According to LeicaRumors, the successor to the Leica SL2-S will be officially unveiled this Thursday, January 16th. The camera is said to look practically identical to the Leica SL3, with the only difference being the black instead of white Leica lettering on the front. The Leica SL3-S is rumored to carry an official price tag of €5,200 in Europe, which would make it €1,600 cheaper than the Leica SL3. For reference, the SL3 costs $6,995 at Leica's official US online shop.
In order to meet this lower price point, the camera sacrifices the high-resolution 60.3-megapixel full-frame sensor of the flagship camera. Instead, it will be equipped with a 24-megapixel sensor with an ISO range of 50 to 200,000. For photographers who desire higher resolution, a special multi-shot mode can be activated that captures multiple photos and automatically combines them, which will create images with a resolution of either 48MP or 96MP. This mode also works when shooting photos freehand and without a tripod.
Thanks to a new autofocus system, the Leica SL3-S is supposed to be significantly faster than the Leica SL3. The camera will be capable of capturing up to 30 frames per second with continuous autofocus, compared to just five frames per second for the top model or 15 frames per second without continuous autofocus. This also suggests that the Leica SL3-S is specifically targeted at sports and action photographers who prioritize speed over maximum resolution.