Leica S2: its significance (august 9, 2009)

Barnack considered the 2:3 ratio as the best for aesthetic composition in pictures. The 1.5 ratio is closer to the so-called golden section or golden ratio, which is defined as “phi” or 1.618033988.…. than the Linhof ratio. But the use and effectiveness of the golden ratio have been greatly exaggerated and common paper sizes (and television screens) are more often in the 4:3 ratio.
The S2 format is the odd man out in the medium format segment. Can the S2 seduce the traditionally minded studio, fashion and product photographers and image makers by this combination of a different format, more tuned to reportage and handheld photography and a high quality sensor, coupled to potent optics?
And can the S2 redefine medium format photography as the original camera camera did in the thirties of the previous century. The assumption has been made that the original Leica format succeeded because it fitted into the Zeitgeist. A bigger sensor fits into the modern culture and therefore Leica could become the trailblazer of the concept of a bigger sensor in a body size that is associated with the much smaller size of the classical 35mm film.
The weight and volume of the current Nikon D3 and Canon 1Ds are in fact totally out of proportion. The sensor size dwarfs in comparison with the massive volume of the body that encloses it. There certainly is enough room inside the body to accommodate a bigger sensor. But then a range of new lenses is necessary. Even if the Japanese companies would incorporate an S2-sized sensor into the existing camera bodies, this would not benefit Leica at all. The situation now is totally different from the days when Barnack fitted the 24 x 36 size between the standard cine film sprocket holes.
The S2 shape is closely modeled on that of a Sumo wrestler: strong and solidly standing on its feet, radiating uncompromising power, but it lacks the nimbleness and elegance of a distant predecessor like the Leica IIIc.

It is often assumed that the Barnack revolution was based on image quality and format size. The early adopters of the Leica camera were artists, many of them standing in the surrealist culture. Important for them were the compactness of the camera, the fastness of its operation and the fact that you could operate the camera at eye level. These features allowed for the creation of the new vision, the photography style characterized by a flexible and spontaneous view of life. The Leica could be taken everywhere and was ready to take pictures at any time of the day.
Image quality was not the prime concern of these photographers. It was as it were a byproduct. Surrealists were searching for essence, not surface representation.

In one sense the Sumo-Leica could re-enact the revolutionary spirit of the Barnack era. It is the only camera in the big sensor league that allows for natural eye-level operation. Whether this is enough to start a new (digital) New Vision remains to be seen.

If leaked reports about the future plans of Nikon are to be believed, Leica has one year to develop a new style of high-end-big-sensor type of photography. This presupposes a massive and concentrated communication effort by Leica, a task the current marketing department would find it difficult to accomplish.

The S2 is slowly changing its DNA: at first the camera was presented as a Technologieträger: a laboratory to demonstrate Leica’s prowess in digital technology, but more and more the S2 is becoming a Hoffnungsträger, a platform of hope and promise, in fact the pillar on which the future of Leica rests. The company would not do the S2 a favor in supporting this change in role and profile. The usual marketing speak that the S2 is the start of a whole family of products lacks substance.

The range of true Leica (Solms originated) products is rather narrow at this moment: the promised R10 vanished, the M line is increasingly relegated to a niche role with limited appeal and the rest of the Leica product line is of Japanese origin. In the recent company report we read that Leica is contemplating more cooperation with other companies to close gaps in the product range.

Leica’s strategy for long term survival and growth seems to depend on a two-pronged approach: the creation of a broad range of products for mid and high end range for discerning consumers in cooperation with outside companies and the development and expansion of the niche market concept where the M-range and the S-range will reside, both claiming a biotope where true Leica DNA can be cultivated.

The main selling point for the Sumo-Leica is the amalgamation of medium format image quality with 35mm ease of handling and speed of operation, allowing a new style of photography related to documentary photography in all environments (the weather sealing of the S2 is a point in case). Indeed, the weather protection and the excellent close focus performance of the lenses are a direct attack on the Hasselblad and Phase One camera systems that are studio based, have limited open field deployment and provide lenses that are not so good wide open and at close ranges.
The S2 however has to convince two totally different populations that they have a non-refutable offer. The Nikon/Canon must be seduced by the improved image quality compared to the 35mm sensor sizes in the D3 and 1Ds models. This improvement needs to off-set the operational flexibility and depth of system of the Nikon/Canon systems. Canon/Nikon users now already complain about the unwieldy sizes of the image files, but are very happy with the scope and depth of the camera system. The Leica S2 system at the start is extremely shallow in its system components (a handful of lenses, no elaborate flash systems etc).
The S2 needs to convince Haselblad and PhaseOne users that a new style of taking pictures (in the field, hand held, eye level) is worth switching to the S2 domain, that could deliver the same image quality, but not a significantly better image. The question is whether the clientele for current medium format imagery will accept the documentary approach that the S2 supports.

The Sumo-Leica, however convincing the concept, will not sell simply based on the specs. Actual performance and comparison tests have yet to appear and what is being distributed in the public domain, are impressions by carefully selected S2 evangelists. These enthusiastic remarks need independent corroboration to establish a base of facts to rely on for comparison and assessment. The other issue is the promotion of that new style of medium format photography that the S2 invites to explore. Without a sustained and serious marketing effort by Leica, the concept will not take root and in this respect the Leica marketing department really needs a refreshment.

Leica, almost by tradition, is no technology leader, but capable of a high level of perfection. With the design and marketing of the S2 Leica proves that they are willing to take the plunge into unchartered terrain and redefine themselves as technology innovators by intelligently combining and enhancing third-party components (sensor by Kodak, processor by Fujitsu).

The Leica S2 is undoubtedly a camera for a niche market. This is the domain where Leica feels at home. The company lacks the aggressiveness and unlimited R&D resources of the high end Japanese dSLR competitors and lacks the tradition and the in-depth knowledge of the requirements of the broader medium format market. The niche might be too small to support the continued exploration and evolution of the S2 concept and possible spin-offs.

The significance of the Sumo-Leica lies not in the Pro format as such (bigger sensors are available in the medium format market), but in the attempt to promote the classical style of 35mm photography in that staid segment of photography. When the Leica R8 was introduced some commentators (Geoffrey Crawley and myself among others) noted that this SLR was in style and concept as close as possible to the CRF philosophy of the Leica M-range. Such a remark cannot be made about the Sumo-Leica. The weight and size of the S2 (why are specifications not yet available?) are not in the same class as the Leica M reporter camera, but the profile that Leica is drawing for the S2 (weatherproof, fast operations, very high quality) are related to the type of eye-level handheld spontaneous photography that is the hallmark of the M line.

The S2 does make a novel proposal in the medium format digital market (the 2:3 format is new as are some of the characteristics, specifically the propensity for outdoor shooting). But the Sumo-Leica has to confront a fight on two fronts: on the offensive side, the S2 must convince prospective users in the medium format market they the system offers decisive advantages compared to a well entrenched competition. On the defensive side, the S2 must hold off the phalanx of new DSLRs from Nikon and Canon who will claim to cover the same turf at a fraction of the cost and with minimal loss of image quality. A wise general would not like to be in the position to fight on two fronts at the same time.

The success of the S2 hinges on the ability of the Leica company to create a convincing and very finely honed profile for the camera and a clear roadmap for the future. The dynamics in the world of digital capture are such that a camera hardly has a useable life span of more than two years.
Photokina 2010 will provide the answer.

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