Thank you for your nice video's. I was wondering: why are you still in doubt between the Q3 28 and the 43? I thought you had decided for the 28 in an earlier video (like I have...).

[@flofroschmayer]

Happy New Year, Mike! Absolutely not in doubt... not going to sell the 28!! - But still thinking about the 43 a lot, and if a job comes along where I can justify the investment, I will strongly think of getting it (on top of the 28)

[@johnjury7316]

Thank you for your very informative first 2025 video. I have the SL3 and have downloaded your settings.lcs file, do your a pdf showing details for each profile?

[@flofroschmayer]

I have a pdf for the buttons and the wheels. But not for the whole menu. The lcs file needs a camera to import the settings directly.

[@Sanji01w]

Happy new year my dear friend! What’s Next: You need a Noctilux.

[@flofroschmayer]

hahaha!! Yes, I forgot to mention that...

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

One lens for product photography’s 90 4.0 with close up adapter. It is M lens, but goes ontoL with adapter. Do not get the old one from 195x.

[@flofroschmayer]

Okay... can you tell me the exact name of the adapter?

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

@@flofroschmayer I believe it is called L adapter. Check with Fotodiox to see if they have cheaper. Lumix and leica should be the same.

[@louis5352]

Thanks for posting 1-1-25! As for the 90-280, I understand why you like it. I have opted for a long lens with much more character for my SL3. It is the R 105-280 with adapter of course. Sure it is MF and not AF, but it has much more character versus just plain sharp. AND, I can use it on my M cameras as well as my SL cameras with Leica adapters.

[@flofroschmayer]

Thanks for watching on 1-1-25! I have never tried an R lens, but several people have told me they are great.

[@louis5352]

@@flofroschmayer Correction - I meant the R 105-280-not 140-280

[@nikoloztheseventh]

what you fiming the video on?

[@flofroschmayer]

The main shot with the Panasonic S5IIx and a 16 to 28 Sigma lens. The top shot with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. When I am out on the road, I use the DJI Osmo Pocket 3.

[@ernstfrohlich897]

Ich habe eine Leica Sammlung und sehe diese auch gerne an, aber die besten Fotos habe ich mit 40 bis 60 Jahre alten Asahi Pentax Objektiven mit Adapter an Sony Vollformat Digitalkameras gemacht. Die Japaner bauen die besten Objektive und Kameras.

[@flofroschmayer]

Die Japaner bauen tatsächlich sensationelle Objektive!

[@blackjackpinoko]

No Leica mobile phone?

[@flofroschmayer]

No... still like my iPhone!

[@tor2919]

Much prefer the M10 series to M11. Tried the M11 but dislike the way the shutter works/sounds and the lack of bottom plate. I shoot with an M10 Monochrom. I don’t see why I would ever need another camera.

[@flofroschmayer]

Same reasons for me...

[@heicoklein1290]

Ich wünsche dir auch ein schönes und gesundes neues Jahr. Und wenn du auch mal ein paar Videos in Deutsch drehen würdest, dass wäre toll für 2025😊

[@flofroschmayer]

Danke Dir! Ich werde "leider" bei englisch bleiben, da ich das nun so angefangen habe. Gibt tolle deutsche Leica Kanäle! Kennst Du @Qimago ?

[@pupkid8613]

I got a Q3 a few months after it came out - m first Leica - and yes, now I own an SL3 also and am lusting after a Q3 43 - they are indeed very dangerous!

[@flofroschmayer]

Yes... they are! :-)

[@BrandonTalbot]

That 90-280 is calling to me

[@flofroschmayer]

Oh, I heard it too!! Happy New Year to you!!

[@DrZench]

I have M10R. Now I am concerned due to no batteries available! I am shocked since Leica is known for their support of legacy products especially their lenses. Can’t imagine using my M10 as a paper weight.

[@flofroschmayer]

I did not know that! Wow. Is it only in the US or also in Europe?

[@rallysardegna]

Instead of the Leica 50 2.0 apo, just look at the Voigtländer 50 2.0 apo. Very good and 1/10 of the price of the Leica

[@flofroschmayer]

Thank you! I'll check that out for sure!

[@RickMentore]

If I had this much Leica gear I would make a "bragging" video!

[@flofroschmayer]

:-)

[@sonofoneintheuniverse]

I have a Leica. That is what I am worth...

[@flofroschmayer]

Same here!

[@MaWiS-d8n]

🎊 🎉🎆🎇

[@flofroschmayer]

:-)

[@cristibaluta]

50k of gear, photography pays well

[@flofroschmayer]

...when doing it for 30 years and you keep selling the old gear you do not need anymore, to invest in updating, it works out quite fine.

[@urbanface.photography]

Unfortunately, all that equipment still doesn't make you a good photographer!

[@flofroschmayer]

True...

[@ducgerard2361]

juste de la publicité pour Leica!.... regarder un tirage photo.... il vous sera impossible de dire avec quel matériel l image a été prise!.... donc il est stupide de payer une fortune pour du matériel photo...

[@flofroschmayer]

Heureusement, la bêtise est subjective... ;-)

[@josefrosanka4052]

Wieso kann der nicht deutsch sprechen, als Deutscher? Sein Englisch ist ja nicht so gut!😂

[@flofroschmayer]

...sein Deutsch auch nicht... is auch kein Deutscher sondern ein Schweizer ;-)

[@mrrcassidy]

His English is excellent.

[@mrrcassidy]

@@flofroschmayer Ignore. Your English is excellent. So are your videos.