AGENDA NEWS
Just Leica Lumix? The rugged SL3-S mirrorless shares a lot of technology with Panasonic’s S5 II X
I f you come from a filmmaking background, then the cameras you are most likely to lust after are Arri or Red. But for stills photographers, Leica has always been the dream purchase, with incredible build quality and price. The company also makes some supreme cinema glass, such as the Elsie series. Its M-System rangefinder manual focus cameras do not offer video and are very much old-school Leica in design and high prices. However, the German-made brand does have a full-frame mirrorless range designed in conjunction with Panasonic and boasts lots of high-end video spec. The latest Leica is the SL3-S, which uses L-Mount glass and is the fastest ever in the SL series in terms of autofocus, Wi-Fi connectivity and stills frame rates. And at £4500/$5295, it’s reasonably priced when you consider its spec and build quality. It’s actually cheaper than the current Leica SL3 model, which has a 60-megapixel sensor and can record in 8K. The new camera is a result of the L2 Technology partnership announced in 2022, through which Leica and Panasonic are jointly developing new technologies. It’s very clear that the SL3-S uses the 24-megapixel BSI CMOS full-frame sensor from the Panasonic S5 II X model, including its phase detection autofocus. In terms of video, both offer 6K open gate at up to 30p or 4K/60p if you use an APS-C crop.
Open gate uses the whole sensor to give flexibility in post in terms of crops, so that both vertical and horizontal edits can be made from the same clip. It’s also a good format for adding image stabilisation, as this uses a slight crop. Other options include 5.8K ProRes 422 HQ or 4K/60p without time limits, recorded to a CFexpress card. There’s a second slot for an SD card. For higher quality, 5.9K Raw at up to 30p or 4.1K Raw from an APS-C crop can be output over the full-size HDMI port to a recorder like an Atomos. Frame rates top out at 120fps, but only in HD. Footage can also be recorded to an SSD using the camera’s USB-C port and there is also a timecode interface for synchronising video and audio between multiple cameras in post. Colour choices include L-Log for maximum dynamic range. It’s in the design that the Leica stands apart from the Lumix. The menu is quite different to Panasonic’s and the camera’s solid metal body has IP54 certification to fend off the elements, while the 0.76x viewfinder contains an optical system of high-end Leica glass lenses. It displays the subject in 120fps at a resolution of 5.76 million pixels. In comparison, the S5 II X has a 3.86-million-pixel, 0.78x viewfinder. The SL3-S screen is also marginally bigger with higher resolution. It’s a tilting 3.2- inch screen with 2.3 million dots. The Leica is also the heavier model at 852g, versus 740g for the Panasonic.
CAMERA TO CLOUD COMING SOON Just like several recent Panasonics, the SL3-S will soon be able to upload footage directly to Adobe’s Frame.io platform. The log-in details are stored in the camera for a Wi-Fi network, then stills and video can be sent directly to a folder in Frame.io for storage or to allow others to see and edit the work simultaneously. Adobe has recently improved integration between Frame.io and its other cloud- based applications, such as Lightroom. Alternatively, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enable speedy connection to the Leica Fotos app, where Raw DNG images can be transferred in full resolution. As a certified Apple Made for iPhone accessory, the SL3-S can be connected directly to iPhones using USB-C. Another first for Leica’s SL-System is featuring content credential technology, which embeds secure metadata to verify image authenticity. leica-camera.com
10
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook