I took the Leica SL3-P camera to the NDP Preview

The camera is certainly heavy. Its all-metal body weighs about 768g before adding a battery or a CF memory card, while the 24–90mm lens adds another 1.14kg. The complete combination therefore comes close to 2kg. It’s certainly not a standard kit you’ll bring along for a holiday.

Shooting at the NDP Preview

I’m glad I picked the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–90mm here. At 24mm, it was wide enough to show the scale of the National Stadium, including the roof, stands, performance area and even a bit of the Singapore skyline. At 90mm, I could zoom in on smaller groups and individual spectators without having to change lenses in a cramped seating area.

Unfortunately, the camera and lens could not solve the first problem I encountered: my allocated zone. I was seated on the side that largely saw the backs of the marching contingents. Many formations had naturally been arranged to face the central presentation area or the opposite stands, so rows of uniforms frequently marched away from me. This would not have been the case at the old venue as the stands are in one row, rather than a loop like the stadium.

The other problem is simply the sheer size of the stadium. It is a vast space, and some performances looked surprisingly sparse when they moved away from the centre stage. Large areas of grey flooring surrounded relatively small groups of performers, making it difficult to produce the dense, dramatic compositions commonly associated with NDP.

Sometimes that empty space became part of the picture. Long lines of participants winding around the arena created strong patterns when placed beside the packed stands. At other times, I relied on the SL3-P’s 44.9-megapixel resolution to crop more tightly. The 90mm end of the lens was useful, but it was still too short for some of the action taking place on the far side of the stadium.

Some of the photographs I preferred came when I turned away from the arena. Friends posing with flags and families watching together gave the feature a more personal side that the wide stadium views lacked. These were also the moments when the 24–90mm lens felt most natural, allowing me to move from an environmental view to a tighter portrait without attracting too much attention.

The stadium then became more visually interesting after nightfall. Screens, spotlights, indoor drones and pyrotechnics filled the areas that had looked empty during the afternoon, while the suspended cubes and aerial performers drew the crowd’s attention. But once again, it’s hard to see these performers when they are so far away.

My experience at the NDP Preview therefore became as much about working around the venue as trying the Leica SL3-P camera. Paired with the 24–90mm lens, it was not the lightest combination to bring to a parade, nor did I have the ideal view of the marching contingents. But it gave me enough flexibility to stop chasing the pictures I had expected to take and start working with the ones available from the seat I actually had.