Key Take-Aways:

Leica’s 2019 successor to the SL, a metal-bodied full-frame mirrorless camera that adds in-body stabilization so that Leica M lenses can be stabilized as well as the SL lenses. Both reviews praise the build quality and both fault the price and the size and weight; one review (Photography Blog) also praises the image quality, and one review (Digital Camera World) also faults the contrast-detect autofocus and the fixed rear screen.

From Leica:

Building on the foundation established in 2015 with the visionary Leica SL-System, Leica Camera proudly introduces the Leica SL2, the storied brand’s new icon and next evolutionary step towards building the perfect all-purpose camera. By listening closely to the valued feedback of photographers and existing SL owners, Leica made many efforts to push the envelope of technological innovation and performance while respecting its heritage of design and legacy. In addition to a technical marvel of pure performance and unmatched build quality, the Leica SL2 is also a joyous experience to use with improved ergonomics and more comfortable grip married to the well-established, simplified three-button control layout, further unifying the Leica design language across multiple product lines. While cutting-edge new features such as in-body image stabilization unlocks newfound potential from legendary Leica M-Lenses, it simultaneously augments the growing selection of SL-Lenses which are some of the finest optics Leica has ever produced. The Leica SL2 is the natural evolution of the innovative Leica SL, serving as a groundbreaking embrace of the future of digital photography and videography while paying homage to its respected history and lineage.

Official Website

The maker page is Leica’s November 2019 press information PDF “A New Icon: Leica Camera Announces the New Leica SL2, Successor to the Trailblazing Leica SL”, the quote above is its opening paragraph, because Leica’s SL2 product page now redirects to the SL3. The specs are from Leica’s technical data sheet (November 2019), which gives a 47.3 MP full-frame CMOS sensor (8368 x 5584 pixels), dimensions of 146 x 107 x 42 mm, a full-metal housing with IP54 splash-water protection, five-axis stabilization of up to 5.5 stops, a 5,760,000 dot viewfinder, a mechanical shutter from 30 min to 1/8000 s and an electronic shutter to 1/40000 s, continuous shooting at 10 fps (focal plane shutter) and 20 fps (electronic shutter), both without continuous autofocus, exposure and white balance tracking, an ISO accessory shoe, two SD slots (both UHS-II according to Leica’s press release), and the BP-SCL4 battery rated at approx. 370 recordings by the CIPA standard (without the viewfinder). The 4 GB is buffer memory, so internal storage is 0. Autofocus is “based on contrast metering and depth mapping”, so there is no phase detection. The data sheet gives manual ISO 50 to ISO 50000 and automatic ISO 100 to ISO 50000 without saying which end is native; base ISO 50 follows the sheet’s manual range. Video goes up to 5K at 29.97 fps and full HD at 180 fps, so slow motion is FHD 180p. The sheet gives no pixel dimensions for the 5K mode, so whether it is a full-sensor open-gate mode is not stated and the open-gate field is left out. Weight: Leica gives only approx. 835 g without battery. No second source agreed on a with-battery figure, so the 916 g in the table is DPReview’s figure including battery, from its specifications page; Imaging Resource lists 928 g including batteries and Wikipedia lists 825 g, so neither confirms it. Leica’s press release states no US dollar price: the launch price of $5,995 (body only) is DPReview’s listed US launch MSRP, from its news story of 6 November 2019, and the camera went on sale on 21 November 2019. The body is discontinued in 2024: Leica Rumors reported on 1 October 2024 that it was listed as discontinued at multiple retailers, and Macfilos reported on 3 October 2024 that production of the SL2 had ended at Leica’s works; Leica published no notice of its own. DPReview has no full review of the SL2, so it is not listed under Reviews. Product image: Leica press render from DPReview’s product page, shown with the APO-Summicron-SL 50 mm.

Reviews:

• Photography Blog: Leica SL2 Review, Gavin Stoker, Dec 2019
• Digital Camera World: Leica SL2 review, Rod Lawton, Dec 2019

YouTube:

• Evan Ranft: My Leica Mistake | SL2 Long Term Thoughts, Jul 2021
• Lukas van der Lende: Why This $6000 Camera is STILL Worth Buying in 2024 | Leica SL2 Review, Jun 2024
• Justin Mott: Leica SL2 vs. SL3 – Why I Chose the SL2 in 2025, Feb 2025
• Aiur Media: LEICA SL2 Review - The Best Value Leica Camera Today, Jul 2026