1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:09,360 If I was a superhero, this would be my pose. In front of me today is a camera 2 00:00:07,279 --> 00:00:17,560 from one of the most expensive camera brands on the planet, Leica. In this box 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:20,240 is the SL2S, and this camera is nearly 4 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:25,199 $4,900 US, and that's one of their cheaper cameras, to be honest. So, let's 5 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:30,000 open this box and see why someone would buy something like this. I have a knife 6 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:36,559 today. Jonno, that's not allowed. 7 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:42,320 I'm breaking the rules. This camera is a loner unit and so it's 8 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:44,960 not retail packaging, so forgive the 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:47,719 amount of bubble wrap. Okay, so we have the camera body, which I'll take a look 10 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:55,440 at in a second. They also 11 00:00:51,079 --> 00:00:59,960 sent a charger with an extra battery. 12 00:00:55,440 --> 00:01:03,840 We have a Leica M to Lmount 13 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:06,000 adapter. We have a Leica branded camera 14 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,880 strap, but you probably won't use it because you'll upgrade to something a 15 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:14,960 little bit nicer, especially when you're spending this much money on a camera. I would never use an included 16 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:20,280 strap. And the last thing we have in this box 17 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:24,960 is the 18 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:29,680 24-90 F2.8 to F4 lens. This is an Lmount 19 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:32,880 native lens that Leica makes. Um, it is 20 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:36,240 this is a chunky boy. Holy crap. And I 21 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:38,799 mean, for context, here is Canon's 24 to 22 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:44,000 105, which is a very similar range, an inch and a bit longer, and it's way 23 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:47,240 heavier. Holy crap. But again, this 24 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:52,720 camera is full frame. 25 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:54,479 So, let's have a look at the SL2s. 26 00:01:52,720 --> 00:02:00,399 From everything I've ever read and now that I'm holding it, the SL2 body feels 27 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:04,880 amazing. So, this camera feels like really solid. Like the grip feels better 28 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:09,119 than almost any camera I've ever held, especially for stills. Um, so let's 29 00:02:06,799 --> 00:02:14,800 weigh it and see how this compares to my daily 30 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:19,000 driver. Okay, so it's 938 g. And then 31 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,000 I'll weigh my M10. 32 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:25,920 This is a little unfair because it's wearing a cage, but let's say it's around 33 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:31,680 655 g, something like that. This is significantly heavier and it shows, but 34 00:02:28,879 --> 00:02:39,680 it's also a more functional camera overall. Let's take a look at the 35 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:42,480 sensor. W full-frame 24 megapixel 36 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:47,519 backside illuminated sensor. Apparently, this is a new sensor from Leica. I'm not 37 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:54,640 100% certain on that. Let's cover that up so that no dust gets in there. And 38 00:02:50,239 --> 00:02:57,440 this man, this camera is just like it 39 00:02:54,640 --> 00:03:02,239 feels like a a brick, but like the best most premium brick that I've ever held. 40 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:06,800 Brick. For IO, we have a headphone and 41 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:12,319 microphone jack. We have a full size HDMI, which I love to see. And we have a 42 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:16,480 type-C port, which is good for file transfer and charging. So, you can keep 43 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:22,000 this thing powered. And you'll probably want to use the charging feature because 44 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:29,120 one single battery from this camera costs 45 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:31,599 $275 US on B&H, which is a very tough 46 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:36,560 pill to swallow when a battery for your camera is worth almost as much as a very 47 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:40,080 affordable lens. The dial on the top of the camera feels really nice. It's 48 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:44,720 really large, very clicky. And then there's two um programmable buttons on 49 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:48,799 the top and two programmable buttons just on the side of the grip here, which 50 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:52,080 is also really nice. And each of these buttons you can kind of set to whatever 51 00:03:50,239 --> 00:03:56,720 you want. On the back of the camera, there is the rear S LCD, which is 52 00:03:54,560 --> 00:04:03,439 actually very nice. And you have this little silicone joystick. Honestly, I 53 00:04:00,239 --> 00:04:04,879 have loved the navigation of these 54 00:04:03,439 --> 00:04:10,400 menus. Like there's only three other buttons on the back. There's play, there's function, and there's menu. And 55 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:16,160 when you hit menu, you get this photo and video mode settings. First, photo, 56 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:21,120 video. And the settings are completely separate from each other, which is the 57 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:26,720 most seamless experience between photo and video that I've ever had and I love 58 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:31,360 it. And if you press the menu button again, you get into the deeper part of 59 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:34,720 the menu, which lets you get in like like more like a traditional camera. But 60 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:38,240 in general, you'll probably be using the quick settings. And with this joystick, 61 00:04:36,479 --> 00:04:41,680 it's pretty easy to navigate. So to finish off the back, you have the thumb 62 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:45,919 dial here, which can be aperture or shutter speed. You have an EVF toggle. 