Leica To Release New S Digital SLR System, Packs 35MP S2 DSLR With Nine New Lenses To Come

You would think Leica has done with Photokina with announcements of Rangefinder M8.2 and couple of P&S, not so. Leica biggest announcement is yet to come! Perhaps the best kept recent news from the Photokina 2008, Leica is about to release an unexpected Leica S system- First with S2 DSLR packs a whopping 30mm x 45mm 37MP image sensor, which is 56 percent bigger than DSLR 35mm full frame sensor.

The prototype of the new S2 was previewed at an exclusive briefing in London by Professional Photographers. They placed the size of the camera in between Canon's EOS 5D and 1DS mark III and said the design and handling of the body is ergonomic. Few details are available at this time, but Leica said S2 is twice as fast as Hasselblad H-series with better high iso performance and there are 9 S-system new lenses to come.

[update : leak of the S system images, 13 of them ]

Detail of S2

• Large 30x45mm sensor containing 37-million pixels

• Small body similar to that of a professional 35mm DSLR
• Weatherproof seals
• Three-inch high-quality LCD screen
• Dual shutter system – focal plane or leaf
• Records files in open DNG format
• Range of nine new lenses, including a 120mm macro, tilt-and-shift 30mm, 70mm f/2.5 standard lens and 24mm ultrawide-angle