Camera Labs

Leica announced a new medium format DSLR system today at Photokina.

You can find out more at Leica's site here:

http://www.s.leica-camera.com/

Gordon

37.5 Mpix on 30 x 45 mm. Looks like 4/3 grown to be a big boy to me! Attention please big companies; no ocean of buttons on the back, just four.

There's only one thing; what will this beauty cost? And the optics of course.

The format issue isn't over yet. 24 x 35 mm was a film format. There are interesting times to come.

Sounds awesome. Leica claims that the lenses produce excellent pictures that are free of distortion and vignetting, and are sharp no matter what the aperture is. I wonder how they do this.

OLED screen? A first in cameras I think. Leica seems to have abandoned their traditional approach with this camera, looks exciting.

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Graham
Flickr

I'm just curious: Who is the market for this kind of camera? Also, is the sensor in this camera the standard medium-format size, or is this a new size developed by Leica?

Actually, this doesn't look like a medium-format camera at all. Most medium-formats have a "back" which is separate from the rest of the camera, right? But this camera doesn't have a back.

Time to start getting used to "crop factors" less than one? I know this isn't the first medium format camera, but it is the 1st one I'm aware of that looks like a regular SLR.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

30 x 45 mm doesn't comply with the 4/3 aspect ratio...

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/Alexander
Nikon D300 - 16-85 VR

You're right, I miscalculated in the excitement. It's 6/9 just like FF. Pitty; mist change, they never learn.

I think they can pull it off by using prime lenses only (Leica already seems to have a thing against zooms anyway). Eliminating zoom always works in favor of the image quality, the cheap 'nifty fifty' primes in almost every DSLR systems being a good example. The intricate reasons why? I don't know.

On second thought: Do zoom lenses even exist for medium format, anyway?



IIRC, some camcorders had OLED screens for some time. I think there is no reason still cameras shouldn't follow suit. After all, the sensor and the screen are two things that really eat up batteries in a DSLR. A sensor THAT big shall be inherently power-hungry, and OLED goes pretty easy on batteries. I guess that's a nice trade-off.

EDIT: Only the top information display is OLED, the rear LCD is... well, LCD. More fanciness than functionality, IMHO.

Speaking of abandoning tradition, I really have to say "Why yet another system?" The M-system, the R-system, Four-Thirds and now this. Fine, it's medium format and all, but I say what: if only Leica hadn't been the Apple of photographic gear, I'd say this much un-standardization would kill the brand.



Even weirder: Leica's 35 mm film SLRs R8 and R9 have an optional detachable back (called Digital Modul R, looks almost as hideous as it sounds) which converts them into a 1.3x crop factor digital camera. A big, bulky, $10000 digital camera, at that. And now they have a stand-alone medium-format DSLR. I'd say they're fighting off serious confidence issues, being left behind in the DSLR game and totally ripped off by Panasonic and Olympus in the Four-Thirds deal, but as I say, Leica is too 'special' of a company to do that...

...which means, when do we see the stand-alone, full-frame, reasonably priced (at least for a Leica) R10 DSLR?

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"Shoot RAW, ask questions later"
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Nikon D80 | AF-S Nikkor DX 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED | AF Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8D | AF Nikkor 70-210 mm f/4

Caleb, you're right that most medium format cameras have detachable backs, but not all of them. The term medium format refers only to the size of the imaging frame being bigger than 35mm and smaller than, ahem, large format.

Pentax produced several medium format SLRs, Mamiya and Fuji produced medium format rangefinders for example - non had detachable backs.

As for OLEDs, it's the first time I've seen one on the top, but I believe a Kodak compact had one, as did a recent Samsung compact.

Anyone care to speculate on a price?!

25 grand.

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Probably too bloody expensive , just had a look at the link you provided in your first post and looked at their video.... think they need to have a look at your vids Gordon so as to see how it should be done... couldn't help laughing at the "Doc" when he gave a BTW re: joining with Phase One...

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Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

IS there such a thing as "large format"? If so, it is probably used in satellites and such.

If they came up with a medium-format camera for a few thousand dollars, I'd be tempted to scrape together the money. I love the idea of large, detailed, noise-free images.

And maybe they should put the cue card/teleprompter underneath the camera next time rather than off to its right/their left.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Price: hmm... can we extrapolate from regular DSLRs upwards? My unfounded assumption that if it looks like a DSLR, it can be priced more like one too? My low guess is €10000 with kit lens. :p For comparison the Hasselblad kit is on offer for "only" €11995+VAT.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.