Leica SL3 Comparison Review

The Leica SL3 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in March 2024 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 60.3 megapixel.

Is the Leica SL3 a good camera? The Leica SL3 has a Camera Elo of 3021. This very strong rating puts it among the elite group of camera grand masters. The Leica SL3 ranks among the top 10 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the Leica SL3 ranks among the top 20 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Leica SL3 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Leica SL3 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Leica SL3	141 mm	108 mm	85 mm	769 g	320	Y	Mar 2024	6,999	amazon.com
2.		Leica M11	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	640 g	700	Y	Jan 2022	8,995	amazon.com
3.		Leica Q3	130 mm	80 mm	93 mm	743 g	350	Y	May 2023	5,995	amazon.com
4.		Leica SL	147 mm	104 mm	39 mm	847 g	400	Y	Oct 2015	7,450	ebay.com
5.		Leica SL2	146 mm	107 mm	42 mm	953 g	370	Y	Nov 2019	5,999	amazon.com
6.		Leica SL2-S	146 mm	107 mm	83 mm	931 g	510	Y	Dec 2020	4,895	amazon.com
7.		Nikon Z8	144 mm	119 mm	83 mm	910 g	340	Y	May 2023	3,999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic S5 II	134 mm	102 mm	90 mm	740 g	370	Y	Jan 2023	1,999	amazon.com
9.		Sony A1	129 mm	97 mm	81 mm	737 g	530	Y	Jan 2021	6,499	amazon.com
10.		Sony A7R V	131 mm	97 mm	82 mm	723 g	530	Y	Oct 2022	3,899	amazon.com
11.		Sony A9 III	136 mm	97 mm	83 mm	702 g	530	Y	Nov 2023	5,999	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Leica SL3 was launched in the US market at a price of $6,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check Leica SL3 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Leica SL3 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Leica SL3 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica SL3	Full Frame	60.3	9520	6336	8K/30p	25.4	14.8	3295	97
2.		Leica M11	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	none	26.3	14.8	3376	100
3.		Leica Q3	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	8K/30p	25.4	14.7	3216	96
4.		Leica SL	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	13.4	1821	88
5.		Leica SL2	Full Frame	46.7	8368	5584	4K/60p	25.3	14.3	2866	95
6.		Leica SL2-S	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.2	14.1	3504	95
7.		Nikon Z8	Full Frame	45.4	8256	5504	8K/30p	26.3	14.2	2548	98
8.		Panasonic S5 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	6K/30p	25.4	14.6	3158	96
9.		Sony A1	Full Frame	49.8	8640	5760	8k/30p	25.9	14.5	3163	98
10.		Sony A7R V	Full Frame	60.2	9504	6336	8k/24p	26.5	14.8	3187	100
11.		Sony A9 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/120p	25.4	14.7	3243	96
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The Leica SL3 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the Leica SL3 can use is 8K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the Leica SL3 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 5760k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.76x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Leica SL3 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Leica SL3	5760	Y	3.2 / 2333	tilting	Y	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
2.		Leica M11	optical	n	3.0 / 2333	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
3.		Leica Q3	5760	n	3.0 / 1840	tilting	Y	1/2000s	15.0/s	n	Y
4.		Leica SL	4400	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
5.		Leica SL2	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	fixed	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
6.		Leica SL2-S	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	fixed	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
7.		Nikon Z8	3690	Y	3.2 / 2089	full-flex	Y	1/32000s	30.0/s	n	Y
8.		Panasonic S5 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
9.		Sony A1	9437	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
10.		Sony A7R V	9440	n	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony A9 III	9440	n	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/80000s	120.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Leica SL3 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One useful feature of the Leica SL3 is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Leica SL3 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Leica SL3	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
2.		Leica M11	Y	- / -	-	-	-	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Leica Q3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Leica SL	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	-
5.		Leica SL2	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Leica SL2-S	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Nikon Z8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic S5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
9.		Sony A1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
10.		Sony A7R V	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony A9 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the Leica SL3 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the Leica SL3 can be found in the free online Leica SL3 Manual or on the Leica support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the Leica SL3 handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Leica SL3	..	..	4.5/5	..	..	4.5/5	Mar 2024	6,999	amazon.com
2.		Leica M11	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2022	8,995	amazon.com
3.		Leica Q3	5/5	..	4.5/5	..	..	4.5/5	May 2023	5,995	amazon.com
4.		Leica SL	4/5	..	4/5	84/100	4.5/5	4/5	Oct 2015	7,450	ebay.com
5.		Leica SL2	4/5	..	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	4/5	Nov 2019	5,999	amazon.com
6.		Leica SL2-S	4/5	..	4/5	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Dec 2020	4,895	amazon.com
7.		Nikon Z8	5/5	..	5/5	94/100	5/5	4.5/5	May 2023	3,999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic S5 II	4.5/5	+ +	5/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2023	1,999	amazon.com
9.		Sony A1	5/5	o	4.5/5	93/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2021	6,499	amazon.com
10.		Sony A7R V	5/5	+ +	4.5/5	92/100	..	..	Oct 2022	3,899	amazon.com
11.		Sony A9 III	4.5/5	..	..	..	..	..	Nov 2023	5,999	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check Leica SL3 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

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