Leica SL Typ 601 Review | 108 Data compared

The Leica SL (Typ 601) is a premium mirrorless camera milled from a solid block of aluminium, offering exceptional weather sealing and a substantial, rugged build designed for professional use. Its standout feature is the "Eyres" electronic viewfinder (EVF), which provides a massive 0.8x magnification and a 4.4-million subpixel resolution, ensuring a completely lag-free and exceptionally sharp viewing experience. Performance is driven by a powerful "Maestro II" processor that enables lightning-fast autofocus speed and continuous shooting up to 11 frames per second. Furthermore, the 24-megapixel sensor is specially optimised with a shortened pixel channel to handle light striking at sharp angles, making it uniquely excellent for using adapted legacy analog lenses without losing edge-to-edge sharpness.

Leica SL (Typ 601) The Leica SL (Typ 601) is a mirrorless full-frame camera that delivers high-end professional specifications packaged in a robust, weather-sealed milled aluminum body. Its standout features include an exceptional electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a massive 4.4-million-pixel resolution and 0.80x magnification, a 24-megapixel CMOS sensor, and a fast Maestro II processor capable of continuous shooting up to 11 frames per second. The camera also features impressive video capabilities, offering 4K recording at 30 fps alongside Full-HD capture up to 120 fps. Furthermore, its versatile L-mount ecosystem accommodates T-mount lenses natively, and adapts M, S, R, and PL-mount cinema glass, making it highly attractive to existing professional Leica users. Despite its high performance, the camera carries notable drawbacks regarding its overall handling, design choices, and price point. Notably, it is far from lightweight; the body weighs 847 grams with the battery, and when paired with the 1.1-kilogram Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 lens, the setup reaches nearly 2 kilograms, making it heavier than some competing DSLR setups. Additionally, its contrast-based autofocus system lags behind the phase-detection AF of contemporary DSLRs...

The FAZ review characterizes the Leica SL (Typ 601) as a robust, professional-grade mirrorless camera featuring an exceptional 4.4-million-dot EyeRes electronic viewfinder and a 24-megapixel sensor that delivers high image quality. While highlighting professional, internal 4K video capabilities and fast autofocus in bright light, the analysis notes significant drawbacks, including a heavy, 1kg aluminum body and inconsistent, hunting autofocus in low-light scenarios. Additional criticisms include a challenging, unlabelled, minimalist button layout and a very high price point that limits its appeal.

The Leica SL (Typ 601) is a mirrorless camera that breaks convention with its surprisingly large, minimalist, and angular body design, which is built to compete directly with bulky flagship DSLRs rather than traditional compact mirrorless systems. In testing, the camera's standout feature is its exceptional electronic viewfinder (EVF), which provides an incredibly sharp, magnified image that makes manual focusing fluid and enjoyable. When adapted to smaller M-mount prime lenses like the Summilux 50mm f/1.4, the camera becomes much more balanced, and its unlabelled, context-dependent interface buttons become highly intuitive and practical once the user gets past the initial learning curve. Additionally, the camera delivers solid image quality with respectable high-ISO performance, rendering clean images even at high sensitivities up to ISO 50,000. However, the system suffers from noticeable drawbacks, particularly regarding its size and autofocus capabilities when paired with native zoom lenses. The bundled 24-90mm f/2.8-4.0 lens is described as a "monster" of absurd proportions, erasing any weight-saving benefits typically associated with mirrorless setups. While Leica claims to have the fastest autofocus on the market, real-world testing with the...

The first-generation ⁠Leica SL (Typ 601) is a highly capable full-frame mirrorless camera, initially carrying a premium price tag comparable to a small car. The review praises its exceptional, tank-like build quality, featuring a weather-sealed, solid aluminum body crafted from a single block of metal. Its standout technological triumph is the revolutionary EyeRes electronic viewfinder (EVF), which provides an outstandingly large, fluid, and razor-sharp 4.4-million-dot preview that outclasses many contemporary rivals. Image quality from the 24-megapixel sensor is universally lauded for its crisp sharpness, natural color reproduction, and expansive dynamic range. Performance-wise, the camera operates snappily with a fast 11 frames-per-second continuous burst rate, a swift single autofocus mode, and impressive 4K video capabilities. Functional additions like a dual SD card slot configuration, built-in Wi-Fi, and integrated GPS further elevate its professional utility.

