Leica T’s final camera, LEICA TL2

A review and photo examples using the Leica TL2 with TL and SL lenses.

Table of contents

Gallery

• The lenses used for the shoot are as follows:
  • VARIO ELMAR TL 18-56mm F3.5-5.6
  • APO VARIO ELMARIT 90-280mm F2.8-4
  • SUMMICRON TL 23mm F2
  • SUMMILUX TL 35mm F1.4
  • APO MACRO ELMARIT TL 60mm F2.8
  • ELMARIT TL 18mm F2.8(ISO6400)

Review

1．Overview

The LEICA TL2 is a mirrorless camera with a 24MP APS-C sensor released in 2017, and is the final release camera of the Leica T series.

• The final firmware was changed to version 1.5 in 2018 to support “Leica FOTOS”.

It is unclear whether this is because two years have passed since the release of the Leica T or because the image sensor has been changed, but the camera functions have been brushed up and there are the following changes.

• The number of sensor pixels has been increased from 16MP in the LEICA T and LEICA TL to 24MP.
• ISO upper limit has been increased from 12,500 to 50,000.
• The built-in flash has been eliminated.
• The design of the shutter button has been changed.
• The silver body has been changed to a slightly lighter paint.

Operation speed has been improved.

The following parts have not changed.

• The battery is the BP-DC 13, which is the same as the Leica T.
• The built-in memory is the same 32GB as the Leica TL.

2．Usability

The 24MP sensor in the LEICA TL2 is a new sensor, and although the number of pixels has increased, the image quality up to ISO 6400 is practical. Since the judgment of image quality is up to the individual, I would like you to judge it by looking at samples on the web.

The 16MP sensor of the Leica T and Leica TL had a rather poor image quality at ISO 1600, but I feel that the ISO 6400 of the Leica TL2 is comparable.

I read an article that said that the autofocus (hereafter abbreviated as AF) and the operation of the entire camera have been improved, so I tried using the APO Macro Elmarit (Elmarit) TL 60mm F2.8, one of the lenses with the most stringent AF focusing accuracy, with the Leica TL2, but I could not feel any noticeable difference.

This may be a problem with the motor drive speed on the lens side, but the focusing speed does not increase, and the focusing accuracy of the AF sensor, which depends on the camera side, is not much different from previous models, and with either lens, the focus will be lost when it is lost.

Improvements to touch operations are touted, but since the only touch operation you use when using the camera is to change modes, it doesn’t seem like there have been any improvements there either.

3．Summary

To conclude, the LEICA TL2 is a camera with a higher pixel count than the LEICA T and LEICA TL, but the essence of the camera has not changed.

Photographers who prefer a higher pixel count have a reason to choose this 24-megapixel camera, but if you choose 24 megapixels, it is better to choose the LEICA CL with a built-in EVF.

The advantage of choosing the LEICA TL2 is the noise processing at high ISO sensitivities, and at ISO 6400 you can get better quality images than the LEICA T and LEICA TL. However, there is no difference at low ISO sensitivities.

Specifications, considerations, etc.

There is only about a four-month difference in the release dates of the LEICA TL2 and the LEICA CL, so this short gap in release intervals raises questions about their product launch strategy.
Like SIGMA, the releases are haphazard, which is typical of Leica, but users who found out about the release of the LEICA CL shortly after buying the LEICA TL2 will likely have been disappointed.
Personally, I bought a used LEICA TL2 at a bargain price around 2019, so it didn’t really hurt me.

For more information on mount adapters, please see Leica T, which provides a detailed introduction.

Items	LEICA TL	LEICA TL2	LEICA CL
Effective Pixels(megapixels)	16.2	24.24	24.24
Image sensor	APS-C	APS-C	APS-C
	32GB	32GB	none
Include Flash	exsist	none	none
Rear LCD	3.7-inch TFT LCD 1.3 million dots	3.7-inch TFT LCD 1.3 million dots	3.0-inch TFT LCD, 1.04 million dots
View finder	Options	Options	2.36 million dots electronic viewfinder
Image stabilizer	none	none	none
Recorded memory	SD/SDHC/SDXC	SD/SDHC/SDXC	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Battery	BP-DC 13	BP-DC 13	BP-DC12
Size(mm)WxHxD	134 × 69 × 33	134 × 69 × 33	131 × 78 × 45
Weight	384 (with BAT)	399 (with BAT)	403 (with BAT)
Body color	Silver, Black, Titanium	Silver, Black	Silver, Black
Release date	November 26, 2016	August 10, 2017	December 16, 2017

Options

• M-Adapter-T: 18771
• R-Adapter-T: 16076
• Battery: BP-DC13 (18772-silver/18773-black)
• Bizoflex Type020: 18767
• Leather case
• Thumb rest
• Normal strap attachment bracket
• Dedicated strap

Affiliate links

• Please see the disclaimer regarding advertising here.
• Italicized links in the text are advertisement links that take you to other sites.

• Amazon Affiliate Link Leica Lens
• Amazon Affiliate Link Leica Books
• Amazon Affiliate Link / Classic Camera Specialty

Reference links

Update history

• 2025.7.29
• 2024.7.2
• 2024.03.12
• 2023.08.10