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Classy, compact, and powerful - Leica announces the launch of the Leica TL2

By Marcus Wong - on 11 Jul 2017, 11:46am

Classy, compact, and powerful - Leica announces the launch of the Leica TL2

Remember the Leica T we covered back in 2014? That revolutionary in terms of the sheer effort invested in what is otherwise a consumer camera. Made from an aluminum unibody that was milled down from a single block of aluminum, that camera was equal parts art work and image creation tool.

And now, there’s a second T – the Leica TL2. This largely follows the physical design of the original. It’s again milled from a single block of aluminum, and features a rear touch screen with no optical viewfinder. This time though, the camera features chamfered edges

If you want a viewfinder, you'll have to purchase the optional hotshoe EVF.

What’s different though, is that the system is now powered by a 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor and the Maestro II image processor used in the Leica SL and Leica S (Type 007). That’s certainly a professional grade combination, and should be great images with high dynamic range, contrast and color. It charges by USB 3.0, and has just a single card slot that takes SD (UHS type-1) cards.

The Leica TL2 does video at up to 4K (3840 x 2160p at 30 frames per second), and offers full HD (1920 x 1080p at 60 frames per second), HD (1280 x 720p at 60 frames per second) and slow motion capture at 120 frames per second, so you’ll certainly have plenty of options whether you’re doing stills or videos.

The Maestro II image processor also greatly speeds up the camera, with autofocus achievable in only 165 milliseconds a good three times faster than the previous model. Start up and response time is also said to be significantly faster, and the camera now uses an electronic shutter for silent exposures at up to 1/40,000s with a maximum continuous shooting rate of 20 frames per second. If you’ll recall, that’s as fast as the newly announced full-frame Sony A9, so the camera certainly looks to be a most capable one.

The interface looks slightly different from the original Leica T.

The 3.7” rear LCD touchscreen display is again the heart of the controls for the camera, though there are also four ergonomically positioned haptic control elements that are said to be intuitive in their operation. The Leica TL2 comes in a choice of silver or black, and while no estimated shipping date or retail price has been announced, B&H has it listed at US$1,950 so we should expect it to retail here for about S$2900. 

Sources: Leica, B&H, DPreview

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