Leica CL

The Leica CL is a premium crop-frame mirrorless camera in Leica’s L-mount system. Key features include:

• 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor and Maestro II processor

• On-sensor contrast-detection autofocus system

• 3.0-inch 1.04m-dot TFT LCD touchscreen

• Built-in 2.36MP electronic viewfinder

24MP APS-C CMOS Sensor and Maestro II Processor. The Leica CL’s 24MP sensor and Maestro II processor combine to produce high-quality still images in a wide range of lighting conditions thanks to a 100-50,000 ISO range. You get a 10 fps top continuous shooting rate for up to 33 DNGs and JPEGs, or for 140 JPEGs, and you can capture UHD 4K video at 30 fps, Full HD video at 60 fps, and HD video at 30 fps.

Leica L-Bayonet Mount. This camera’s mirrorless L-bayonet mount lets you use Leica’s SL-series and T-series L-mount lenses (separate rental items), which boast the high quality you’d expect from lenses bearing the Leica name. The CL offers electronic communication with these lenses, so that you get fast autofocus, aperture control, and image stabilization. This camera doesn’t natively accept Leica M-mount lenses, but you can use the (separate rental item) to adapt them.

Contrast-Detection Autofocus System. The on-sensor 49-point contrast-detection autofocus system ensures fast, accurate performance in a range of shooting conditions, but doesn’t have any sort of phase detection.

High-Quality Build, Minimalist Design. While image quality is obviously an important feature in a camera, the Leica CL’s build makes it unique. It has intuitive physical controls, and a large 3.0-inch 1.04m-dot LCD touchscreen that also lets you control a range of functions. The built-in 2.36MP electronic viewfinder offers 0.74x magnification, 20mm adjustable +/-4 diopters, and an eye sensor for automatic switching, while the top status LCD lets you easily monitor shooting settings. The CL’s standard accessory shoe lets you attach an external flash, which is useful because this camera doesn’t have a built-in flash. Finally, its durable milled and anodized aluminum body has been designed to be easy on your fingers—a welcome feature on long shoots.

Other Notable Features. The Leica CL features cross-platform compatibility with Leica’s full-frame SL lenses. It has built-in IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity for image sharing, image transfer, and camera control from a smartphone or computer. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery is rated for about 220 shots per charge, and a USB Type-C port lets you charge the battery in-camera. Finally, the CL stores images to cards with full support for the faster UHS-II variety.

Experience: Weekend rental.

Take: This Leica CL doesn’t share much more than its name with its rangefinder predecessor, the Leica CL. It features the Leica L mount, with the ability to use M-mount…

Experience: Weekend rental.

Take: This Leica CL doesn’t share much more than its name with its rangefinder predecessor, the Leica CL. It features the Leica L mount, with the ability to use M-mount lenses with the Leica M Adapter L. As with many Leicas, it features a minimalist design. However, this model has touchscreen abilities and a top display. In terms of controls, the CL mainly operates off of the top two dials—the left controlling mode and the right controlling ISO by default. These modern touches are nice, but seem a bit half-baked. The touchscreen can’t control menu options, and can’t adjust focus points when the user is operating the EVF. One of the top dials is customizable, but the other “mode” dial is static. The camera isn’t a full frame, isn’t a rangefinder, and it lacks features that most mirrorless cameras have. In addition, the native L-mount options are sparse. Although it’s possible to use the adapter for a wider selection of glass, this starts to ruin the point of the mirrorless and compact size. I find it hard to pinpoint the demographic Leica was aiming for with the CL, but I’m sure many Leica loyalists will still find some joy in using this camera.