Leica S-System hands-on (video)

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More fun from Leica here at Photokina in Germany -- and this guy is big in every way. It's the S-System, the company's update to its pro-series medium format offering. The successor to the S2 is quite large (even in SLR terms) and is very, very heavy. In fact, you're going to want to work out that upper body before using this thing for any period of time -- that is, once you're done selling your first born child. Aesthetically, the camera looks a good deal like the S2, maintaining its nice looking design with a couple of key differences -- for one thing, there's an extra bump on the top of the camera -- this is where the integrated GPS lives.

The 3-inch LCD (which is capable of 16 million colors) is also covered with Gorilla Glass, so you're less likely to crack it if you're rough on the thing (though, again, at these prices, we assume you'll be nicer to it than your own offspring). Look inside the optical viewfinder and you'll get a meter that helps you determine how you're oriented respective to the horizon. The sensor, naturally, has been refreshed as well, now measuring 30 by 44mm, with 37.5 megapixels. And the shutter can do its thing as quickly as 1/1,000 of a second.

As for pricing, well -- the Leica rep we spoke with put the camera at (get ready) €19,600. The camera is also launching with four lenses, in case you have a few other kids you're interested in selling.

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Leica S-System hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leica reveals S-System medium format digital photography lineup

Leica reveals SSystem medium format digital photography lineup

Leica wasn't about to let everyone else hog the spotlight at Photokina this year. The company took the wraps off more products than you could possible cram into one post (or two, or three...). But among the more intriguing is certainly the new S-System -- an update its pro-series medium format line. The sensor and accompanying board have all been refreshed, with the 30 x 44mm sensor cramming 37.5 megapixels into its expansive CCD surface. The 16-bit color depth is complimented by a wide ISO range of 100 to 1600, which should cover you for almost any imaginable application. A dual shutter design gives photographers the choice between the camera's built in shutter or the integrated one on the CS lens line, which allow for flash sync at shutter speeds as high as 1/1,000 of a second. Leica is touting the improved speed of its medium format internals, but with the ability to capture just 1.5 fps in continuous mode, it might not be the ideal action shooter. Still, the ability to capture 32 consecutive RAW images at full resolution, thanks to the 2GB of buffer memory, is quite impressive.

The digital viewfinder is a three-inch LCD, capable of displaying 16 million colors representing the full sRGB color space. Of course, the VGA resolution isn't anything to write home about, but it should get the job done. The integrated two axis leveler, displayed on the viewfinder, should help avoid oddly angled portraits, while the integrated GPS receiver will let you keep track of every remote mountaintop you capture in full resolution majesty.

Of course, no new camera product line would be complete without some lenses as well. In total four are launching alongside the new body, including the first zoom (30-90 MM F/3.5-5.6) and tilt/shift (120 MM F/5.6) members of the family. Rounding out the lineup is a 24mm superwide angle lens and a close-up accessory that shortens the focal length of one of the existing mounts by about three and a half feet. For more info, check out the source link.

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Leica reveals S-System medium format digital photography lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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