The Art of the SL2-S

The following is an extract from my article for Leica Singapore. Read it in full here.

There’s so much more to being a photographer than the camera you use, but having a Leica as part of your arsenal gives you a significantly unfair advantage. The SL2-S is easily one of the best cameras I have used, and on top of that, one of the easiest. The sheer audacity in stripping things back to such a degree means there’s just so little to get distracted by. Everything you need — from white balance, ISO and shutter speed to playback, video and display settings is exactly where it’s supposed to be. After only half an hour or so of messing around — bearing in mind I had never previously used an SL2 — I knew exactly how to achieve my type of shot, in a range of different environments.

The thing with photography is, a good camera will only achieve so much. You want to be in a position where what you see in front of you can be captured — in the same tone, with the same emotion. There’s a tendency of photos looking a little flat when they’re not shot on a camera that can hold its weight. Now, that’s not to say the camera is what makes the photographer, but it certainly helps. My favourite thing about the SL2-S in particular is the fact that it achieves this in abundance. The depth of colour is phenomenal, and the first thing I noticed when it came to the gulf in quality compared to my current shooter. It’s incredibly intuitive as well, and can adapt to surroundings. It makes it achievable to capture images the way you want in low light, or when fighting the wet and windy terrain of Brighton’s beaches.