Leica CL

The CL is a compact mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor, launched by Leica in 2017. At 403 g it is light enough to carry all day, and its slim body fits a small bag rather than a full camera kit.

It suits travel, street and everyday photographers who value a small kit. The electronic viewfinder, 24 megapixel sensor and Leica L mount cover the essentials of careful framing and image making.

Owning it involves accepting the compromises of a compact body: a fixed screen, no weather sealing and a battery rated at 220 shots. A spare battery and some care in poor weather keep those trade-offs manageable.

The 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor gives plenty of resolution for large prints and leaves room to crop. The Maestro II processor handles the files, and the ISO range runs from 100 to 50000, which provides headroom for dim interiors and evening streets.

Autofocus works across 49 points, and bursts reach up to 10 frames per second. That is enough to work a moving subject such as a runner or a dancer, though 10 fps is a maximum figure rather than a promise of sustained shooting.

There is no in-body stabilisation, so sharp handheld results depend on your shutter speed and how steady you hold the camera. Stabilisation only counters camera shake in any case; it would not help with a subject that is moving.

The electronic viewfinder shows the scene at 2.36 million dots, detailed enough to judge focus before you shoot. A fastest shutter speed of 1/8000 second helps in bright light or when you want wide apertures, and the Leica L mount sets the lens options open to you.

The CL records video at up to 4K, its highest resolution. That is enough for detailed footage and gives some latitude for cropping in the edit.

The fastest frame rate is 60 fps. Shooting at high frame rates gives smooth motion and lets you slow footage for a light slow-motion effect.

Files are saved as MPEG-4, MOV or H.264, formats that most editing programs import directly. A built-in timelapse function automates interval shooting, so you can turn a slow scene such as drifting clouds into a short clip.

Because the camera does not stabilise internally, handheld clips rely on steady technique, a stabilised lens or a tripod. Planning your support before a take is the practical habit to build.

Shots are framed through the electronic viewfinder or the 3-inch TFT screen. The rear display has 1.04 million dots and touch control, so adjusting settings is quick, and live view is available when you would rather use the screen.

The screen is fixed in place, so overhead or waist-level framing means moving yourself rather than tilting the panel. There is no weather sealing either, so the CL is best kept out of rain and dust rather than treated as an all-conditions tool.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in, so wireless connection to other devices is possible. There is no GPS, so location tagging has to be done by other means if you want it.

Flash users will need an external unit, since none is built in. The camera does support external flash, so adding light means fitting a unit to the body.

The single card slot takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards and is compatible with UHS-II, so a fast card can write at its intended speed. With only one slot there is no dual-card backup, so copying images after a shoot is the sensible habit.

The BP-DC12 battery is rated at 220 shots per charge. That figure is a rating rather than a promise for every situation, and it signals modest endurance, so a spare battery belongs in the bag for a full day out.

Charging happens outside the camera, since USB charging is not supported. You cannot top up from a laptop or a power bank, so the routine is to charge ahead, shoot and swap batteries as needed.