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Leica surprised many people at Photokina by announcing that they were introducing not a full frame DSLR using Leica “R” lenses, but a medium format DSLR, which will use an entirely new series of lenses at least in part because their existing R series lenses would not cover the larger image area.
The new lenses will also be autofocus and at least some will incorporate a leaf shutter. They will also be optimized for the new sensor. The lens range includes a 24mm ultrawide, 30mm tilt-and-shift, 35mm wide, 70mm standard, 30-90mm zoom, 100mm short tele prime, 120mm macro, 180mm telephoto, and 350mm telephoto optics.
The Leica S2 resembles a 35mm DSLR in size and form but inside it has a larger 30×45mm 37.5MP sensor. This is 25% larger than full frame 35mm in linear terms or 56% larger in area.
The pricing I’ve seen for the body only is 20,000 euros, which would probably suggest a US price in the $25,000 region. There’s no price or availability information on the lenses, but knowing Leica it would be reasonable to assume that they will not be cheap. While Leica hasn’t officially said when the S2 is likely to be available for purchase, summer 2009 has been suggested.
It’s not 100% clear why Leica seems to have bypassed a full frame 35mm DSLR using their R series lenses and gone for an entirely new camera and lens system, directly competing with established medium format DSLR systems such as those made by Hasselblad. The Hasselblad H3DII-50 50MP DSLR with a 36×48mm sensor and 80mm lens is $28,000, and a 39MP version is available for $22,000 (also with 80mm lens).
There’s little doubt that Leica will produce a high quality camera and equally high quality lenses to go with it. Whether it will succeed in establishing a presence in the medium format digital market we may have to wait at least a year to see.
Where to Buy
Photo.net’s partners have the Leica S2 available. Their prices are fair (and steep because we’re dealing with Leica and a medium format quality camera); and you help to support photo.net.
LEICA S2 – Remarkable new camera from Germany redefines the professional DSLR class with a custom 37.5-megapixel, 30 × 45 mm sensor built into a 35mm-sized body.
Some companies tweak the features. At Leica, we transform the concept. That’s why the introduction of the flagship Leica S2 is not merely an incremental advance. It is nothing less than a watershed event that sets an entirely new performance standard for professional digital SLRS. With a custom 37.5MP, 30 × 45 mm sensor that is 56% larger than full frame, it establishes parameters of imaging excellence that are well beyond those obtainable by conventional pro-caliber DSLRs. In the Leica tradition, it utilizes the classic 3:2 aspect ratio that corresponds to the human field of vision and is widely acclaimed as the “Leica Format.”
In designing this brilliant new camera, Leica’s engineers took a close look at the best existing DSLR designs and then synergized them into a radical but practical new camera that combines the performance parameters of a medium-format digital camera with the ergonomics, form factor, and handling ease of a 35mm SLR. The result is the new Leica S2, an entirely new, finely crafted, professional tool developed in-house by Leica with hands-on input from some of the most renowned professional photographers in the world. It incorporates an advanced new dual shutter system with in-body focal-plane shutter for fast lenses, and in-lens leaf shutters for high flash sync speeds, an ultra-high-precision autofocusing system, a new series of lenses designed for the highest possible performance with the new sensor, and a Maestro image processing system that provides twice the speed of comparable medium-format backs, reduces power consumption, and provides in-camera JPEG capability. Remarkably, all of this has been incorporated into a camera that is smaller than a full-size professional 35mm SLR, and still has the unmistakable look and feel of a Leica.
Like Leica cameras of the past, we designed the new Leica S2 from the inside out, and its robust styling is a classic example of form following function. We began with a cutting-edge, large-format CCD sensor and literally configured the camera around it rather than adapting existing technologies. In this way we achieved a new level of performance without sacrificing size or convenience. Yes the S2 Leica is our latest masterpiece, an unequivocal statement to the world that showcases our technological prowess. But it is more than just a technological tour de force. It is a statement of Leica’s continuing pre-eminence in the world of imaging that goes back nearly 100 years. Perhaps that is why our top executives in Germany have compared the announcement of the Leica S2 to the debut of the first Leica, the legendary model A in 1925. That seminal camera did nothing less than redefine 35mm photography in the 20th century and we believe that the Leica S2 may well do the same for DSLR photography in the 21st.
Where to Buy
Photo.net’s partners have the Leica S2 available. Their prices are fair (and steep because we’re dealing with Leica and a medium format quality camera); and you help to support photo.net.
Dr. Kaufmann mentioned that the price would be between 10.000 and 20.000 Euro, but that Leica is trying to keep it below 15.000 Euro.
