Don't know if anyone else has mentioned it, but if you set the camera to manual focus and the back joystick button to activate autofocus, the issue of focus shifting is gone. Just focus on what you want sharp with the button, then recompose. Same with the other S cameras.
I sold my GFX100S and lenses for a used S3 and used S lenses and have no regrets. I prefer the S shooting experience to the GFX and much prefer the images that S system produces over just about any other system available in market today (certainly over GFX and any of the FF systems). Hassy is also very good (I still prefer S system to it, keeping in mind I've only owned X1D as a comparison basis), but I've given up hope that C1 will ever support Hassy files, and I much prefer C1 over LR & Phocus. On paper (spec to price performance), the S system is laughable (as is for Leica in general IMO), but if one can get past the price (or buy used like I did), the S system produces unique & beautiful images that stand out from systems increasingly designed to appease bench/spec shooters and pixel peepers obsessed with clinical perfection (often, only to then go apply a film simulation after the fact to get a pleasing image). And to be clear, the S3 image sensor is no slouch. Of course, all of this is my opinion, but I have actually owned (or own) & shot GFX, X1D, and P1 and I no longer own a GFX or X1D system and have no interest in them after having used them. As with any system, the best advice is to get off the bench and go spend a lot of time with a bunch of different systems before committing to a specific system long-term. When it comes to the S system, the biggest question/concern for me is if S system has a future or not. There are rumors Leica has an S4 in the works, possibly mirrorless. Only time will only tell.
Thanks Roland, great comment and great that you share your S3 live experience. I am convinced that Leica will revamp the S-System with a "Leica S4", my educated guess is that we will see this coming in the next 12 months latest. And I also believe the "Leica S4" will be a mirrorless system camera. So let's wait and see :)
Same here - I had Hass H6D100c and regular GFX100 previously - (could not get on with GF lenses - all over the place) Leica is just so much more yet with so much less and surprisingly lighter than either!! Single point focus is not an issue - I use manual - also added a Q2 and 2 SL2 to the system - which is where it starts to get expensive but the systems work seamlessly together.
@@Bayonet1809 That's potentially great news for X1D shooters and there's good reason to hope since Capture One has forked from P1 since I was on the system. C1 support isn't going to be enough to bring me back to X1D system because I'm pretty deep into S sytem now, but X1D is also a fantastic system and underappreciated. IMHO, Both systems (X1D and S) deliver IQ that's head and shoulders above the rest short of going all in on P1 or H6D. It's less about the senors and more about the lenses, as has always been the case, but especially true nowadays given how deep into diminishing returns sensors have come in terms of IQ (still lots of innovation/gains being made when it comes to AF, readout speed, etc., but such things tend not to matter for X1D, S3, etc., use cases).
That is a nice camera although I would never buy one cause the price is outrageous . Great shot at 20.57 nice DoF transition. And again I can praise you on the clear and thorough explanation of this camera and lens. Thanks for sharing and a very good weekend in "Tobleroneland" ;-)
People... If you're going to spend 20,000 EUR on a medium format camera... Just point yourself towards to Hasselblad, Phase One or Fujifilm and never look back! Leica is nothing but one, huge fancily presented money scam! Modern day Leica products are mediocre at best and are shamelessly and nonsensically overpriced, with their only purpose being; to flood income! If you spend just a minute - just a single minute, just 60 seconds - looking at the inside of this or any other Leica camera body, you will find that not a single piece of hardware in there, not a single piece metal and plastic in there, sums up even remotely close to the MSRP and even the WSP of their products! Leica cameras, including this camera body as well, do not even have - or I should say; they are purposefully stripped of most of the hardware and tech that can even be found in most, if not all, newer, beginner grade mirrorless cameras from other manufacturers. This is nothing but yet another glorified point and shoot from Leica, that costs less than 2-3 thousand euro per camera body to manufacture, priced at 20,000 EUR MSRP! Canons R5 model, a camera that costs 3,500 EUR, a camera that has incomparably more tech and hardware inside it than this 20,000 EUR excuse of a camera, has been leaked to cost approx. 1,100 EUR to manufacture - So with that in mind, I would even go as far as saying that this Leica S3 camera costs even less than 1,000 EUR to manufacture! - AND IT IS SOLD FOR 20,000 EUR! Nothing in that camera adds up to even 1/10th of the 20,000 EUR price tag! You're basically paying 18,000 EUR for Leica logo and maybe, a HUGE maybe, 2,000 EUR for the tech and hardware inside the camera! That's what you call A SCAM! To top all this off, as if missing tons of, what is now industry standard, hardware, wasn't enough, the camera doesn't even have enough on body buttons to be a proper studio camera, let alone a camera for more dynamic or demanding fields of photography! Fun fact: A button layout with connectors and connection setup to the motherboard adds less than 3-4 bucks onto the manufacturing cost PER BUTTON and they couldn't even put more buttons on the body?! How money hungry of a company can you be...
