In its latest firmware update, the Leica SL2s gained a few new functionality buffs. These aren’t necessarily the autofocus updates that many of us were hoping for, but they give us very nice gifts. I’m specifically saying that these are gifts because they show a lot of promise for future updates from Leica. So we’ve updated our Leica SL2s review, and we’ve got the latest information from it down below.
You can read the entire Leica SL2s review here at this link. But in the meantime, you can see the updated text down below. Want one? Check out the camera on Amazon.
Update January 2024
The Leica SL2s received a firmware update not long ago that gives the camera a few things that’s worth talking about with photographers. Here’s what the new firmware details are:
NEW
- Continuous shooting with activated Perspective Control
SL2: for 2 fps and 6 fps, SL2-S: for 2 fps and 5 fps - Added lock function for white balance settings Auto ISO and Auto
This function ensures a constant ISO value and automatic white balance during video recording until recording is stopped, or settings are changed via menu settings.
EXTENDED FUNCTIONALITY
- New submenu item Flash Mode under Flash Settings
- The menu item AF Quick Setting only was added to the menu Touch AF in EVF – In Touch AF mode, this will prevent accidental movement of the AF frame, but still allows the Touch AF functions to be used.
- Newly added menu items for the Favorites menu
- Thumbwheel: New functionality as function button
- Joystick: More assignment options
IMPROVEMENT
- GPS accuracy of the shooting location was significantly improved
- Revised Play menu: The option Delete All was replaced by Delete Unrated
- The Continuous Shooting settings in the menu item Drive Mode were renamed
- The menu item Self Timer is now a main menu item, and can be combined with other shooting modes
- Bugfixes in the firmware
With all of this, there are three things really worth talking about. First off is the new flash menu. The fact that Leica did this means that they’re truly trying to target commercial, editorial, and documentary photographers in a big way. The flash menu works a bit more like Sony’s now, though, where you get a slow sync option and even a second curtain flash option. The latter was there before, but I never noticed Slow sync. As a photographer who uses a ton of flash in any paid and creative work that I do, I love this addition.
More importantly, this gets me excited about the fact that Leica is truly embracing this tech after pretty much only ever appealing to natural light photographers. However, since the Profoto Connect Pro integration, we have reason to believe that Leica will really try to be as receptive to its audience as it can. There’s a history of this, too. After the M10R color issues, the company asked me why I’d use Capture One instead of Lightroom to process my images. I reasoned with them that if I were to spend that much on a camera, I shouldn’t be limited. That same year, better Capture One integration appeared as if it were a missing person case on Unsolved Mysteries.
The other big addition is the Favorites menu. This comes up on the second menu button press before it makes you scroll through the other pages. Placing it here is the smartest thing that I’ve seen from any brand — who would otherwise put it all the way at the end of the menu system. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve never used it. On the flip side, Leica should’ve never needed this thing to begin with. Leica’s menu is perfect for touchscreen integration, but it never fully used it. If only Leica had made the menu touch-compatible — it would’ve rivaled Canon’s as the easiest to use.
Lastly, I truly welcome the addition of the delete unrated option. In-camera image rating is something that I’ve been doing for years, even before the pandemic. I’ll typically keep all my images on the card, but I never want to sort through them all later on. So instead, I’ll rate in camera and have that pre-sorted already for me later on. Typically, I never end up looking at the unrated stuff that I shoot. This is going to be more important for photographers moving forward, too, as all AI plugin software does is say if something is in focus or not. And that’s pretty useless. However, Leica’s autofocus isn’t the best, even after this firmware update. There was a second or two where I thought that it did very well, But still, over the years, that performance has seemingly disappeared. Sometimes I think that it has to do with my settings.