First look at Leica SL2-S Reporter edition as images leak online

A few months ago we reported on the possibility of Leica bringing the reporter olive green colorway to the SL lineup now through Leica Rumors images have leaked online to showcase this new Leica SL2-S Reporter for the first time in its glorious kevlar grip and dark green military-style color. 

Two things that first strike us as different are the color and the surrounding grip. On most reporter editions or Safari, if you want to add that Leica colorway in the mix too, they have always seen the paint color wrap around the whole camera body giving a utilitarian look and feel to the reporter cameras However, due to the SL2 having a grip that engulfs the entire back of the camera too, this new Reporter sees the Kevlar armor follow suit, making this the most covered kevlar Leica in the whole of the Reporter collection.

I can see why Leica has done this, but seeing the reporter variant on such a large camera does make me question if Leica should have stopped the kevlar wrap at the card door, and then continued with the reporter green paint to the back – it just looks like too much kevlar, but others might find this rather fetching.

Another thing we have noticed (and it could be just the way the photos were taken) is the actual color of this reporter edition, while reporter editions on previous Leica's such as the Leica M10-P Reporter, or the Leica Q2 Reporter have been dark olive green with a scratch-resistant matte finish, the colorway on the Leica SL2-S Reporter seems to lean towards a more steel grey color with a slight metallic finish. 

If the photos are to be believed this Leica SL2-S Reporter looks to be complete and ready to ship. As covered in our previous story, I find it strange that Leica would make this reporter colorway only available for the SL2-S and not the SL2 as well, reasoning might be that the more video-oriented SL2-S would suit this more due to its multi-media of video and 24MP images, rather than the still focused 45MP SL2.

Price is also another factor with Reporter editions, yes, you are getting a fantastic colorway and kevlar grip surround, while the Leica red dot logo is omitted, but you will be expected to pay for that privilege. It would not surprise me that you might have to pay an extra $500 / £390 / AU $700 on top of an already high-priced camera, can you put a price on perfection, according to Leica you can.

If you enjoyed this article why not take a deep dive into the reviews of the Leica SL2 or the Leica SL2-S and see which ones would work best for you? Failing that you can also take a look at our best Leica SL lenses guide to make sure you have every angle covered.