After my tumultuous journey with the Leica SL2-S, marked by repeated hardware failures and frustrating customer service experiences, I had decided to move on. Prerequisite was to get another full frame camera, as the larger sensors ensure better low light capabilities, greater dynamic range and more depth-of-field-separation (bokeh) when shooting wide open. And I was looking for a camera that is (like the Leica from its design and haptics doubtless also was) a joy to pick up and makes me want to go out and shoot. Only reliable.
Going through all the current full frame models on the market, I quickly set my eyes on a particular model. The brand I knew well from my early DSLR shooting days. These cameras never failed me and were reliable work horses. I knew I needed to look no further. There was a camera I instantly fell in love with. Enter the Nikon Zf – a retro beauty with modern power….and my new baby since a couple of weeks now….
With the Leica finally back in my hands after this long and frustrating ordeal, there was only one decision left to make. And it was an easy one.
I will sell the SL2-S.
Not because I need the money. Not because I lack appreciation for the legacy of the Leica brand. But because I simply cannot trust this camera—or this company—ever again. The repeated failure of the SL2-S, the arrogant and dismissive handling of my case by Leica’s customer service, and the condescending physics lecture that came with my repair invoice have sealed my decision. I refuse to own a camera that I feel the need to constantly second-guess. A camera that, despite its premium price and supposed professional-grade engineering, has failed me twice in critical moments. A camera that has left me with more frustration than joy.
And with that, I will leave Leica behind. For good.
I have been a passionate photographer for years, and in that time, I have used cameras from various brands—Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus—without ever experiencing this level of unreliability and poor service. Those cameras have been true workhorses, tools I could count on no matter the conditions. I never had to worry about them suddenly failing in the middle of a vacation, a client shoot, or an important moment. I never had to brace myself for a repair saga that dragged on for months, only to be met with corporate gaslighting.
Leica likes to present itself as a brand of excellence, a brand built on heritage, craftsmanship, and a close relationship with its customers. My experience has been the exact opposite. What I’ve encountered is a company that refuses to take responsibility for repeated hardware failures, treats its customers with skepticism rather than support, and hides behind technical jargon instead of standing behind the reliability of its products.
The SL2-S is now repaired, but I will never put my trust in it again. And I will certainly never buy another Leica camera. Some brands earn their reputation. Others merely trade on nostalgia while failing to live up to it.
Leica, for me, belongs firmly in the latter category. And this is the end of my journey with Leica.
The last picture I took with my Leica SL2-S is not a pretty one. After working flawlessly at the start of our summer vacation in Brittany last August, my expensive premium German mirrorless full frame camera, from one exposure to the next, started behaving strangely again, giving me the shivers when I noticed. Because it was exact the same behavior the SL2-S showed before failing me at the second day of our Israel vacation in 2022, when the camera was brand new. With a defect of the electronic shutter. You can read about my frustrations with Leica and its customer service back then here and here.
The camera was fixed, but I never used it with the same confidence as my Nikons, Fujis and Olympus cameras. There was always a bad feeling. That it could fail me again. From one moment to the other, as before. So when on vacation, or on a photography gig, I always felt I had to carry a second camera as a backup. This is why in France I also had my trusted workhorse Olympus OM-D E-M1X with me. Which was good. Because it has happened again. The exact same error. The Leica failed me – AGAIN!
But at least I got a free physics lesson out of it. The rest was expensive….
For the full saga between me and the Leica customer service in the past 4 months following the renewed hardware failure, continue after the jump….
No, the world will not end tomorrow. Also the reaper is (hopefully) not looking over my shoulder. Nothing nearly as dramatic. But there is change ahead, after (yet another) big emotional disappointment. I’m really loyal to the brands I use. But there are limits. And I don’t like to be taken for a fool. So the end is near.
Image taken with the Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. Post-processing in Lightroom Classic.
A quick street portrait today of a man with curly hair. Taken with the Leica SL2-S with the Vario Elmarit F/2.8 24-70 ASPH. Jpg out of camera (taken with the Leica’s high contrast monochrome profile).
If you are looking for tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center.