Great video - I wasn't expecting to see current content on the S3. Am using my S3 after a year's hiatus - and the image quality blows me away every time. The dynamic range, and how the sensor/ glass combination draws is still unbeaten. My new favourite lens is the 45mm - shows-off the MF quality of the system than any other lens in the system. Having owned each of the S models since launch, Hassy and P1 - I have stuck with the S system. It's all about the glass - and the S-lenses are the best in the world. This is not something you can deduce from specs alone. And as for ergonomics - they may seem dated - but so what - its the image quality I am after and I know how to use a 'real' camera. The only caveat is the one you mentioned - having the Hassy True-focus system would solve the biggest issue. I wonder if Hassy have that stitched-up with patents though?
Thanks, "True Focus" is indeed what I wish for my Hasselblad X2D. It should be straightforward to implement via firmware upgrade. And concerning the Leica S3, I am pretty sure we will see a new S3 coming year with, hopefully, all the features we are looking for. And then all these S-lenses will find a new purpose again :)
Thanks Math, beautiful video and realy nice photos! After the end of the R-System, nobody could imagine, that Leica will bring a big DSLR. The S is the dream of everyone, like me who was happy to have Kodachrome and a Leicaflex SL2 for decades. If you can afford it (i cannot), take one, dont hesitate! :-) Greetings from sunny Frankfurt am Main - Andreas
Thanks Andy, appreciate your comment. I also did not purchase the S3, its just too expensive from a "value for money" perspective. Although I love the images I get out of this camera system. I am just grateful to Leica that they allowed me to shoot the S3 for a while for free, great experience. There will be a more modern S3 in the next 12 months, I am almost sure about that. That then reshuffles the cards. Let's see how Leica modernizes the S-System in the future. Sunny greetings to Frankfurt/M from sunny Zurich :)
Again, mathohotographer, your own vision, your eye made the pictures wonderful. The Leica helped a bit but I know your own work excels also on a 24 mm x 36 mm sensor.
I use Hasselblad cameras with 50c sensor, Multiple Nikons and a Leica Q. I have always to struggle with Leica colors and gradations, never with Nikon and Hasselblad that have close renderings, Hasselblad beeing at the top for the richness of colors and gradations (with Phocus developpment) For me Hasselblad XCD lenses are on par with Leicas. My Hasselblad HCD lenses made by Fuji are one step behind. For a more dreamy look I use Zeiss lenses on the Hasselblad 503 with a 50cII back.
Great video, but I have not seen one thing I could not do with my M11. Seems like the dynamic range is pretty much the same and the resolution also with the right lenses. The S line is just ridiculously overpriced in this day and age and this is coming from someone who actually bought the M11. :D
The dynamic range, the build quality, the resolution of the M11 is just insane. Gone are the days I had to do exposure bracketing. All that in a super small package. Could not be happier.
It's good to see someone talking about the S3. I think your analysis is correct, more or less. Perhaps there is a translation issue, but the S3 is indeed a 'system' camera. If it can accept interchangeable lenses, it's a system camera. A camera like this definitely needs at lease five focus points. I don't expect speed, but I do expect more than one focus point. And while the camera is not quite as modern as the SL series, it is far more modern than the modular systems by Hasselblad and Phase One. Digital backs are now a very out-dated concept. I have handled an S2 and it really is a solid camera. The viewfinder is great, and the camera feels very good in the hand. It is probably the toughest camera that you can buy right now. The lenses are also built like tanks. Would I buy an S3? No. But is it an excellent camera? I think so.
Thanks Karim, appreciate you comment. DSLR stands for Digital Single-Lens Reflex and the "Reflex" (addressing the mirror component) is what distinguishes it from a DSLM (Digital Single-Lens Mirrorless). So you are right, they are both system cameras, means, interchangeable lenses, but when I say "true DSLR" I refer to the "Reflex" / Mirror. The Leica S3 is an excellent camera, indeed. If Leica manages to incorporate an S3-type sensor into a more modern shell, it is a true flagship camera.
