Leica S2: the new paradigm for post-modern photography?

The absolute clean body shell is the first thing you notice when you hold the S2. The second surprise when you look through the finder is the uncluttered, bright and large focusing screen. The structure of the screen surface is eminently suited for manual focus. You can focus precisely and quickly with this screen. You can place the focus plane on the subject where you want because the screen shows the sharpness from corner to corner. The right hand works on the shutter release, the shutter speed dial and the click wheel with which you select functions and options. The layout of the camera forces you into the classical position: left hand supports the lens and handles manual focusing, the right hand selects the speed and aperture and activates the release button. This button is hypersensitive and many accidental exposures are the result. Selecting the options (white balance, ISO setting, exposure metering method, exposure compensation and so on) must be done by scrolling the click wheel through a menu list and press the wheel to select the option and change the settings. This action asks for some time and cannot be done in a hurry.
In fact this new S2 has been subject to an austerity policy that makes the classical Leica R9 a luxury package. When discussing the S2 design and strategy with Mr. Lee, who, to be fair, has been the driving force behind the Afrika project, he said that he wanted to position the S2 outside the mainstream of current camera design thinking to avoid a head-on competition he was certain he would loose. He also wanted to highlight the time-honored Leica virtues: solidity, durability, simplicity and performance. The camera shape must embody and stress these virtues.
A deliberate and considered approach to the art of picture taking is required to exploit the image quality made possible by the large sensor and a new range of lenses. The thinking behind this camera places the photographer in the center of the photographic process. There are basically two approaches in photography. One is the approach of pre-visualization where the photographer thinks about the picture and can arrange the scene or afford to wait for the scene to materialize. Iconic examples are Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ansel Adams. The other one is the approach of the snapshot where the photographer hunts for scenes that vibrate with a state of mind or inner compassion. Iconic examples are Robert Frank and Ed van der Elsken. The photographers named here used 35mm cameras and medium format cameras.



The S2 has been designed for the pre-visualization approach. The creative process starts already before the picture is taken. The selection of ISO speed, exposure measuring method, exposure compensation, exposure mode is made based to match and support this process. You select these settings before the shooting and when the photographer is engaged in the creative process the camera is a full extension of his intentions.

To appreciate the new thinking of Leica on camera functionality, I will present a brief overview of the development of camera functions. With the original Leica camera, you had to guess distance and exposure and you had to set distance, aperture and shutter speed manually on a scale and with a dial or knob. Later a coupled rangefinder was incorporated into the camera body, a feature that in those days could be referred to as ‘automatic’. The exposure had to be measured by an external meter, but the Leica M3 had an exposure meter that mechanically coupled with the shutter speed dial. The major breakthrough occurred with the Konica Autoreflex that incorporated a fully automatic exposure metering system. Such level of automation did upset the professional community. Autofocus was added to the list of automatic functions with the Minolta 7000. The progressive replacement of mechanical linkages by electrical and electronic components in combination with a increase in calculating power by the microchips made possible the addition of many more functions, culminating in the Canon T90. The last film-loading Nikon camera, the F6, offered a multitude of autofocus options, exposure metering systems, shooting modes, flash control and film advance modes. The fact that the focusing screen area could be segmented into a number of independent points that could double as sensitive areas for focus detection and luminance reading gave additional possibilities for precisely controlled metering of focused points, single or in combination. Powerful algorithms that could analyse all the data collected by the luminance and distance ‘sensors’ gave rise to sophisticated programs for automatic exposure determination, balanced fill-flash, dynamic and static focus tracking and more.
The incorporation of a solid state capture medium into the camera to replace the silver halide emulsions added even more functions to the camera.
The image sensor could have more image sizes in amount of pixels, there is a choice of file formats, white balance options and ISO speed settings.
The LCD monitor had its own and separate group of display options.
The list of options and combinations is almost endless, but an interesting trend became visible.
The powerful algorithms were so efficient that the camera could operate on auto pilot so to speak and find the optimum settings for focus, exposure, sensitivity, and color adjustment. The camera engineers however gave the user the possibility to override and compensate whatever settings the program did propose. And another range of options was created like manual focus point selection, focus bracketing, exposure bracketing, over/under exposure correction and flash control.
It is evidently impossible to manipulate all these functions while taking pictures. Therefore the user can combine some groups of functions and settings in custom profiles that can be selected in a simple manner. The large amount of controllable functions asks for control and input devices and modern cameras are littered with buttons and wheels and display screens that constitute the user interface.
Now let us lean back for a moment and reflect on where we are after twenty years of relentless expansion of camera functions. We have quite sophisticated programs that can fully automate all camera functions to a high degree of precision taking into account all kinds of environmental parameters. But we cannot trust this automation in many situations and need bracketing and override functions to adjust the proposals made by the programs. We should also reflect on the fact that the best exposure follows the incident light method and that adjustments to reflect the intentions of the photographer are within one and a half stops. When using studio flash the photographer needs to measure main and additional lights to balance the amount of light. And when using flash in combination with ambient light the photographer also needs an intelligent judgement.
The upshot is this: sophisticated automation delivers excellent results, but never better than when the photographer knows what he is aiming for. And the other side of the coin is of course that all the automation in combination with the overrides and adjustments distracts from the basic photographic process.
Reviewing all the functions we can separate them in four distinct groups:
(1) the core photographic functions, like focus, exposure, flash control and transport
(2) the functions that emulate film properties like ISO speed and color temperature
(3) the sensor related functions like file format, storage and image size
(4) the monotor related functions like live view, display and viewing options.

