The new LEICA SL2 | Hands-on and Tutorial, Lens Options, IBIS, Menu, etc.

In this video I explain the new LEICA SL2, discuss lenses available including adapters, compare the SL2 with other cameras, go through the menu of the camera, discuss in-body image stabilization and also show some examples.

[@tim2468]

This is the best SL2 review I have watched.

[@hawkeye48]

Just received my SL2 and can't thank you enough for helping get familiar with it quickly. THANKS!

[@mathphotographer]

Thx for your positive feedback

[@DBML1]

Your videos never disappoint. Your knowledge of photography is broad and deep making this review of the SL2 worth watching over and over. I have many cameras and lenses including the SL2 which is becoming my overall favourite. Thank-You for your effort.

[@bernardchenphotos]

This is the first review I have watched from beginning to end! Thank you!

[@mathphotographer]

Cool, thanks!

[@gentleman0678]

Just wanted to say thank you!! I just purchased my leica sl2 in New York!!

[@mathphotographer]

Enjoy shooting with your new SL2!

[@snoek1971]

I'm going to pickup my SL2 + 24-90 today. Being a M shooter I'm more of a less is more kind of photographer,....and although I'm familiar with the menu (I shoot with a M10 also),your video surely has shorten the learning curve for me, thanks!!

[@tamilhoward9708]

Unexpected surprise to see the comparison between the Panasonic and the Leica! Excellent video.

[@BPLeroyLotusEvora]

Thank you so much for your insight and the practical tips! Merry XMas!

[@mathphotographer]

Thank you very much, merry Xmas too :)

[@jal2550]

Your gear is absolutely drool worthy! Cant wait to get my SL2!

[@ronwilsontringue6574]

The best camera and lens I have ever owned - you get what you pay for.

[@xavierrichard8274]

I guess Im asking the wrong place but does anybody know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid lost my password. I love any assistance you can give me

[@bakerpatrick6842]

@Xavier Richard instablaster ;)

[@terryjones6049]

Brilliant review, just need to find some deeper pockets now before going to the Leica shop.

[@ahmadbanihani6024]

Very impressive VR, thanks so much for posting your review

[@mathphotographer]

Thank you.

[@andreasmartin9476]

Great video with lots of detail! Did you test the Multishot / Highres Mode yet? Really looking for sample images. S1R looks impressive with the Highres Mode. Guess SL2 is similar... Thanks for your reply and keep up your channel!

[@ceciliamidulla2841]

Thanks a lot it was extremely clear!!!

[@JensABraun]

What a review!!! GREAT - especially with the M-mount lens. Could you please tell me the crop-factor for it, and is it the same for all M-lenses?

[@roadboogie]

great! would be super to see such an intensive vid with the M objectives on the SL2. my whish a 50mm or 35mm incl test pictures. will buy that setup before going to bagladesh. i need to shootportrais as steet as well with m lenses. take care

[@andrewjames9963]

How do find manually focusing with sl2 ?

[@NikCan66]

That leica M adaptor is great combination for using the various Leica native lenses. I'm particular interested your opinion on the other lenses like the Nikon collection of lenses as well. With the adaptors for the Canon, Leica M and Nikon lenses which do you prefer to use if you didn't have a native Leica lens with you for say architectural photography. Would you prefer the Canon TS lens or Nikon TS lens for architectural photography or do you think the results are similar for both internal and external shots.

[@Bish_OP]

great videos.. thanks!

[@TheTanrachoyu]

Sl2 can use hight speed synce with studio flash?

[@samirtilak7193]

Great review as usual! Quick question: Having a hard time with flash sync(TTL) for my SL2. No problem when I use the SL2-S or Q2. All have same settings. Any suggestions ?

[@mathphotographer]

Strange, should work the same as on the SL2-S. What specifically goes wrong with the SL2?

[@mrm9438]

Hello, the Leica SL2 is simply incomparable it is borderline indecent to imagine any comparison even in 2021

[@MestreMur]

Great Leica line up lenses...