Leica SL (Typ 601) The Leica SL (Typ 601) marks a shift for the brand, delivering a mirrorless system camera built into a massive, weather-sealed aluminum body that trades traditional compact sizing for heavy-duty professional build quality. Equipped with a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor devoid of a low-pass filter, it achieves exceptional sharpness and overall image resolution. Its standout features include a record-setting electronic viewfinder boasting 4.4 million pixels for an incredibly sharp, large view, alongside a rapid contrast autofocus system and blazing 11 frames-per-second continuous shooting capabilities supported by a generous 2GB buffer. Video production is equally high-caliber, offering true 4K recording at 24fps and UHD at up to 30fps, with advanced production amenities like a flat L-Log color profile and 10-bit 4:2:2 clean output via HDMI. While the camera delivers top-tier performance, its professional capabilities come with trade-offs in ergonomics and usability. On the positive side (pros), it produces excellent, highly detailed image quality—particularly in RAW format—exhibits minimal noise up to ISO 1,600, offers massive continuous shooting sequences, and delivers crisp, artifact-free 4K video. On the negative side (cons),...

In this long-term, personal review from FOTO-GÖRLITZ, Mehrdad Samak-Abedi details his shift from initial dislike to ultimate appreciation for the Leica SL 601 (Typ 10850). Originally put off by its release in 2015, the reviewer admits he was initially left cold because the camera body and its native autofocus zoom lenses felt massively oversized and heavy, defeating the traditional mirrorless benefit of a light system. However, his opinion changed significantly after extensively testing the body with adapted Leica M-mount manual lenses, such as the Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. The primary advantage highlighted is the outstanding electronic viewfinder (EVF), which boasts 4.4 million dots of resolution and a large image that pairs perfectly with focus peaking. This high micro-contrast display makes manual focusing incredibly fast and fluid without needing a viewfinder magnifier. Additionally, the reviewer praises the camera's deep, prominent handgrip, which delivers excellent ergonomics and makes the bulky body feel exceptionally stable when balanced with smaller M-series primes. Ultimately, the review positions the Leica SL 601 as a highly valuable long-term asset and secondary body for traditional rangefinder photographers...

The Leica SL (Typ 601) is a heavy, weatherproof, full-frame mirrorless camera that offers a premium build and stellar handling, though its large size and high cost can be intimidating. The reviewer praises the camera's exceptional electronic viewfinder (EVF), which is bright, clear, and easy on the eyes, as well as its clever handling of long exposures where the screen counts down the time before turning off to prevent light leakage. In terms of performance, the camera features a very fast autofocus and delivers high raw image flexibility with excellent color accuracy, particularly when processing files in Capture One. It also carries a high prestige factor, as the prominent Leica branding and large setup instantly grant the user professional credibility in social and work environments. However, the camera has several notable downsides, starting with its bulky and heavy "monster" footprint, which caused significant front-heaviness with the kit lens and even overwhelmed a 9kg-rated tripod head in portrait orientation. The reviewer found the menu system confusing and split up awkwardly, requiring a full hour of setup to create a functional "Favorites"...

The community reviews for the Leica SL Typ 601 highlight it as an older yet highly capable camera that serves as an excellent, budget-friendly entry point into the digital Leica ecosystem. Both reviewers rate the device 4 out of 5 stars, praising its exceptional build quality, minimal industrial design, and highly intuitive, clean menu system that eliminates unnecessary button clutter. A standout feature is the 24-megapixel full-frame sensor, which continues to deliver outstanding, sharp image quality with the classic "Leica look," even when shooting in higher ISO ranges. Additionally, users are highly impressed by the high-resolution 4.4 MP electronic viewfinder (EVF), which makes manual focusing seamless, and the integration of a reliable built-in GPS module. On the downside, the camera's age introduces several limitations, most notably its outdated contrast-detect autofocus system, which does not hold up to modern standards. Reviewers also note that the camera is quite large and heavy, though it still manages to offer a secure and good in-hand feel. Ergonomically, the joystick can be frustratingly sensitive, easily shifting the focus point by accident when carried, though this...

The DigitalPhoto review on ⁠Digitalkamera.de positions the Leica SL as an elite, "Ferrari-level" full-frame mirrorless camera, highlighting its superior build quality and top-tier image performance. A key standout feature noted is the high-resolution, lag-free electronic viewfinder, which sets a new standard for real-time viewing. Digitalkamera.de Conversely, the review emphasizes significant drawbacks, specifically its prohibitive, ultra-premium price tag. While delivering outstanding engineering and optics, these costs make the Leica SL an exclusive luxury item rather than a widely accessible tool.