Hello As a Hasselblad user and shooter this has always intrigued me. As the Leica magic with its image quality is something I alway try to get. Interesting video. Thank you.
An ability to separate focus on a thumb button and remove it from half press is important, so that you can use continuous focus on that button only when you need, and then the shutter button is only the shutter. The two advantages are for moving subject you miss less shots (if centered) and for static you can decide not to focus to get a shot at each press of the shutter instantly. (to not miss that pose or that look)
As a phaseone iq3 shooter and a former owner of the S007, your recommendations are spot on. Maybe they can also consider other lenses like tilt shift lenses for architecture which is one of the areas where Phase one shines! You can’t deny the color and the ergonomics of the leica s line though.
@@mathphotographer it remains to be seen if leica releases more S lenses, the last new S lens is ages ago. but maybe we will see new options when the rumored mirrorless S will come out
Hello Matt firstly I enjoy your camera reviews a great deal that said, I have been shooting the S-007 and my finding for nailing the focus with it is to use a tripod. Even when I used the longer S-APO 180mm lens wide open f/3.5 1/60sec the eyes are tack sharp. When using the lens hand held focus re-composed using shutter speeds under 1/1000sec can be a problem. Long story short use high shutter speeds or a tripod. Cheers! 🥃
This camera does everything for you, if you know how to use it correctly. It’s a perfect tool for real professional! Minimalism and excellent performance! I had all MF cameras. This camera has BEST color science, BEST scin performance, BEST image quality that I have ever seen! Just in case imo best S lenses are 45 mmCS and 180mmCS.
Thanks so much for this and again an excellent review and great images. I have been tempted by the S3 based on a short shoot with it and the 120 macro. The skin colors straight out of camera are so much better than my Fuji GFX 100S. My main question for you is how do you feel the files compare to the Fuji GFX 100S? Again so appreciate your channel.
Thank you very much for your kind comment. I just answered your question in another comment, will paste my answer in here. I had to return the Leica S3 to Leica, means, I cannot do further testing or comparison with the GFX 100s. But here is my simple assessment: image quality is about at par, both sensors have about the same size, comparable dynamic range, same creative possibilities. The GFX 100s in addition is a much more modern camera with many more features than the Leica S3 has to offer. Price tag is also significantly lower on the camera body for the GFX 100s compared to about USD 19k for the S3 body. So clearly in an overall comparison the GFX 100s is a better choice. The only thing that drives people to go nevertheless for the Leica S3 is this special "dreamy" Leica look the S3 can produce if you shoot the camera and lenses the right way. But that special look is in the eye of the observer and is hard to nail down in concrete terms. So for some of us going for the much more expensive and slightly outdated Leica S3 is still an option, for most of us the GFX 100s is the better value for money. In particular if you take autofocus into account: the GFX 100s has an Intelligent Hybrid AF (contrast AF / phase-detection AF) system with up to 425 selectable AF points including eye and face detection. And the resolution is 102MP natively plus 400MP Multishot option. This, in combination with a large format sensor of the same size as the Leica S3 has it, is hard to beat :)
I use an S2, a GFX 100, and two Ms. When I am shooting medium format I need the size and image perfection. I obtain it with the S2 and the two Ms, but that is not he case with the Fuji. I know that in some respects such as IBIS or focus stacking I will be going backwards, but will move forward with image quality, which is all that matters.
Can you explain what you mean when you say the S is not a system camera? There are lenses made for it specifially, I thought this constitutes a "system"?
I have learned so much from your videos. So much that I am now noticing misnformation or a lack of details when watching other "comparison" videos on RU-vid. I wouldn't be in the market for a Leica or Hasselblad due to their cost and my needs. I'm quite willing to use Fujifilm, Sony or indeed Panasonic whom use Leica lenses. But for those who crave full frame and beyond these are certainly the way to go. To be fair, influencers are being paid to say what gives them an income . One question though are these medium format lenses so well made then third party filters such as ND, Polarisers and such like less necessary? Anyway keep up the good informative videos.
Thanks - I actually have a bunch of videos already on my channel from legacy medium format cameras from Mamiya, Hasselblad, etc. - sometimes with film, sometimes with a digital back mounted. I will come back with more in the course of the year.
15 stops of dynamic range sounds good on paper, but according to Photons to photos measurement database very few cameras do even get above 12 bits or stops. The S3 is not among them.