[@frankiacone6642]

the Leica SL2 or @s is excellent for L mount lenses. Non coded senses can be an issue without the info showing but usually works well for me on my SL2S.

[@irutgers]

How do the Nikon lenses work with the SL2 ? Full functionality??

[@GillesQuennevilleGQ]

I would like to see the long exposures limitations.

[@Peter-df1br]

Good morning! I have a question regarding adapters for the SL2/SL2-S. I have a friend who has ordered a SL2-S. He has a few Nikon lenses. As you mention at about 10:25 in this video, Novoflex makes adapters for the SL system. He has concerns that the Novoflex adapter will grey-out and nullify IBIS & Auto ISO on the SL2-S. Any thoughts or experience with this potential problem?

[@mathphotographer]

No worries, IBIS is independent of the lens and will work with non-Leica lenses and adapters well in my opinion. Auto ISO is as well independent of the lens and will work fine.

[@muhammadasi531]

Thank you for excellent review. Could you please recommend a Leica camera for macro photography?

[@mathphotographer]

Leica has macro options/adapter for M cameras and the macro option on the Q and Q2. But in general, Leica is not my first choice when it comes to macro, they are great for many things but macro I do with my Sony A7R IV. I hope they will develop a macro lens for the Leica SL2 but so far you need adapters and workarounds.

[@profheesh]

Very nice collection, I think SL2 may be a better proposition than GFX 50R! What is your experience! Dynamic range wise!

[@w.scholz9705]

It would be interesting to see if there are differences in quality with M-lenses compared to the M10-r ... The M-cameras habe sensors specially designed for M-lenses. But how does the SL2 behave? Adapted to Sony A7R III for instance gives you with many M-lenses a loss in quality.

[@francoisaudet7958]

Thanks for this nice review! Is there any difference in quality between the EVF of the S1R and the SL2 ?

[@mathphotographer]

I like the SL2 EVF more ... but the S1R is good too.

[@samwong8628]

interesting that you have put on a flash shoe cover.

[@Peter-df1br]

Always enjoy your videos. As for M lenses on the SL2, I'd like your opinion for using my existing Leica M lenses. With my M10, I use the Leica 21mm Super-Elmar-M ASPH f/3.4, Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron-M ASPH II, Leica 90 MM F/2.0 APO SUMMICRON-M and the Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4. I also have one non-Leica lens, the Voigtländer 50/1.2 VM Nokton ASPH. Any opinion or thoughts of any of these lenses with the SL2 would be appreciated.

[@mathphotographer]

I do not have all M lenses you mentioned but most of them plus some others. My general experience is that they work very well on the SL2, fully manual with no autofocus but well-working and nicely cooperating with the SL2 and its sensor. The 47MP resolution is no problem for the M lenses in general, they deal well with the higher resolution.

[@kalle49er]

can you shut in monochrom ?

[@ajitdey5272]

There is one lens you could talk about since it's an M lens that doesn't fit all M bodies, but one that can be attached to the SL2 with the adapter. That lens is the Dual range 50mm summicron, an absolute gem of a lens that Leica users can make us of. Of course, the 'goggles' can't be used on the SL2, but they need not have to!

[@mathphotographer]

Great comment. I do not have that lens but read the article by Matt Osborne here: mrleica.com/leica-summicron-dr/

[@williaminbody205]

How about a complete tutorial for the SL, many were bought as the SL2 came out...there really isn’t a good one on KZbin.

[@luissalazar2021]

Can you please show me pictures of the Leica on site working

[@sgroadie6367]

Great review. The SL2's UI is outstanding. Have you considered the S system? What do you think about the S 007 and the S3?

[@mathphotographer]

The new S was introduced in 2018 and came to market in 2020 so IMHO the S is very likely outdated already. I have no idea why it took Leica 2 years between announcement and market delivery. If you want to go for (cropped) medium format, the Hasselblad X1DII or Fuji GFX cameras are very likely the better and much cheaper choice.

