Leica SL3 Battery Options – BP-SCL4 Versus BP-SCL6
Leica BP-SCL4 Versus BP-SCL6
This last week during our regular company conference call, we were joined for a while by two Leica representatives. We routinely have representatives from various manufacturers participate in our conference calls to talk about new products and to answer technical questions.
During this call a question came up about Leica’s new SCL6 battery for the Leica Q3 & SL3. (To read more about the actual cameras, please see these blog posts by one of my comrades).
The questions that came up was, what are the difference in the older BP-SCL4 and the new BP-SCL6 batteries and which cameras will they work with. After a 15 min discussion, things became a lot clearer, but since it was not as clean cut as I thought it would be, I decided to create this post to help others more fully understand the differences.
Looking at the list of cameras that each battery would work with, seemed straight forward:
BP-SCL4: SL, SL2, SL2-S, Q2
BP-SCL6: Q2, Q3, SL2, SL2-S, SL3
However, there are some caveats, that I will go through later, but first let’s look at two important specs.
The BP-SCL4 has a 1860mAh capacity and an output voltage of 8.4 V.
The BP-SCL6 has a 2200mAh capacity and an output voltage of 7.2 V.
There are many other specs, but these are the ones relevant to which camera the batteries will work in and what features you retain or lose.
The BP-SCL6 is pretty straight forward with the cameras that it works with from the list above. This battery also gives you approximately 18% more battery life that the BP-SCL4 in all the cameras.
So, the question that came up in our call was why the BP-SCL4 could not be used in the Q3 or SL3. As it turns out, it can be used in the Q3 and SL3, but here comes the caveat. 😉 Even though there is no Leica document outlining using the BP-SCL4 in a Q3 or SL3, we were told it is because you lose a few features in the Q3 and SL3 if you use the BP-SCL4 because of its capacity being lower. Here are the features you lose:
In the Q3 All drive functions work with the BP-SCL4, but there is no C8K or 8K Video options available in the camera.
In the SL3, with the BP-SCL4 installed – Drive modes of Single, 2fps, 9fps and 14fps are available, but not 4fps, 5fps or 7fps. In video mode only FHD is available in 23.98fps, 29.97fps and 59.94fps. So, no C8k, 8K, C4K, 4K, or FHD119.88fps or FHS Slow motion.
So, if you are trading up to a Q3 or SL3 and have a bunch of the older batteries, you will still be able to use them as backups for basic shooting without the above features being available. There is also a simple way to see which battery you have. With the BP-SCL6 there is a gold Keltic looking star on it. The same star is on the Leica USB-C Dual Charger.
The charger is the same charger as the old one, but just has the new marking on it. The specifications are identical.
I hope this helps explain some of the nuances of these batteries. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time about any of the brands of equipment we carry. As a FAA certified remote pilot, I can also help you with any of your DJI drone needs.
