Silver Leica SL2 launches with two complementary lens bundles

Historical Leica designs inspire the new version silver Leica SL2. It is reminiscent of the iconic silver Leica M and Leica R classic cameras. Key features of the silver Leica SL2 are a silver-anodised top plate and base plate. The black covering is identical to that of the Leica M11 to complete the classic look. The camera also blends seamlessly with the M-Adapter L and silver M lenses.

The technical specification of the silver variant is the same as that of the existing black models. Intuitive and easy, and comfortable to use, the Leica SL2 produces photographs and videos of high image quality from the 47MP sensor. The high dynamic range and a sensitivity span of up to ISO 50,000 produces outstanding pictures in all lighting conditions.

The silver Leica SL2 will be available globally at all Leica Stores, the Leica online store and authorised retailers from today. The retail price of the body is £6,200, including VAT in the UK.

Silver SL2 in kit form

Leica offers two lens kits, including the SL2 body, at an attractive saving. The silver Leica SL2 is available with the Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70 f/2.8 ASPH for £7,920. The second kit includes the camera and the classic Noctilux-M 50 f/1.2 ASPH, including M-Adaptor L. It will cost £12,100. This also allows for the possibility of combining other M lenses with an SL camera, ensuring a classic Leica look.

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Editor’s view

This is one camera we do not need to test. As the press release says, it is identical in operation and output to the established black SL2, which has been on the market since November 2019. But it deserves more than a passing mention. Evidence from the product photographs shows that this is an attractive camera that creates a subtly different character in the mind of the beholder. It plays effectively to the orthodox Leicaphile gallery. The move from the slab-sided black approach implies a smaller and, dare I say, lighter body. It isn’t, of course; it’s exactly the same. But it does look as though it could be…

The used market for the SL2 has been rather slow recently. Part of this has been caused by the unexpected success of the SL2-S, which reverted to a 24MP sensor similar to the one in the original SL, introduced in October 2015. Many customers clearly concluded that 24MP is “enough”. Several of my friends traded in their SL2 bodies for the SL2-S, largely for this reason but also for their general appreciation of the old sensor’s attributes.

Some of the attraction in the SL2-S is again cosmetic: A stealthy all-black image invariably holds the promise of anonymity for Leica fans and arouses fond notions of the all-black Ms of yore. However, the traditional silver/black facade of the new version will likely have the same effect drawing buyers away from the standard black SL2. If nothing else, the new version injects some last-minute vigour into the SL before the forthcoming upgrade to the SL3.

Silver Leica SL2 is worth a punt

The dates outlined above show a four-year gap between the SL and the SL2. The SL2 will be four years old at the end of this year, thus paving the way for a successor. But, as with the SL2-S, there will be some users unimpressed by expanding sensor density. Enough is enough, they might say. In this case, the arrival of the silver Leica SL2 could be a perfect opportunity to jump on the bandwagon with a new classic-look SL and, looking to the future, a “mid-range” sensor.

It was the SL in 2015, rather than the T (which first adopted the new mount), that put the full-frame L-Mount standard on the map. Yet at the time, the future depended entirely on Leica, and it was by no means certain that the system would succeed. Three years later, in the autumn of 2018, the L-Mount Alliance was launched. This unprecedented level of cooperation between the three manufacturers has been of crucial importance in growing the L-Mount system — especially on the lens front, with many offerings from Sigma and Panasonic in addition to Leica. That many of these lenses are considerably cheaper than those from Leica is yet another reason for the success of the system.

Cameras such as the Panasonic Lumix S5 and the Sigma fp have ensured that there is a more attractive entry point for users who cannot immediately justify Leica’s prices. They might find the cash in the future, and that’s an integral part of Leica’s marketing strategy. The L-Mount is now a grown-up system, bringing converts from outside the usual Leica galaxy. They are undoubtedly happy buyers, but the red dot always dangles alluringly from the sidelines. And with recent moves into cine — Black Magic is said to be developing an L-Mount camera, while Panasonic’s S5 IIx is lauded as one of the best video devices on the market — the future for Leica’s SL range is bright.

The SL brand is now well-established, and I reckon the silver Leica SL2 is worth a punt.

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Useful links

Jonathan Slack’s review of the Leica SL

Review of the Leica SL2 by Jonathan Slack2

Jonathan’s first impressions of the Leica SL2-S

Overview of the L-Mount Alliance

Panasonic announces the Lumix S series

Introduction of the Leica SL (2015)

L2 partnership between Leica and Panasonic

All images in this article are supplied by Leica Camera AG and published with permission

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