[@orbolanos]

Can you tell me which aspect ratios are supported by this camera? Thanks!

[@mathphotographer]

Basically all aspect ratios since you can always crop in post.

[@johnpeterka8355]

Relative to the Leica SL2, how is its AF in low-light? Do you know what the life is on the shutter? The Panasonic S1/S1R is 400,000 shutter cycles. Does the SL2 have back button illumination? Can you do back button focus? Are there customized settings C1-C3 like Panasonic? How quick is the AF; i.e., is it faster than the Panasonic S1/S1R? We had a Panasonic S1. I liked everything about it except the AF. The perfect camera for us would be a 30MP backlit full frame sensor camera that functioned like our Fujifilm XT3s. Except for lenses and lighting, what are the other costs associated with becoming a Leica shooter? We shoot weddings and do portraits. What lenses would you recommend in the 16-24, 24-70, 80, and 70-200 lenses? Thank you, John

[@mathphotographer]

No back button illumination. Focus so far worked quickly and spot-on but will do more testing next couple of weeks and then come back with more precise answers. Also need to try focus tracking before making any statements. Shutter durability: did not find that info. SL had 200'000, my guess is that this is even higher now. But 200'000 is already a lot. On all other questions, I will test much more the next days and then get back with a video. Merry Xmas.

[@johnpeterka8355]

mathphotographer - thank you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@Bryan-lu4du]

You can back button focus by turning the camera to manual focus mode and then the action of pressing in on the joystick while auto focus

[@humunique]

Where did you get the cover for the hot shoe for SL2? Thanks.

[@brakesforsnakes757]

I would venture to guess it's the same as this one www.popflash.com/423-116-001-013

[@mathphotographer]

I stole it from my Leica CL :) When I use the Leica CL then later, I put it back on the CL. Leica does not include a hot shoe cover in the box for the SL(2).

[@barfussinsaldi]

Ha! Glad to see this answer - when receiving the SL2 four weeks ago, I immediately borrowed the cover from my S1. But looking at the video I initially thought that I missed the cover in the SL2 box 😬

[@paulsehstedt6275]

Perfect review! My conclusion: I stick to my M...

[@l.nauwelaerts195]

Sehr guter Überblick. Danke! But I still have a few questions: 1. Is it possible to have a "back-button" focus with any of the customizable keys? 2. Does the EOS-L adapter (or any other non-Leica adapter you speak of) allow for full functionality of the lens? 3. Which matte foil did you apply to the camera's screens? ... That's currently it. Will probably get back to you after a 2nd viewing of your video. :-)

[@mathphotographer]

Danke! On 1: there is a work-around, need to figure it out again and likely will do a very short tutorial, stay tuned. On 2: If full functionality means that you can operate the lens the answer is yes. But depending on what adapter you use there might be no electronic contact any longer between lens and body (since the contact-less adapter is sitting inbetween) which means that your metadata on lens-related infos like aperture will not be filled into metadata. And autofocus of course is gone with most adapters. On 3: I most often use the original display protector from Leica which was available in a matte version until recently. Now they have a new version which is no longer matte, unfortunately. However, for instance the German brand DIPOS makes these protectors too and they have matte and anti-fingerprint.

[@mathphotographer]

Video with back-button will go online tonight, watch out and have a look :)

[@l.nauwelaerts195]

@@mathphotographer Will sure do!

[@sgroadie6367]

How does the ibis compare to the S1R. I suspect very similar.

[@mathphotographer]

Very similar, also when comparing with the Sony A3R IV. However, 1sec exposure hand-hold is my personal new record :)

[@sgroadie6367]

1 sec and critically sharp is impressive. My record without stabilisation is 1/20s with Phase One XF IQ4150 with SK45mm.

[@MeadowsWorkshop]

Which hand grip do you have on your M10-P?

[@mathphotographer]

The original Leica handgrip made for the M10-P.

[@MeadowsWorkshop]

mathphotographer oh okay, I’ll need to get that

[@rolandrick]

1:38, for the gear on that table, you may buy easily an old house with 1200 m² land in suburbs or tiny villages. 🙈🤪😇

[@travis8665]

Maybe, but the gear will pay for itself and buy you the house. I make a lot more money using my gear than what any house will give me.

[@MeadowsWorkshop]

Which hot shoe cover are you using for your SL2?

[@mathphotographer]

I use the one from a Leica CL which is stored away when I shoot with the SL2. Still find it strange that for this price tag we do not get a "free" hot shoe cover.

[@MeadowsWorkshop]

mathphotographer right! one would think they’d include 2 😂

[@carlover4239]

Any thoughts on this vs the Canon R5?

[@mathphotographer]

Have not had my hands on the R5 yet, let's see.

[@carlover4239]

mathphotographer - Hope you get access soon!

[@clifftotten7609]

I dont know. I could be totally wrong but I have this feeling that everything about this camera was 100% designed and manufactured by Panasonic. I wold not even be surprised if it's using the Lumix S1/S1R/S1H motherboard.

[@manilamartin1001]

Definitely panasonic autofocus. Too bad

[@gavingynert2455]

Bokeh is pronounced boke, it's a word from Japan. Not Bouquet like the french would say. Nevertheless, great video and I pretty much love your channel!

[@mathphotographer]

Thank you, never to late for me to learn :) And thx for the positive comment on my channel.

[@andyvan5692]

PS: that small 28mm lens is not an M lens, it is an M-42 screw mount lens with an M adaptor, the steel part on the rear, as there is NO focus cam on the old lens, or the recognition mechanics to move the focus patch lever ( to get right frame lines for lens), this is what that adaptor does.

[@decoff]

I like that you choose to share your review and discuss the SL2 options. But in all honesty you talk about how the lens looks on the camera, where I feel you should be talking about the quality and cost of the combinations of lenses and quality that it produces in its capture.

[@angelalvarez5953]

It hasn’t back focus button ??? 😱

[@kayafichtmd2617]

Angel Alvarez wondering myself....

[@Bryan-lu4du]

If your turn the camera to manual focus mode the action of pressing in on the joystick will autofocus. So that’s the way to do it

[@gotja]

ah this or S1H (I know S1H has better video features but it also crops in)

[@hennievangalen1603]

1:55 : ' The body is heavy, the lens is heavy, quite nice'.. Since when is too much weight nice?

[@aziznasuti2690]

Gosh do you have a bank?

[@ductritran8637]

Why pay almost 3 times more for Sl2 when you have a choice on Panasonic S1r and the two only look different but near identical technology on the same company . I owned SL1 and change to S1R never look back or regrets, the S1R is far better then when Sl2 come out I try and can’t not find any better both are almost identical camera from same company . No point to pays for thousands more just for the name Leica . Personally I prefer the leica M10 , M monochrom and Leica q1 and Panasonic s1R .

[@TheDrgate]

Because you are rich and that’s Leica, it has reddot😂

[@markrigg6623]

Just leica proper camera........

[@joteroar]

I can’t understand why the hell Leica is always placing the buttons on the left side of the camera, forcing us to hold the camera with both hands on the back side instead of the right one on the back and the left one on the lens. I just can not stand with it! The same with the ON/OFF button! That’s something one should operate very quickly, seamless and effortless, just while holding the camera with the right hand. The M10 is great at that point: one switch by the shutter button, that’s it. The rest of the camera is great. I think it should have a well designed tilt/screen but...ok...it’s Leica...they take their time for such implementations. Oh, another thing I don’t understand: I think the SL had built in GPS and this one has’t, am I right? WHY?? That was great!!🤦🏻‍♂️

[@mathphotographer]

Yes - Leica takes time but then often does it well. I am still waiting for the new firmware of the Leica SL2 with that pixel shift super resolution feature they announced ... waiting and waiting and waiting :)