Cinematographers everywhere will love the new Leica SL3-S. Photographers as well. “S” as in Speed, Sensitivity, Stills, and Cine.
The SL3-3 takes amazing stills for location scouting or for pleasure, works not only as a Directors Finder or for pre-viz, but also records beautiful full-height (Open Gate) full-frame (Leica Format) moving images.
In a landscape where many cameras crop the sensor to 16:9 or less than full height, the SL3-3 covers the entire 24MP, 3:2 Open Gate sensor area (approx 35.64 x 23.76 mm) to record up to 6K internally and 6K RAW externally.
There are framelines galore in the Video menu. Go to CAPTURE ASSISTANTS. Enable INFO PROFILE > SETTINGS > FRAMELINES. There, you can choose up to three aspect ratios with almost any permutation of width and height from 1 to 99. And so, SL3-S understands the math of 1.85:1 and 37:30 being the same, and lets you enter either set of values. Two additional custom framelines are available. Enter the desired picture area in millimeters and then adjust scale, frameline thickness (stroke), color, shading and how you’d like to see it (box, corners, top/bottom, left/right.
All this versatility makes for a wonderful Super35 or Full Frame Directors Finder. The SL3-S comes with a nice neoprene-style padded shoulder strap that will surely be more comfortable than what you currently have dangling around your neck.
The SL3-S has an L-Mount (“L” as in Leica), with a 20mm flange focal depth, and 51.6mm diameter. This enables the ever-growing world of L-Mount lenses, not only from Leica, but also from members of the L-Mount Alliance: SIGMA, Panasonic and Samyang. (LEITZ CINE, Blackmagic Design, DJI and ASTRODESIGN are also in the L-Mount Alliance.)
Attach a Leitz Cine L-Mount to LPL Mount and look through HUGO and ELSIE primes, especially the amazing new 15mm T2.1 (shown below).
Add a Leitz Cine LPL to PL mount for Leitz Prime and Zoom lenses. Or pretty much any other PL mount cine lens out there.
Use Leica M lenses, vintage and current, with Leica’s L to M mount adapter. Yes, you can attach Leitz M 0.8 primes directly. Venerable vintage Leica R lenses work directly with Leica’s L-Mount to R Adapter.
See complete details at Leica Camera.
More information will follow here at FDTimes. But the camera just arrived, the light beckons, the weather is good and cold, and we’re off to film and photograph with the SL3-S and ELSIE 15mm.