New Leica S2 ----> 37 Million Pixels!

[urban_alchemist]

The more I look at this camera and think about Leica's obvious commitment to it's success and the costs involved the less inclined I am to believe that there will be a digital rangefinder in their line up in the future beyond the current M8.2

I think that's a bit of a dim prophecy, but I agree, updates to their digital M-line aren't a priority. Hell, even I as an ardent rangefinderista (is that a word) accept that this is probably a much cleverer move than a new digital M...

 

[infrequent]

i still think there will be an M9. they will keep the M8.2 for the purists. sort of like the M7/MP combo.

 

[mcgrattan]

I used to work for [and in a sense still do in a different role] a photographic studio that specialised in photographing manuscripts and rare/fragile books.

I'd be interested in how the S2 compares in terms of price/performance to the standard kit we were using:

Mamiya 645AFDIIs with Phase One P45+ backs.

Autofocus medium format cameras with large sensors are great for this sort of work -- the only thing that compares are 5x5 cameras with scanning backs which still produce better results but are significantly slower.

If Leica can bring in the S2 at a price that's comparable to the Mamiya + PhaseOne or Hasselblad based digital systems, they might have a market.

 

[Rico]

Personally, I like it... especially when I blank on the price 🙂 From a company perspective, it makes sense, too: they get bragging rights and visibility; the engineering has trickle-down potential; patent on a new lens mount protects revenue; all the components are off-the-shelf and proven. It's about time that Leica broke free from the dusty legacy of M and R. Just keep that supply of M repair parts flowing!

 

[urban_alchemist]

I used to work for [and in a sense still do in a different role] a photographic studio that specialised in photographing manuscripts and rare/fragile books.

I'd be interested in how the S2 compares in terms of price/performance to the standard kit we were using:

Mamiya 645AFDIIs with Phase One P45+ backs.

Autofocus medium format cameras with large sensors are great for this sort of work -- the only thing that compares are 5x5 cameras with scanning backs which still produce better results but are significantly slower.

If Leica can bring in the S2 at a price that's comparable to the Mamiya + PhaseOne or Hasselblad based digital systems, they might have a market.

€20K - at present prices, that's a good $5-7 less than a Hasselblad H3D39. It's smaller, quicker and lighter as well...

The more I see of the S-system, the more excited I am about it...

 

[aizan]

in 10-20 years, this camera will be mine. 😀

and i bet its design will stand the test of time. (hey, i made a rhyme. and another!)

 

[tmfabian]

€20K - at present prices, that's a good $5-7 less than a Hasselblad H3D39. It's smaller, quicker and lighter as well...

The more I see of the S-system, the more excited I am about it...

indeed...
While some may argue it's insanely overpriced...this is certainly marketed towards people considering digital medium format equipment and it's very competitively priced if that 20k euro is accurate.

 

[waileong]

This is a seminal moment in Leica history. A company that is rooted in rangefinders for the past 60 years decided to break from its history and tradition strike into completely uncharted territory.

Years from now, people will appreciate how bold and big a step this is for a small company such as Leica. A truly bet-the-company moment.

And I think they have a better than 50% chance of succeeding. MF users understand photography well enough that they just need the most essential of controls-- aperture priority, Program mode, manual override, TTL flash, plus controls for exposure compensation and flash compensation. Autofocus is essential to compete, but some kind of manual override (like Canon's L lenses) would certainly be welcome, esp. if the autofocus is slow due to heavy lenses.

 

[cam]

There are at least 4 threads on this camera.

it's a big camera 😀

 

[Kevin]

37 Megapixels at 20.000 Euro reminds me of that 33 MHz Pentium I used to program with back in the early 1990s. It was such an expensive machine back then.

 

[gavinlg]

I think the final production camera will be really beautiful!

Leica may have found a niche worth pursuing...

 

[Mael]

37 Megapixels at 20.000 Euro reminds me of that 33 MHz Pentium I used to program with back in the early 1990s. It was such an expensive machine back then.

😉

I'll wait for the 4X5 inch 400 MegaPixel sensor that will not be bigger as a sheet film holder, then I'll move to Digigraflex®.

 

[jaapv]

Could this be an attempt to bring back the old medium format wildlife photographer crowd to digital? I honestly have no clue, but it's the fist thing I thought of.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't this the first Leica with weather seals?

All in all, pretty cool stuff...and it's good to see Kauffman doing things with the company.

Did you *have* to post this, Tim?😱 No way can I justify or afford this system, and now you have made me go back to my old 645 slides of African wildlife and refresh my memory of how good they were....🙄

 

[alan davus]

The more I look at this beast the more I like it. No I'm not going to buy one but it's gotta be great news for Leicaphiles. Surely it's in our best interests for Leica to grow and prosper. Onya Herr K. and up yours to all those who have flooded this forum for months with "Leica is dead from the neck up" posts. Where the bloody hell is Roger Hicks when you need him. Smiling like a Cheshire cat somewhere no doubt.

 

[infrequent]

@alan davus - well roger hicks was skeptical about this particular move. something about "faeries coming out of arse". ; )

 

[cam]

The more I look at this beast the more I like it. No I'm not going to buy one but it's gotta be great news for Leicaphiles. Surely it's in our best interests for Leica to grow and prosper. Onya Herr K. and up yours to all those who have flooded this forum for months with "Leica is dead from the neck up" posts. Where the bloody hell is Roger Hicks when you need him. Smiling like a Cheshire cat somewhere no doubt.

it is one of those that is so ugly that the more you look at it, the more handsome it gets 😛

Roger is at Photokina and, no doubt, smiling as you say...

 

[mcgrattan]

€20K - at present prices, that's a good $5-7 less than a Hasselblad H3D39. It's smaller, quicker and lighter as well...

The more I see of the S-system, the more excited I am about it...

Well, if that's an accurate price it's competitive with the Mamiya + PhaseOne system. It's not cheaper, but it is competitive.

 

[mcgrattan]

😉

I'll wait for the 4X5 inch 400 MegaPixel sensor that will not be bigger as a sheet film holder, then I'll move to Digigraflex®.

Those exist. In fact, there are 5x4 backs that go higher than 400MP. They aren't 'one shot' backs, though. Instead, they are scanning backs. They take a couple of minutes for a shot.

Still, for architectural work, product photography, manuscripts, reproduction, that sort of work, scanning backs can't be beaten on quality.

Especially when combined with top-end flat-field lenses.

 

[kshapero]

I like it. If for nothing else, the simplicity of it compared to other DSLR's.

 

[TJV]

I think this is brilliant and really wish Leica luck and good fortune. It looks to be a brilliant mix of technology and functional ergonomics. I'm especially excited to hear that Phase One may help with servicing and distribution. Could be a way forward to fixing all those Leica repair dept horror scenarios.