A rainy day in Genoa gives me time to edit my photographs from our recent trip to Seville. I came across this one of the peacock already featured in this previous post. Not only shows this image the prefect camouflage its plumage provides to this magnificent bird in its natural habitat, rainforests. But the photo also demonstrates the things my eyes are constantly scanning for when roaming the streets. I’m always on the lookout for interesting combinations of light and shadows, colors and textures. I’m doing this also when I don’t even carry a camera (which practically never happens, as at least the iPhone and its camera is always with me). This is what I call my daily visual push-ups. In this photograph, it all comes together. Bringing home an image like this after a day of shooting gives me great satisfaction.
Taken with my Leica SL2-S with the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. Image specs are 1/400 sec @ f/8 and ISO 200, 70mm focal length. Post-processing (brightening up the shadows) in Lightroom Classic.
If you are looking for tips and inspirations to improve your photography, check out my free Learning Center.
Seville explored – Setas de Sevilla (Mushrooms of Seville) is yet another post about a stunning architectural masterpiece located in the heart of Seville, Spain. Only this time, it is a rather modern structure. Also known as “Metropol Parasol”, it supposedly is the largest wooden structure in the world. Located at La Encarnación square in the old quarter of Seville, it was designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer and completed in April 2011. For more about the Setas’ history and some more photographs, continue after the jump….
Seville explored – Plaza de España is a post about a stunning architectural masterpiece located in the heart of Seville, Spain. Built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, the plaza is a fusion of Spanish Renaissance and Moorish architectural styles, designed by the architect Aníbal González. More than a thousand workers worked on its construction at the same time. Constructions began as early as 1924 and were completed by architect Vicente Traver in 1928, after Aníbal González resigned as the Exposition’s chief architect. For a mix of more color and monochrome photos, architectural and street shots continue after the jump…
Time to start the photographic recap of our recent trip to Seville Spain. The first post is about an impromptu Flamenco session we witnessed when strolling though the Plaza de Espana. For a bit of background about Flamenco and some more images continue after the jump…
For today’s post I selected a color street photograph, one I call “tilted”. I generally love black & white street photos. Colors can draw the viewer’s attention away from the main subject of the photo. Bright or contrasting colors can create a visual noise that detracts from the overall composition of the photograph. This can be especially true if the captured colors are not balanced or if they do not complement each other in a pleasing way.
In some cases, however, the use of color can be intentional and can enhance the overall impact of a street photograph. The photographer might use color to draw attention to a specific detail or element within the scene, or to create a particular mood or atmosphere.
The slightly irritated view of the girl noticing a a photographer pointing a Leica SL2-S at her face would have just as well worked in black & white. But I felt that the unusual, tilted position of the little figure in the red lamp of the pedestrian crossing traffic light needed color to work, to get noticed.
The key is to use color deliberately and thoughtfully, rather than allowing it to distract from the main subject or message of the photograph.
I took the photograph with my Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. Image specs are 1/400 sec, f/4.5, ISO 3200 and 61mm focal lenght.
For more tips and inspirations around street photography check out my free Learning Center.
Going through some street photographs from earlier this year I noticed this image I took with my Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH just before the camera suffered a terminal shutter failure on the second day of my Israel trip. What is still clearly visible here is the incredible dynamic range of the Leica’s full frame sensor. I just love the soft tones on the face of the little girl, the triangular spot of light on her cheek. Given the fact that here is brightest sunlight in the background behind her face, it is amazing the sensor still captured these subtle details of that beautiful little smile.
Exif Data show 1/160 sec | f/4 | ISO 100 | 70mm. Black&White jpg out of camera.
If you are looking for some tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center.
Yesterday afternoon I was roaming the streets of Genoa with camera in hand, while accompanying The Significant Other on some downtown shopping. I snapped quite a few images over a couple hours time. Only a few came out decent. And then there is the only one that I consider a real keeper. Not a good success rate. But I’m totally happy if I get one good photograph out of a photo walk. The only one.
Image taken with the Leica SL2-S and the Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 ASPH. RAW conversion into monochrome and some post processing (mainly cropping) done in Lightroom Classic.
If you are looking for some tips and inspirations around street photography, check out my free Learning Center.
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