Leica released the SL3 in 2024 and the SL3-S in 2025, with the latter offering faster autofocus at the expense of a lower image resolution. The new Leica SL3-P looks to bring the best of both worlds by offering even faster autofocus speeds while using a higher-resolution sensor than the last model.
Designed to be a more balanced combination of the two previous SL3 releases, the full-frame mirrorless camera is being touted as the “most comprehensive camera in the SL System to date.” Basically, it’s designed to offer the most well-rounded experience, making it an excellent performer in a diverse range of photography and videography tasks.
The Leica SL3-P is fitted with a 44-megapixel sensor, which puts it right in the middle of the SL3-S’ 24-MP and the SL3’s 60-MP. The sensor comes with 14 stops of dynamic range and the outfit’s fastest readout speeds yet, allowing the electronic shutter to shoot 12-bit images at 40 frames per second and 14-bit images at 25 frames per second, while the mechanical shutter captures up to seven frames per second in 15-bit. Need more resolution than the 44 MP on offer? Well, it has a Multishot mode that can capture 176-MP images, which it does by compositing multiple shots.
For video, it can shoot open gate 8.1K footage (8064 x 5376 pixels) at up to 24 fps, although you can dial it down to 8K for a full 30 fps. For higher framerates, you can drop to 5.9K for 60 fps, 4K at 120 fps, and 1080p at 120 fps. The open gate recording should make it easy to reframe and crop in post production. The camera is equipped with a new hybrid autofocus system that combines contrast detection and depth mapping with 819 phase-detection autofocus points, enabling not just improved subject tracking from the other SL cameras, but much faster speeds, too. It offers phase detection, contrast detection, and object detection for people, pets, and vehicles.
The Leica SL3-P gets a 5.76-milion dot electronic viewfinder (1600 x 1200 pixels) and a partially-articulated 3.2-inch LCD screen with 1080 x 720 resolution. The outfit touts that the UI is designed for intuitive use, with photo and video menus color coded, making it easy to tell what kind of settings you’re looking at, while the UI itself can automatically switch from landscape to portrait based on the camera’s orientation. According to Leica, the UI layout is customizable, so you can bunch up all the features you frequently use to have them within easy reach. All the dials and buttons, by the way, are unlabeled, since they’re intended to be programmable for further user customization.
The camera’s metal housing is clad in a blend of magnesium and aluminum wrapped in a textured artificial leather, so it’s still got that premium Leica feel, even without the iconic red dot anywhere. That housing is rated to IP54 standards, by the way, so it can handle splashes and dust, but you definitely don’t want to use it in the rain. It uses an L-Mount, which currently has over 130 lenses to choose from.
The Leica SL3-P is available now, priced starting at $6,690.