63 00:04:43,919 --> 00:04:49,560 So if you press this, you can get turn off the LCD, do EVF only, or you switch 64 00:04:48,479 --> 00:04:54,479 it back to auto, where if you go to your eyepiece 65 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:58,240 here, it'll just switch for you. And that's pretty much it. It's pretty bare 66 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:04,320 bones on the back of the camera, but honestly, I like the simplicity. You 67 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:06,400 have dual SD card slots. So, I've got 68 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:09,919 two 256 gig cards in here, which unfortunately aren't fast enough for the 69 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:14,000 4K video. So, you'll need pretty fast cards for the 4K video on this camera 70 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:18,400 because it's up to 400 megabits per second. Internally, you can do up to 4K 71 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:25,199 30 FPS. And then externally, you can do up to 4K 60 FPS. And it has 180 and 120 72 00:05:22,479 --> 00:05:29,280 FPS full HD modes as well. Let's take a look at the bottom of the camera. You 73 00:05:26,639 --> 00:05:33,440 have a little port for what I assume is a battery grip. You've got a tripod 74 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:37,520 mount. And then it took me a second the first time I took this out of the box, 75 00:05:35,199 --> 00:05:40,560 but after I figured it out, it was very interesting. For the battery release on 76 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:46,560 this camera, you press this little knob here and then the battery pops out, but 77 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:49,199 then it doesn't it doesn't come out. And 78 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:54,320 I was like, "Oh, is the camera broken?" It's actually really smart. So, you 79 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:58,560 press this and then you click once and then the battery comes out. There's no 80 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:03,280 battery door on this camera. It's just a hole for where the battery would go. 81 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:05,240 It's almost like loading like a mag or 82 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:12,639 something. And it's so satisfying. Like Andy, can you hear that? Yeah. 83 00:06:09,199 --> 00:06:14,240 That click. I don't know. Okay, enough 84 00:06:12,639 --> 00:06:20,960 about the battery door. Even though it's really cool, I could not get over the sound. Let's get to the lens. Let's put 85 00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:27,120 this gigantic lens on this camera and see how it feels. Line that 86 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:35,000 up. Ah, that's a good click. Very satisfying. Wow, this is really heavy 87 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:37,600 now. Holy crap. Here's my M10 for 88 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:41,919 reference. So, why don't we give this thing a test drive and see how good it 89 00:06:39,759 --> 00:06:45,919 is. Okay, we have Madison here. We're going to do a quick test on this lens, 90 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:51,560 the 24 to 90, and then I'm going to switch to the 50 mil Noctalux and see 91 00:06:47,759 --> 00:06:51,560 how these photos turn out. 92 00:06:52,639 --> 00:06:59,680 If I was a superhero, this would be my pose. With the joystick, the autofocus 93 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:03,360 point is so easy to almost even easier and faster than my Fuji to 94 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:11,280 adjust. Do you hear that shutter sound? 95 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:12,400 That shutter sounds so nice. Now you're 96 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:18,800 just going to have eight pictures of the wall. Yep. That's enough photos of this 97 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:22,560 lens and now I'm going to switch them. Don't bother including this part in the 98 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:26,800 video editor cuz this is boring. No, it isn't. Super exciting. Let's try this 99 00:07:24,479 --> 00:07:32,639 out. And it's all manual focus. I don't even I can't even tell if I'm It's so 100 00:07:29,919 --> 00:07:37,840 bright out. And this is at like f1. This lens is ridiculous on this camera. 101 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:42,720 Why are you using it on the camera then? Cuz it's amazing. I've never used 102 00:07:40,319 --> 00:07:47,840 anything harder to focus. So, as someone who doesn't really like know that much 103 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:53,919 about cameras. Mhm. How much do you think this camera costs with this lens? 104 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:56,000 Like I I want to say over 10 grand. It's 105 00:07:53,919 --> 00:08:00,080 like smoother. It just sort of looks more sleek. Yeah, you're right on in 106 00:07:57,919 --> 00:08:04,560 money. It's about just over 10 grand for the whole setup. Oh, okay. Well, I'm 107 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:07,919 Yep. Let's see how these photos turned out. The autofocus on this lens and the 108 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:13,520 sharpness performed pretty good, but you guys can be the judge. Here's the photos, and we'll have these available 109 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:17,120 for download if you want to take a closer look at them. We're also going to 110 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:22,720 throw up a couple photos I took on the weekend here so you have a better sense of like the different kinds of colors 111 00:08:20,319 --> 00:08:27,919 you get straight out of camera on this after using this camera shooting a 112 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:32,080 portrait of somebody. It was really fun and I really enjoyed it. The autofocus 113 00:08:29,759 --> 00:08:38,240 was as responsive as I needed it to be and while the camera is really heavy, it 114 00:08:35,279 --> 00:08:42,719 feels really good in the hand. Just like a lot of people who shoot video like 115 00:08:39,839 --> 00:08:47,440 heavy cameras for balance, I would describe this in a similar fashion. 