Leica almost certainly didn't announce an R10 because it would have been impossible to make a splash with such a camera, as it would immediately be compared to the 5D mark II, A900 and 1Ds mark III. Leica wants to assert itself as a creative, high-end, relevant camera maker, not an also-ran. The R10 will come later, and will inherit technology from the S2.
Can someone explain how some lenses could have leaf shutters but not all lenses for a camera? Does that mean the camera has an optional shutter? Does the camera shutter lock open when a lens with a leaf shutter is installed, but when a non-shuttered lens is attached the camera shutter takes over?
As for the dual shutter operation, with a non-leaf-shutter lens things would be conventional.
With the leaf shutter, I presume the sequence of exposure is:
Close leaf shutter
Raise mirror
Open focal plane shutter (B)
Make exposure with leaf shutter (open/close)
Close focal plane shutter
Lower mirror
Open leaf shutter
This was the sort of sequencing that the 35mm leaf-shutter SLR's had to do mechanically. It also was why they were mostly unreliable, and spectacularly hard to service. With both shutters electronically controlled, and a micro-processor based camera, it's a cinch!
Why is the other shutter needed? Because the mirror doesn't block all light, and you don't want the sensor "in the light" until it's time to take the exposure. (This was much more critical with film SLRs.)
Of course, the leaf shutter has to stay open so you can see through the lens when composing the shot.
The Rolleiflex sl 166 system uses leaf shuttered lenses for getting past the very slow flash synch speed. I've never tried it but it but it does sound like it is intended as a photo studio machine (the S2)that may also be used for reportage (?)
Why is the sensor bigger than 35mm format?: Simple, Leica wanted a studio camera with the ease of use of an slr, but with the resolution of medium format digital. The only reason the likes of Canon and Nikon have gone with 24mp sensors is because their vast range of lenses cant cover anything bigger. The R series Leicas were a marketing flop....this one won't be. Its not expensive in its target market.
The S2 will dent the Blad and Phase 1 digital market, not the 35mm market, and it carves out a new niche for Leica. Smart move! The last leica? I don't think so. And I don't own a Leica....
If Leica prices the S2 under $13,000 US this will be a very successful camera for them. For every camera you can figure 2-3 lenses. Simple math to me. The more camera's they sell the more lenses they sell. Make your money on the lenses and let the camera be your loss leader.
It is now May of 2011.
Leica is still in business, and the S2 is in the hands of a number of enthusiasts and professionals despite it's extremely high price when compared to top 35mm systems. Four of the lenses are now available, making it a viable "system" for many shooters (35mm, 70mm, 120 Macro, and 180mm).
For a Medium Format sized sensor camera, the S2 is nimble, simple to use, tough weather sealed machine with relatively quick and deadly accurate auto-focus for a MFD machine.
The lenses have been built from the ground up specifically for digital capture, and all of them feature quite fast apertures compared to most MF optics ... including the ground breaking 120/2.5 Macro which is usually f/4 on other MFD systems. IMO, and the opinion of others, the ASPH and APO optics are the best ever available for MFD ... which is no surprise given who makes them ... Leica.
When first introduced the S2 "in-betweener" was hard to place in the traditional line up of camera types ... however, what many have done is replaced the higher end 35mm DSLRs and their MFD needs with one camera system ... augmented with a smaller high ISO 35mm like a D700 and a few zooms for any occasional lower light fast paced needs. While no $avings are realized obviously, it streamlined many camera bags and simplified travel and backpacking for those who previously used a MFD system (like a Phase One or Hasselblad H), without sacrificing the image quality ... as always, size matters.
The S2 is not for everyone if for no other reason than its hefty price tag ... however Leica isn't after copious quantities of sales and is catering to certain photographers in both the commercial sector and advanced enthusiast market.
The S2 has no counterpart ... even if 35mm DSLRs go to 35 meg, they are still confined to that 35mm size to pack those pixels into ... and MFD has now advanced all the way to 60 and 80 meg which has out paced many of the system lenses requiring new glass be bought to take advantage of those pixels ... not to mention the demands that huge sensors with 60 or 80 meg places on the photographers technique which is a serious consideration many over-look.
My source for this info is that I own a S2 and all four of the currently available optics ... AND own/use a Hasselblad H4D/60 and nine of the HC and HCD optics. (previously used a Nikon D3X and Canon 1DsMK-III prior to that). The S2 has found it own place in my shooting line-up and is my "take with"choice for portrait, high-end wedding, commercial location, fashion, travel etc. The Hassey 60 is used primarily in the studio on a camera stand. I rarely use a 35mm DSLR anymore ... the IQ is lacking in comparison.
"The platinum service package offers excellent benefits: It extends the full scope of the warranty for two years."
Excuse me, for such a price, the Leica S 2`s warranty MUST BE at least ten years.
