Leica S3 Hands-On Review 

The photo looks absolutely incredible. Simply amazing work. The image quality is top notch from that camera too

Loved the photos, what a great demonstration of the capabilities of the camera!!! Great job presenting 👍👍👍

Thanks David. Stunning photos. The S3 cannot be great without being driven by a master.

Great review. Love the way you review the camera and talk extensively about it.

Hey there David! Definitely have watched this video 3 or 4 times before having the chance to stop by the store

Landscapes are amazing!!! I think with any camera most of the photos would shine

Congrats on this being the first video I've ever watched at anything other than "normal" playback speed. Had to watch on 1.5x playback because wow.

You know, I am a strange guy, I like your way of presenting more - and therefore YOU got my subscription instead of Peter McKinnon ;-) Kind regards from Berlin, Germany

Great video David, two things I’d like to add, the lenses are the best in medium format and live view on the lcd gives the benefits of mirrorless while retaining the ovf. Furthermore, Leica supports their cameras and lenses well into the future.

16:22 now i can see the real power of the S3. Absolutely perfect tones and contrasts, and great composition too!!

Incredible images

AMAZING SHOTS!!!! I just bought the GFX 100. Wish I would’ve waited now.

Great review! Thanks!

Thank you very much for this video. My first pro cam will be S3.

Absolutely stunning images! Fantastic work. Would be very interesting to hear more about how images from the S3 and newly released SL3 compare, once you've had a chance to put the SL3 through its paces. Similar nr of mega pixels and dynamic range , but a different processor, sensor size and lens line up.

Beautiful images ! Great camera!

Hi David, thanks for the review. At 2008 the S system was revolutionary as you described. However, the technology evolves rapidly. Nowadays, even recently released S3 lags behind some of the competitor's "crop" medium format cameras. I hope Leica will shift to a mirrorless medium format design sooner than later. They can create an amazing system leveraging the knowledge and experience gained in the last couple of years through the development of SL camera & APO Summicron lenses.

Nice images from your Patagonia trip 👏

Beautiful shoots. Would buy it if I had the money.

I really loved the photos of patagonia

Gear doesn’t matter but! It’s incredible. You are a good photographer. Very good one.

I had the 007 for many years and now the S3. The S system is the best built, highest quality camera system in the world. It’s a pure pleasure to use. I’ve used almost every thing else. You get what you pay for in the S. As for mirrorless vs. DSLR they both have their pros and cons. I prefer the DSLR for ease of use, battery life and crispness through the viewfinder. I prefer mirrorless for size, weight and low light viewing. But I don't expect the S to be lightweight or to use it in really low light. I have shot all makes of cameras over my 22 year professional career including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Hasselblad, Mamiya, Fuji and Phase one. Nothing is close to the image quality I get from my S. Even at 37 megapixels my 007 was distinctly better than every full frame camera I have ever shot with. The phase one IQ4 has more resolution at 150mp but is fussy to use and slow. I have literally shot side by side with the Phase one and the S was superior in color rendition, ease of use and sharpness corner to corner. Yes there were a lot more pixels on the Phase one and it's an amazing system but I prefer the S for it's speed, handling, battery life, lenses and did I mention speed? Then there are the lenses. I have been a pro since 1998 when I graduated from Brooks institute of Photography. I have never seen anything like the quality of the 24mm lens on the S. It is almost fiction. The 100 f.2 is like shooting with silk. The 70 is light, fast and the skin tones are unreal. The 120 macro is a marvel. I know I'm gushing a bit but I have tried everything and nothing I've used comes close to these lenses. I'm a pro. I don't need a ton of features to get in the way of my shooting. I shoot large format frequently (5x7). I prefer manual focus so the single point AF means nothing to me. When I need the AF I have the back button AF/AE lock on. It's extremely precise and quick given the lens sizes. The live view is what I use when doing critical focus. If I could request anything from the S it'd be the same rear interface as the M, SL and Cl. The three button simplicity. I was shooting camels one time in the Sahara desert with my S. The wind was whipping up sand and at one point I dropped the camera directly onto the sand and it rolled down a dune. I picked it up and blew out the sand and kept shooting. I've been in rain storms that would make me nervous with any other camera. The battery life is insane. I haver never killed a battery in a single shoot. I only have 2 because they last so long. Hundreds of exposures per charge. I know it's not for everyone. It's expensive and heavy. But if you want the best medium format camera in the world that will take a punch and keep going this is a great option. Like all Leica cameras, the S is extremely well built, solid in the hands, rugged and simply marvelous. I compare the line of Leica cameras to other german engineered and built products like BMW. You know the sound the door makes when you close it in a 7 class BMW? Thats the S. You truly get what you pay for. I get tired of people complaining about the price and the "lack" of features. Most of the detractors haven't even picked up an S, let alone used one professionally. If you haven't driven a BMW how can you even begin to critique it? Don't hate on something you know nothing about. It's embarrassing.

Amazing camera. Incredible pictures. Please tell me the next time you come to Chile. It will be an honor to take you out for dinner.

Pro tip - 1.25x this video

Can you guys do a shoot out with the Leica S3 and the new Fujifilm GFX 100s?

Very Nice photography Sir 👍🙏

Hi David, I just got my S3, love the camera. Only thing I notice that I’m not able to activate the gps on the camera. I’ve set it to on in the settings. And went out for photos few different parks. Should I send it back for repairs? Any suggestions?

My wife and I watched this yesterday, and when she saw the sample images she said," some of those images look like paintings. That's a really good photographer and Camera." Well done David!!! You created some spectacular images. Although I absolutely love my SL2, you guys are going to make me go broke lol!!! Are you selling your S007?

wow those photos ...

thank you for the review. From Your experience, is there any noise or highlight dynamic range improvement over the s007?

Very expensive but those images fromPatagonia, wow... I forgot how Patagonia was and is so beautiful....

Can you feel the differences between the 16bit color depth on typ007 and 14bit on S3?

Having tested Fuji’s GFX with an adapter and leaf shutter Hasselblad lenses to shoot at 1/1000th in the studio, well it works. But! The Fuji overheated in the studio when we worked it all day on a dance shoot. Come the afternoon lots of connectivity issues shooting tethered. So for all those people asking for mirrorless tech, the SLR design of the S3 should be better. No overheating I hope. I’m requesting to test the s3 and report back. Disappointed it hasn’t got better card slots. Other medium format cameras have an unlimited buffer when shooting tethered. That’s important. I hope the s3 can do that too. Slightly worried about the robustness of those cables. I doubt the their tools will have a solution.

I'm an SL user. I like the changes made to the SL2, but I do however much prefer my X1D II for all my landscape shots. The colors and tones are all so more real and dreamy compared to the SL2. I am also wondering, if all Leica changed on the S3 was the sensor, what took SO long for it to arrive??? I am sure it is a beautiful camera that produces extreme top notch images. But, It already FEELS old and outdated! And only 8 minutes for the longest exposure time? I have owned many M series bodies and still own many SL and M lenses, but my journey and the S3 are not in any way going to converge.

Will the S3 be the last S ? After, there is X1d now

Great review... Quick question, is there any specific reason why for the asking price, it doesn’t produce 16-Bit files? 🤷🏿‍♂️

What kind of flash systems are compatible? HSS/TTL included

Does it really do 10-bit 4:2:2 ? All the specs I have seen suggest 8-bit only

what is the title of the music at the beginning of the video???

Hi David - Just on image quality, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the Typ 006, typ 007 and S3? Also, how big is the difference in image quality if you compared the typ 007 MF with the new SL2 FF for landscapes?

Very good presentation, beautiful images. What is the music behind the fotos?

Me,watching the wideo while having my old sony alpha 6300,knowing that I'll never gonna afford Leica. :"D . Awesome wideo btw

Is that normal, if I watch image samples and want to cry just because how beautiful they are?

Wow. I should have held on to my S Glass Are you going to put on a Patagonia workshop if we ever get past COVID?

How is the autofocus speed? It is okay to do dance photography?

Hello, does the S3 have an electronic viewfinder?

woow ure so amazing 😍😍😍

I just started reading about 4x5 photography...

Can David show samples of street photos and portrait?