116 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:52,560 Okay, let's talk about why somebody would buy this camera and why somebody 117 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:59,480 might buy a Leica in general. Because this camera setup, the body is 118 00:08:55,240 --> 00:09:02,480 $4,900 and this lens is $5,500, but 119 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,399 $10,000 is a ridiculous amount of money 120 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:09,440 for a camera and lens setup, even for the most expensive stuff. So, why would 121 00:09:06,959 --> 00:09:13,839 you buy a Leica? I can boil it down to three main reasons I think people like 122 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:19,760 Leica cameras. The first one being is the Leica look. Whether you agree with 123 00:09:16,959 --> 00:09:25,040 it or not, Leica has a specific look to the images. I've been able to see images 124 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:29,200 on Instagram and be like, "Yep, that was shot on a Leica." And I was usually 125 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:36,080 right because it there's a feeling to them that you can't really describe in 126 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:38,320 words very easily. Yes, every camera has 127 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:42,160 its own color science and you can edit photos to look like basically anything 128 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:47,279 at this point, but the colors that come out of this straight out of camera with 129 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:49,680 minimal editing, it's just it's a 130 00:09:47,279 --> 00:09:54,640 different experience. And that's the second part of this, the camera itself. 131 00:09:51,839 --> 00:10:01,000 Trust me guys, for years and I've used a lot of cameras. I thought while Leica 132 00:09:57,279 --> 00:10:03,519 seemed cool and they were obviously very 133 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:06,959 expensive, they seemed unnecessary, overpriced, and something that no one 134 00:10:05,519 --> 00:10:12,959 should really give that much attention to. But from top to bottom, the way the 135 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:15,760 camera feels, the way it operates, the 136 00:10:12,959 --> 00:10:22,240 images coming off the sensor, how they are to edit, everything that Leica does 137 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:24,880 is about the experience. Leica knows 138 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:29,120 that they will never be the most cutting edge, the most top- end in terms of 139 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:36,160 their specs, but they're not trying to be. Leica focuses mostly on delivering 140 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:38,880 an experience that you want to use, want 141 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:42,560 to be part of, you want to pick up this camera and use it. I don't want to put 142 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:47,920 it down. I just want to keep shooting. And that's the best way I can explain it 143 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:49,760 because it really is the feeling of 144 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:53,920 using the camera. That is what they deliver. And that might not matter to 145 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:58,079 you. You might not care about the experience of using a camera. This is 146 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:04,880 one of the easiest cameras I've ever used. And so are all of these. You pay a 147 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:09,360 lot for that experience. The third and final reason, some people might see this 148 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:13,680 as a good thing, some people might see it as well unnecessary, is these cameras 149 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:21,839 hold their value pretty well. For example, this Leica M10 that came out 150 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:26,000 almost 4 years ago was just over $10,000 151 00:11:21,839 --> 00:11:29,760 new, and even today, it's still worth 152 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:32,399 about $6,000 Canadian. That's a lot 153 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:38,560 better than most cameras last in terms of value over a four-year period. So, if 154 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:40,160 you are already on board for Leica's 155 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:45,519 experience for their cameras and you want a camera that is the best they've 156 00:11:43,519 --> 00:11:50,240 made for video and photo at the same time, then this is probably the camera 157 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:54,480 for you. If you want something that's the most cutting edge, has the best 158 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:59,760 autofocus, has the most utility on gimbals and all these other video 159 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:03,040 accessories, this camera probably isn't for you. So, thank you guys for 160 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:06,160 watching. If you like this video, give me a thumbs up. If you didn't like it, 161 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:09,519 you can give a thumbs down and leave a comment on any other camera you want me 162 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:12,480 to check out. I mean, I haven't checked out Hasselblads yet, so maybe that's 163 00:12:11,279 --> 00:12:17,200 coming out. We also have a video coming out on the Sony FX3 very soon, and we 164 00:12:15,279 --> 00:12:21,680 also recently did a video on the Zeiss ZX1. if you're interested in 165 00:12:19,639 --> 00:12:24,320 that. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe.