Text and image from the British Journal of Photography Online
Leica has revealed the full specifications for its S2 camera, first announced at last year's Photokina trade show in Germany, and set to hit UK stores in October.
The first model of an entirely new system, designed to fill a gap between DSLR versatility and medium format's superior image quality, the S2 will be launched with a set of new specially designed lenses - although it seems only two will be available at launch, with a further two to follow by the end of the year, and a further four announced but not yet given arrival times.
Leica is making big claims for the camera, which has a basic body-only price of just under £16,000. 'The decisive advantage of the S2 is in the sum of its features: flexibility, durability and easy operation, combined with industry-leading resolution and image quality,' says the company in a statement. 'The S2 outperforms other camera systems in the medium format category, setting a completely new standard for quality.'
The body shape and weight has also been made a priority, with Leica banking on gaining market share from medium format competitors by virtue of its perceived easy handling. 'The S2 has the look and feel of traditional 35mm SLR cameras, preserving the handling qualities that have long been appreciated by professional photographers,' says Leica. 'The integration of electronic components and the very latest design methods have made the S2 remarkably smaller than other medium format cameras. The number of controls has been kept to a bare minimum without limiting the camera's many features and options. Operation of the S2 becomes intuitive after minimal operation of the camera. The result is a finely balanced camera with a comfortable weight that allows photographers to work spontaneously.'
The statement confirms the S2's resolution is set at 37.5 million pixels (set at a pixel spacing of 6(mu)m). A 30x45mm CCD type developed by Kodak (with whom it has worked with since Leica introduced its first digital rangefinder, the M8, and the Modul-R digital back for the R system), it has an aspect ratio of 3:2, and Leica now says it is 'nearly 60% larger than that of a traditional 35mm camera', having previously quoted a figure of around 56%.
More revealing is the news that the camera will not use a low-pass filter, indicating just how much priority it is placing on the quality of the lenses it will introduce alongside the new camera system.
'In the interest of preserving image sharpness, the camera dispenses with the standard low-pass filter,' says Leica. 'Instead, Moire effects are detected and eliminated by the camera's internal signal processing, thus taking full advantage of the system's high-resolution lenses. A special micro-lens pattern allows complete capture of angled light rays on the image periphery for optimal use of available light. With a sensitivity of up to ISO1250, low-noise images can be captured under limited lighting conditions.'
The lowest ISO is 80. Dynamic range is 12 stops, and the colour depth is set a 16 bits.
'The highest priority during development of the S lenses was image quality,' claims Leica. 'Their sophisticated design features special grades of glass and aspherical surfaces rarely found in optics of this size. In addition, lenses manufactured to extremely narrow tolerances, with each lens centred by hand, guarantees superior quality and optical performance. The maximum performance of each lens is available even at full aperture setting, or when shooting from a distance or capturing close-up images. Vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberrations have been reduced to the point of imperceptibility, eliminating the need for quality-degrading image corrections and simplifying digital post-processing considerably. The newly developed S-bayonet mount ensures rapid and precise digital exchange of data and commands between the camera and lens.'
The S2's dual processor allows burst speeds of up to 1.5 images per second at maximum resolution, and says Leica, the S2 is the only medium format solution to allow simultaneous JPEG capture. It has slots for both CompactFlash and SD, with an option for saving raw format Adobe DNG data onto both memory card types simultaneously. Adobe's Lightroom software will be supplied with the camera, along with Leica's proprietary Image Shuttle program, which allows all the S2 features to be controlled remotely from a computer, and image files are written directly onto the hard drive for immediate processing. 'An HDMI interface allows images to be presented and checked directly on monitors, television screens and projectors,' adds Leica.
The camera is equipped with a metal focal-plane shutter with the fastest shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second and a flash synch time of 1/125s, but says Leica, 'lenses of key focal lengths will be available in the future with integrated leaf shutters designed by Leica engineers that photographers can activate via the camera's main switch'. It adds: 'The integrated leaf shutter allows flash units to be used at the fastest shutter speed of 1/500 of a second, giving photographers more options for suppressing unwanted ambient light. Several patents are pending for the Leica leaf shutter, which features an electronically-controlled drive guaranteeing reliable, fast exposure times and low energy consumption.'
Three metering options are offered: Multi-field (five fields), centre-weighted integral and spot (3.5%). Program modes include shutter priority, aperture priority and manual metering. The autofocus system is based on a centrally positioned cross-hair sensor for high-precision focusing, and says the statement: 'Each S lens has its own Leica-designed microprocessor for precise autofocus and iris diaphragm control. The integrated focusing drive is a proprietary Leica design that features silent gearing. All S lenses have a generous focus ring with just the right amount of drag, letting the photographer override the autofocus at any time.'
Lens choiceFour S series lenses will be launched by the end of the year, with the Summarit S 70mm f/2.5 ASPH and APO Tele Elmar S f/180mm arriving first, and the APO Macro Summarit S 120mm f/2.5, and wide-angle Summarit S 35mm f/2.5 ASPH coming later on. These equate to respective 56mm, 144mm, 96mm and 28mm focal lengths in 35mm format. Leica says a selection of the S lenses will also be available in a CS variant with an integrated focal-plane shutter, and that it 'is planning to prioritise the expansion of its range of S lenses in the near future'.
It says that all the lenses are extensively weatherproofed and can withstand exposure to rain and dust. The camera itself is made of 'robust die-cast magnesium with a leather-grain finish for maximum grip', and the USB and remote control ports feature rugged bayonet locks with strain relief. The S2 can also be supplied with a highly scratch-resistant S2-P sapphire glass display cover for the most extreme and demanding conditions - though this adds substantially to the price. The S2-P version costs £19,092, as opposed to £15,996, though users also get access to Leica's Platinum service package, which includes free maintenance in addition to offering loan equipment for the duration of the service work, and an additional 12 month warranty (two years rather than one).
The non-sapphire version has a relatively low (for the price) 460,000 pixel resolution three-inc h screen. The viewfinder is a high eye-point pentaprism type. For further information visit uk.leica-camera.com.
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