Leica S Pushes Boundaries of Quality and Luxury

Hardcore photography buffs will be interested to hear about the new Leica S (Typ 007), which takes medium format photography up a notch.

Few brands command the respect and reverence that Leica does, and even critics are generally kind and for good reason – there’s a je ne sais quoi about the images that their cameras and lenses produce, that somewhat shields the brand from criticism.

The new Leica S is a weather-sealed, medium format camera, given an update to bring it up to expectations of 2015. The medium format is a camera system employed by professional photographers (or extremely enthusiastic hobbyists) who need massive detail in their shots.

Updates include giving the camera a better maximum burst rate, exceptional sensor sensitivity and an extensive range of capture modes for photos, and video, which is a first for Leica. They say that their new MAX CMOS image sensor and Maestro II image processor (with 2GB buffer) boast lightning-fast speeds and increased sensitivity (ISO 12,500), which increases the camera’s versatility as speed has always been a traditional ‘weakness’ for medium format cameras.

But now this behemoth of a camera has a burst frequency of up to 3.5 frames per second, delivers full-HD video in full-frame medium-format sensor size and 4K video in Super 35 format. It also has a fast Live View mode, as well as an electronic shutter that allows flash sync up to 1/1000s. In addition, the Leica S also incorporates a predictive autofocus to better track moving subjects.

Bells and whistles

The Leica S also sports appointments such as an integrated GPS module to tag photos geographically for better archival practices, and a built-in Wi-Fi module to enable remote control and image assessment via the iOS app.

It also supports third-party medium format lenses via optional adapters, such as S-Adapter H (for Hasselblad H) and S-Adapter C (for Contax 645). They are fully compatible, which means you have autofocus, central shutter control and automatic aperture control.

The new Leica S is available at all Leica Stores and Boutique as well as authorised Leica dealers. Interested customers can also pre-order at Leica Stores. The Leica S (Typ 007) will retail at S$27,500 (body only), while S lenses start from S$6,620.

Sample Images

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