When Leica announced a silver version of the SL2 camera body in July 2023 I immediately sat up and took notice. I have always had a weakness for silver bodies which can be traced back to my first days of camera ownership. Initially there were three sticking points that reluctantly made me pass it by; 1) I had taken delivery of a SL2-s a few weeks prior to the announcement. 2) The cost was very high - much higher than the SL2-s. 3) At that time I was not keen on the higher (47) megapixel count.

With last year’s announcement of the SL3 and subsequent discontinuation of the SL2 it was inevitable that prices would drop for the older model. And earlier this year the price of the silver version fell by at least 30% at some dealers, causing my interest in it to ignite once more. My SL2-s had seen only light use - it had never really inspired me in a way my other cameras do. This is partly down to its bland look and my dislike of black bodies. So it was that I traded in my SL2-s for a silver version of its higher megapixel sibling.

As both bodies are functionally almost identical I was instantly familiar with the controls. After customising it to my requirements, I set off on a couple of local walks to put it through its paces. Below are the first pictures and a more in depth review will follow in the course of time.

Images