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PRODUCT REVIEWS
We go hands-on with Leica's TL2, Kodak's PixPro Orbit360 4K and Canon's 6D Mark II.
LEICA TL2
Design has always been one of Leica's hallmarks. With the TL2, the company has steered directly against the prevailing current in mirrorless camera design. Where rivals festoon their mirrorless bodies with dials, knobs, wheels and buttons, the TL2 cuts a more austere figure. Is less more? Let's have a look.
FEATURES
The TL2 packs a 24-megapixel APS-C-sized image sensor with an ISO range of 100-50,000. It uses a contrast-detection autofocus system with 49 AF points. According to Leica, it can acquire focus three times faster than its predecessor, the TL.
It's able to burst at up to 7 fps using a mechanical shutter and up to 20 fps using an electronic one. On the video front, the TL2 records 4K video (3840 x 2160) at 30p. Full HD recording is also available up to 60p.
You can mount both TL and SL series lenses directly to the TL2 and Leica offers adapters for both M and R series lenses as well. You'll find Wi-Fi for wireless remote control and image transfers.
DESIGN
As we noted, the TL2 cuts a rather minimalist figure with no external markings on anything and not all that many buttons or dials to play with. You get a programmable function button on the top of the camera, plus two dials to adjust shutter speed and aperture.
The Spartan design shunts most of your fiddling to the 3.7-inch touch screen. It's responsive enough, but pushing so much functionality into the display can slow you down and means a slightly higher learning curve when you first start playing with it. On the plus side, there's a customizable "My Menu" function so you can keep your most-accessed features quickly accessible.
The camera is a solid unibody block and feels great. It's very slim and sleek. Beyond a few more external controls, we found ourselves pining for a built-in EVF-especially for one as sharp as the EVF used in Leica's SL. You can buy an accessory EVF though that also includes a GPS chip for geo-tagging images. The TL2 has a USB-C port for fast image transfers and for recharging the camera's battery while it's still...