Pixel shift technology.

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If memory serves it was Hasselblad, a few years ago, who came up with the idea of pixel shift technology to make multiple exposures at very high resolutions, combining the images each of which is shifted 1 pixel by the IBIS sensor. Much loved by curators of oil paintings. Lots of higher end mirrorless cameras with IBIS now offer this, of course, as does my (now discontinued) SL2-S, so as it’s raining I decided to give it a try inside. You need a stationary subject anyway.

The super resolution mode is found at Menu->Page 1->Drive Mode->Multi-Shot.

Here’s the bookshelf scene – the red box highlights the enlarged versions below:

The target.

Camera on a tripod, the Leica gives you the option of 2s or 12s delays between snaps to let the vibes die down. I went with 12s. I probably should have used the electronic shutter for even fewer vibrations, but made do with the mechanical shutter. As Auto-ISO selected ISO3200 I also applied the LRC Denoise algorithm to both images which are shown at 300% magnification below. That figures to a 120” x 80” print. Critical manual focus using the EVF magnification feature was very easy. The multi-shot image is at left:

Super resolution at left, regular on the right.

Fun bit of technology. The multi-shot file came in at >170mB, though the resolution is reported at 96mB, four times the stock 24mB. I used the 75mm Voigtländer Ultron as it’s probably the highest resolving power optic I own. Actual aperture was f/8 – the SL2-S does a poor job of guesstimating the aperture, reported above. The camera warns you if your support is wobbly.

The multishot image looks perfect at 300% at a 24” viewing distance. I believe that in the current SL3-S (up to 60mp from 24mp) Leica has enhanced the technology to allows multiple images to be snapped hand held!

A temporary fix.

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The only strap that I have found to be truly safe for over-the-shoulder carrying of a camera is the Upstrap and the reasons are simple. First it has deep nubbins on both sides of the rubber shoulder pad and for over-the-shoulder carrying that’s essential as the strap will always twist in practice. And every other strap out there appears to have a rubberized side and a slick side. Once the slick side is in contact with your shoulder the whole ensemble is nothing more than an accident waiting to happen. Second the embossed maker’s name on the Upstrap is invisible.

The nubbins on the Upstrap are on both
sides of the shoulder pad and are very ‘sticky’.

The stock strap for the Leica fails in three respects. It has only one rubberized side and they spared the rubber. The other side is as slick as it gets. Duh! And there’s objectionable and loud “LEICA” stitching which helps your neighborhood thief make a beeline for you.

I keep searching for a second Upstrap on eBay but so far without luck. Sadly, the company is no longer in business. My M10 sports the slimmer version (shown above) for lighter cameras and it works superbly.

So while I wait for one to crop up I have enhanced the design of the stock SL2-S strap and made it far less slippery using some leather patch and non-slip rug pad gripper.

The nubbins are more pronounced on one side.
These should be placed to the outside of the strap.

A two inch wide strip is cut.

A six inch long and two inch wide strip of leather patch is cut.

The anti-slip material is wound around the strap and the leather patch
applied either end to secure it, avoid damage to the original strap.

Pretty? No. Effective? Yes.

Setting up for field use.

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The Leica SL2-S is more like a computer with a lens attached than it is a camera, with all the complexities that implies. As with any computer, tailoring the user interface and excluding the host of unused or unwanted options offers a solid return on the time invested. After all the tailoring the setting elected can be stored as a User Profile should another favored setting catalog be chosen at a later date. This makes for easy reversion to preferred settings. If useless or erroneous button presses remain available you risk finding yourself in some bizarre operating mode which can only be solved by reference to the manual. You know, the one at home. My preferred settings are highlighted in red. As you will see, there are many.

What is below applies to the current latest firmware version which is 6.2.0.

As mentioned in Part I the SL2-S body has five assignable buttons and one assignable joystick. This elegant design sees to it that there is no clutter (by contrast I count 27 buttons and levers on the Nikon D800 DSLR, and I probably missed some) making for an elegant design. And remembering the functions assigned to these six controls is no big deal, even at an age where recalling my home address needs some thought.

Here’s how I have assigned them. To assign a function to a button or to the joystick hold either down for a few seconds, whereupon the selection menu will appear on the LCD. My needs are solely for still photography as I do not make videos:

• Front lower – Exposure metering mode (Spot, Multi-Field, etc.). I favor Multi-Field.
• Front upper – Shutter type (Mechanical, Hybrid, Electronic). I use Hybrid, liking the soft sound of the shutter.
• Top plate Right – ISO. I use AutoISO most of the time, but limit the maximum ISO to 12,500. (Menu->Page 2->Auto ISO Settings-Maximum ISO->12,500->Push the thumbwheel to store). North of that even Lightroom Classic’s excellent Denoise algorithm, which does a fine job of removing noise without sacrificing detail, struggles. And, hey, 12,500 is still 5 shutter speeds faster than that film speed demon of old, Kodak’s TriX! Truly, today’s photographer is ridiculously spoiled by modern digital sensors.
• Top plate Left – Exposure compensation. This is adjusted with the thumbwheel and the relatively hard to reach button is well placed to avoid accidental use. The factory assigns this button to switch between Stills and Video, touting the hybrid nature of the body, and that’s the last thing I want or need.
• Rear plate Joystick – EVF magnification. The joystick falls naturally under the right thumb and a press switches the EVF to magnified view, and also permits the magnified area’s location to be moved around. (Menu->Page 4->Customize Control->Joystick->MF Mode->Magnification->Press joystick to confirm). I have it centered. I have focus peaking turned off, finding it adds useless noise to the EVF image and little else. (Menu->Page 6->Camera Settings->Capture Assistants->Setting->Select a Profile->Focus Peaking->Off).
• Rear plate button – Left. I have this disclose the FOTOS bluetooth page where a single press on the joystick turns Bluetooth on for pairing with my (now ancient) iPhone 12 Pro Max. I like to store GPS data with my images which FOTOS does seamlessly. There’s that word again – seamless. So much of the control interface, especially the use with M lenses, is indeed seamless.

