Leica’s $6,690 SL3-P pairs a 44-megapixel camera with 8K video

Follow up launch of SL3 in 2024 and Last year’s SL3-S Designed for fast and fast moving heads, Leica announced the new SL3-P today and offers some of the best from its predecessor. Like Leica’s previous “P” models, the new SL3-P lacks the iconic red dot badge on the front but packs a larger 44-megapixel sensor than last year’s 24-megapixel SL3-S. That’s still less than the 60-megapixel SL3, but Leica’s new camera matches 8K video recording while introducing a new hybrid autofocus system that can beat all of its predecessors.

The Leica SL3-P is available starting today through Leica stores and authorized retailers for $6,690. That’s cheaper than The original SL3 which was launched in 2024 for $6,995 but it was it has recently become more expensive up to $7,485 for US prices. The SL3-P is also more expensive than the Image of SL3-S which was launched at the beginning of last year for $5,300 and is now priced at $5,665. Just remember that the price is for the camera body only. If you don’t already own L-mount lenses, you’ll want to stretch your budget even further.

The SL3-P’s full-frame back-side-light sensor can capture images with 14 stops of flexibility at up to 40 frames per second with autofocus and head tracking. The camera’s new hybrid autofocus system combines contrast detection and depth mapping with 819 phase-detection autofocus points for better subject tracking. Last year’s SL3-S had 779 points, while the original SL3 had 315. If you want a big improvement, the SL3-P offers a Multishot mode that can take 176-megapixel high-resolution photos by creating multiple images.

Last year’s SL3-S was limited to 6K video recording, but the SL3-P can shoot 8.1K video (an 8064 x 5376 image) using the camera’s full 3:2 sensor at up to 24fps, while its 8K capability tops out at 30fps. Dropping the resolution to 5.9K increases rates to 60fps, while 120fps slo-mo video can be recorded at 4K or 1080P.

The all-metal housing of the SL3-P is made from a mixture of magnesium and aluminum covered with leather and comes with IP54. It will protect against water and dust, but you should avoid shooting in the rain. Behind the camera you’ll find a 5.7 million dot display and a 3.2-inch LCD display with anti-fingerprint and anti-scratch coating. The rear screen can be tilted up and down, but it cannot rotate 180 degrees to preview selfie videos. Leica is rolling out an updated UI for its older SL3 cameras that uses a color menu with red for stills and yellow for video. On top of the SL3-P you’ll also find a 1.28-inch touchscreen that displays shooting information such as shutter speed and f-stop settings.

Another feature from the SL3-S is support for Content Authenticity InitiativeInternal Notices so that artists can protect their images by choosing to sign images with metadata that confirms their intellectual property.