No IBIS, 1 AF Point (!) and 2018 (S3) tech for 18.000 EUR. The GFX-50 S (II) and GFX-100S are 2022 looking like "bargains" in contrast. S3 features a 45x30mm Sensor, both GFX a 44x33mm. Lovely pictures David! But i think, Fujifilm since 2016 really pushed the boundaries, for Price/Performance, in terms of digital medium format. Hasselblad's X1D-50c (II) is also lagging behind in terms of tech, price and performance, anno 2022. Of course, a pro landscape photographer would find use for any of these, when being into the system. /typos fixed.

Hi David, what about images? How did you take them?

Leica didnt do anything revolutonary here, other brands did that with bsi sensor stacks years ago, processors seem to be lackluster in every leica - some actual objectivity would be nice here and there. Aside from that, nicely made video with awesome production.

Love the colors, but it looks like different areas in the photo with different tones look a bit disconnected/stuck on.

I think I would rather have the Hasselblad X1D II instead for a lot less money. I love Leica for full frame M and SL cameras/glass, but for medium format there are much better cheaper options now.

نفس تصوير الجوال

I hope it's a good battery in that camera being mirrorless

SD and CF cards better than XQD?

did you buy the camera?

This sensor I'd huge for a digital sensor. Yes it's much bigger than a full frame 35mm size. But.... when I hear medium format I think of 1.75" X 2.25" thiscsensor is still smaller than 120 and 220 film negatives. I'm assuming because its bigger than 35mm thatscwhat allows it to be classified as medium format? It looks amazing what yo expensive for me.

and lenses?

medium format, why theres no f0.95 lens for it?

Those photos are great, but I wonder are those captured just like that or you added photoshop into them?

Does it has autofocus?

Price?

Want

Can you review the glass

Another watched video of a product that I can't afford🥲...

Who would you say this camera is for?

Leica: You're wrong, the 37MP S is all the resolution you need. Resolution is really not important. Also Leica: The 64MP S is significantly better.

At the end of the day, it's a tool. And other cameras match or surpass the potential of this camera but at a more competitive price

Leica is nice, BUT I see leica brand as BEST camera for city. Let hasselblad be number 1 in nature and landscapes photography 😊

The point is: why can we invest in the current lenses, when everybody knows that the next generation will be a mirrorless camera?

凄いから200万なのか200万だから凄いのかわからなくなっていく

Omg, this is absolutely torture to get through. There's about 3 minutes worth of solid s3 info in this video.

اللي جاي من تغريدة الغالي تركي ال الشيخ لايك

Medium format is subjective... photographers care, but most people don't. I don't care because at that price I'll buy Hasselblad instead.

but there's pentax

I don't know why i'm here, I can't afford this.

All for a cool $19,000

that's why the camera is 20,000$

I would better get Pentax 645Z

Will leica made a X1D style of S ? After all, DSLR is old technology already

الي جا على شان يبحث عن الكاميرا الي شراها تركي ال الشيخ يصف على جنب

There is literally no reason to buy this camera instead of GFX100/GFX100s or Hasselblad X1DII

Why so many commercials. Ruins the experience

R6 is better with much lower price.

not for everyone, price, you never mention price

It’s ok if you have that sort of money to spend on a camera. Most people in the real world just do not

007 is 16bit raw image, s3 is 14bit big shame !!

I hate S series they don't mark the button function ! Why I need to remember which button is menu or play or delete ! So stupid ! I prefer goback to use Pentax645 , yes with Leica lens .

Fuji GFX 100 is better !

mate, cost please you dontmention cost prices, and compare, would be lovely, most people are not billionaires, need to compare price against bodies and lenses, mention prices please

too few pixels, too much money

I'm always amazed that people are always eager to call these "larger than" full frame cameras "medium format." No, they aren't . Maybe we should call them "mini-mediums" or "baby mediums" or "sub-mediums." Call them whatever, but it's misleading to call these type cameras "medium format."

I hope Leica stays with the PRO DSLR format, and NEVER enters the mirrorless consumer oriented zone! Mirrorless cameras are what have completely RUINED the art of photography as a whole!

Leica is too expensive for an average salaryman to buy. Why is it so expensive? What's better than Nikon D750? No matter how perfect it is, waterproof rubber sealing loses function over time.

Could not be a more boring presentation.

Leica: You're wrong, the 37MP S is all the resolution you need. Resolution doesn't matter. Also Leica: The 64MP S is significantly better.