Focal length recognition with 6-bit coded M lenses: As for proper focal length recognition, as explained in Part I all my M lenses are 6-bit coded for use with the Leica branded M-to-L adapter, meaning that they are recognized when mounted. When any of these lenses is mounted in the adapter a message like this appears on the rear LCD or in the EVF:

Message seen after mounting a 6-bit coded M lens.

A touch on the shutter release button removes the message. The sole anomaly here is that when I mount the 35mm LLL Summicron 8 element clone, the display gives me the option of choosing either the 35 f/1.4 Summilux (11869/11870/11860) or the 35mm f/2 Summicron (11310/11311). The latter is the pre-APO ASPH model of the lens and is not listed in the 6-bit code table. This 6-bit code table states that the 35mm f/2 pre-APO ASPH Summicron is, indeed, coded ‘000110’, the same code used for the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, which explains why there is a choice of two lenses when the 35mm Summicron clone is inserted. So that means don’t bother choosing, just touch the shutter button after mounting the lens. Further, I see no difference in images when selecting either, confirming that the 6-bit code is the same for the two lenses.

SDXC cards and insertion and removal: The SL2-S can accommodate two SDXC/SDHC/SD cards which can be used sequentially, or one as a back up, or one for DNG (Adobe RAW) and one for JPG files. I use only one San Disk Extreme 64gB card which the SL2-S reports can store a whopping 985 images, more than I will ever need in one day’s photography. The average DNG file size computes to 65gB which seems incorrect. Most come in at 42gB or so which figures to 1,523 images, identical to that reported on the M10. I only use DNG.

For a camera with such superior ergonomics card insertion and removal is surprisingly poorly engineered. The right hand door does not open far enough making card insertion and removal more difficult than it should be, and the alternative of connecting the camera with the card installed to the Mac is even worse, as you have to find the cable and then fiddle with the rubber door cover on the left side.

Viewfinder display: The only EVF indicator I use is the horizontal alignment axis. (Menu->Page 6->Camera Settings->Capture Assistants->Setting->Select a Profile->Level Gauge->On).

I have set the EVF to show none of the dozens of icons disclosed by the default factory setting, preferring an uncluttered view (Menu->Page 6->Camera Settings->Capture Assistants->Setting->Select a Profile->Info Bars->Off).

Viewfinder color and brightness:. As with import into Lightroom Classic, below, the viewfinder stock color is too magenta. I adjusted it using Menu->Page 5->Display Settings->EVF Color Adjustment->Look through EVF->Use joystick to change color rendering->Depress the thumbwheel to save the setting. The Instruction Manual rather uselessly says “Confirm selection” for this step and it took me a while to figure out that depressing the thumbwheel stores the preferred setting.

A related setting under Display Settings permits the adjustment of viewfinder brightness. I find the central default setting is fine.

Turning off the LCD: Before the selected power saving time out kicks in and turns off the EVF and the LCD, removing your eye from the EVF turns on the rear LCD display, which I can only assume is a major power hog. As I never use the rear LCD when taking pictures I turn it off permanently. (Menu->Page 5->Display Settings->EVF-LCD->EVF Extended->Depress joystick to save). The ‘Extended’ option is clever, keeping the LCD off unless the ‘Play’ button to the left of the LCD is depressed, allowing chimping of stored images. The ‘Extended’ option still allows the use of the ‘Menu’ button to enter the menu system, though that should be rarely required one the body is set up to your liking. You really do not want to mess with Menu settings on the LCD display when out and about taking pictures.

Enabling the FN button: The Function (‘FN’) button is the middle of the three to the left of the LCD. To enable it go to Menu->Page 6->Camera Settings->Capture Assistants->Info Profile 1 (or 2, 3 or 4) and set each Info Profile for the preferred display. I have Info Profile 1 set to show the Level Gauge and Info Profile 2 set to show the Level Gauge and the Histogram. I leave all the variables in Info Profiles 3 and 4 Off. Then when the FN button is depressed the EVF display (or the LCD display if chimping an image) will cycle the Histogram on and off to permit assessment for burned out highlights. The SL2-S sensor is reputed to have excellent highlight recovery but it’s occasionally nice to check things while taking pictures.

Saving the settings: Once satisfied with all the tailored settings I save them to a user profile which is easily recalled should something accidentally be changed or if a different profile is used. (Menu->Page 4->User Profile->Manage Profiles->Save as Profile->Depress joystick->Depress thumbwheel->Yes->Depress joystick). It takes quite a while to determine preferred settings so this step is highly recommended should something go awry down the road.

Import into Lightroom Classic: Compared with the neutral rendering of the M10, images from the SL2-S have a pronounced magenta cast. Accordingly I made an Import Preset with the following settings:

The LRC Import Preset to remove the magenta cast.

Elect this Preset when importing SL2-S images and all is well.

In Part III I will publish some snaps taken with the Leica SL3-S.