The Leica designers of the S2 reasoned that the S2-photographer would be most interested in the image quality of the picture. To create maximum performance the photographer should be able to anticipate and envision the circumstances where the pictures are going to be made. It is in fact a rare situation where light levels change so rapidly that an instant alteration of the ISO speed is required. In general we may question the need to have instant access to the many functions that override or change the initial settings. The priority for a photographer lies with an efficient and fast use of the group of core functions.

The Leica S2 camera body is very clean and closed. The claim that the body can handle adverse environmental influences is undoubtedly related to the fact that the body itself has hardly any openings at all. No need for elaborate sealing!
The main functions from the first (core) group can be selected with the combined shutter speed dial and click wheel with one hand. Once you know the sequence it is very easy to do and very convenient too. Basic functions from the other groups can be found through the menu options and the menu control buttons with color coded function groups.
The creative and technical adjustments of exposure and focus are directly accessible and here we find the core of the Leica S2 approach. The camera generally offers the manual adjustments first. But you can set all important control functions on Automatic and let the camera do the job.


The click wheel lets you select the operating mode (manual, A, P, T) and depending on this choice turning the wheel selects the aperture. This control is a major change in Leica way of thinking as the company has always claimed that the lens should have a true aperture selection ring.
The S2 concept however shows a quiet recalibration of Leica’s new approach to photography.
Looking through the finder you see the cross hair where focus and exposure is determined. The screen is a joy to work with. It is large, bright, very fine grained, but sensitive enough for precise manual focus. The AF performance gives mixed feelings. The focus movement is quite fast, even in dim light, but not very accurate. In many situations the AF is nervous, not finding a definite lock. The best option is to use the manual focus with AF confirmation. Really nice is the finder indication with arrows that show the focus movement direction for AF confirmation. This works fast and it is secure. It also gives the photographer full control where to place the sharpness plane in the scene. Leica is understandably modest in its claims about the autofocus capabilities. The S2 is evidently designed for the photographer who is in control of the scene, knows the goal and aims for the ultimate image.


The camera is heavy, but most users of big Canon and Nikon cameras judged the size and weight favorably. When the 180mm with attached lens hood is added to the camera body, the combination is impressive, and one would have trouble to extract the best quality when handholding the combo.
For the maximum performance a slower working pace, a tripod and manual focus are the three basic requirements. In this photographic environment, AF is not an essential ingredient. The AF mechanism has its own detection procedure which does not always synchronizes with the ideas of the photographer. AF is often nice to have, but in demanding situations manual focus with AF confirmation is best. The lenses are designed to support the manual focus option: the focus movement is smooth and firm giving a heightened sense of confidence in the focus accuracy.
The shutter release is very sensitive and works almost without any delay. The operating noise of the shutter and mirror is low and the sound is quite pleasant, one would even say melodious to complement the solid and functional feeling of the camera. There is however one curious point to observe. Holding the camera firmly to the eye, one can definitely feel the impact of the mirror demping action. Additional research is needed to see if this action will introduce vibration of the body during the picture making stage. You can always select the mirror-up option when in doubt.
The DNG image files are 76 Mb in size and while the processor does a good job in processing this amount of bytes, the speed of processing in combination with the buffer size is slow, especially if you want to take two or three pictures in quick succession. Here again we note that the camera is not for fire-at-will shooting, but for deliberate image creation.
The exposure in all modes delivers slightly over-exposed pictures, the designers here follow the not yet proven advice that in digital photography you should modestly over-expose to get the best from the highlight section of the dynamic range, while minimizing the use of the deep black section to avoid noise. Sensitivity of the meter equals the sensitivity of a classical CdS or selenium exposure meter with a range from EV1.7 to EV20.
To summarize this part of the S2 report:
The S2 reflects Leica’s attempt to recalibrate the digital photographic workmanship: the combination of maximum image quality, a manageable body shape and size and a user interface of stark simplicity places the photographer once again in the commanding role as it was when the first Leica camera was released to the public. The esthetics of the body shape may not generate universal acclaim, but once you have the camera in your hand and before your eye, the appeal of its design and operating simplicity is difficult to resist and certainly touches the nerve of a the pure photographer.
The alpha and omega of the concept however resides the attainable image quality. This will be the subject of the next parts.
To wet the appetite I can already give one clue. I compared the S2 with the Hasselblad H39 and the Nikon D3X and the ranking is: S2, D3x, H39.

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