Image quality of my 007 was TOPS! But the AF is truly archaic. The camera / lenses were not reliable. Camera SD car slot died mid shoot and 5 of 10 S lenses which I bought all brand new needed motor replacements… Grrr….. I ended up selling the entire system. PS: The focus system on this camera will give you confirmation of lock on, but it will still actually be out of focus. Not operator issue, its the cameras inherent problem.
Thanks for sharing your comment and experience. This sounds like a truly annoying experience, really sorry to hear. And clearly, this should not happen. I would expect Leica in such a case to help sorting out issues, for instance, replacing the camera which did not work for you and offering you an alternative. Again, sorry to hear about your bad experience.
The af is indeed so unreliable that you cannot use the lenses wide open. I still habe a lot of lenses which are almost worthless today. I wait for the announced EVF camera to reuse them. Btw they work great in the SL so it's an issue of the camera
I hope the Leica S team is awake this week. Hasselblad just showed the market what can be achieved in MF. First lessen is it has to milled from aluminum bar stock. Second the secret to reducing size and weight is removing shutter to the lenses. We all want leaf shutters anyway and they always produce better images. Leica already has CS S lenses, but a newer smaller line has to be developed. Go all in like what X2D has done EVF has to big 5.7 megapixels or more, rear display should approach 3 million megapixels. The Leica interface is great, keep it. Don’t cut corners. One terabyte of internal fast memory was almost future proofing. I shoot Leica, but this type of new MF crushes FF. All the blockers have been removed to jump to MF that surpasses Leica FF, including price.
Holy Smokers - this thing is insanely expensive (yes, I know that you knew that). I just jumped on the website of my local camera store here in Perth, Western Australia and it is 29,900 AUD (body only). Oh my goodness - that is a deposit on a house over here. I moaned and carried on last year when I had to pay over 3K for my Nikon Z6ii body - this thing is from another stratosphere. I could get the lovely Fuji GFX 50s ii, and then a lovely lens (and have photos that for all intense and purposes would look the same) and still have enough left over to buy a brand new car - smokers. The thing that Leica never got and still doesn't (for somebody who shoots 80% of my images from the hip), all of their cameras have a fixed LCD!@#$%!!! This is the huge deal-killer on all of their cameras. Everybody rolls out/flips out their rear screens today on all cameras, to take pictures. Even if it's only when they are down on a funny angle or whatever. Until Leica gets with the times, they are not only fighting against their obscene pricing, but having all their model cameras with ergonomics and screens from the 90's - get with it Leica!
Thanks, appreciate your comment. I answered this already in a different comment, lots of confusion out there on sensor formats. I copy-in what I commented somewhere else, here you go :) The S3 sensor is not a classical medium format. Leica calls it (see here: leica-camera.com/en-int/photography/cameras/s/s3-black/details ) the "Leica ProFormat" sensor since the medium format sensor size is typically around 53 x 40mm and is only available, e.g., in the Hasselblad H6D-100c and -50c and the Phase One IQ4 or other IQ backs. On that Leica Website, Leica further say that "The Leica ProFormat therefore represents an ideal balance between image quality and creative capabilities for a broad spectrum of photographic applications and uses the ideal SYNTHESIS of 35mm and traditional medium format.". That's how Leica speaks about the S3. The Leica S3 sensor is significantly smaller than a true medium format sensor - so is not a medium format sensor in the traditional way of looking at medium format :) The aspect ratio 3:2 of the Leica S3 is also unusual for medium format type sensors. In addition, of course, medium format also refers to the large film rolls you can shoot on medium format cameras like the Hasselblad 500 series or the Mamiya RZ67 camera series. I am referring here to, for instance, 120 film rolls. I am shooting them all, so I know these camera systems very well. The sensor size of the Leica S3 is about the same sensor size as what you get on a Hasselblad X1D(II) or a Fuji GFX 100s. Also for this sensor size, people rather call it "cropped medium format" instead of medium format since these sensor are significantly smaller than true medium format (again, classical medium format sensors have a dimension of about 53 x 40mm give or take). Fuji actually makes this explicit and does not even talk about medium format, they call the GFX sensors "Large Format", see here: fujifilm-x.com/global/products/cameras/gfx100/feature-device/ And yes I know, in a film roll context "Large Format" is something different than what Fuji addresses here.
I did shoot the Pentax quite some years back but never went warm with it ... I know that some people love their Pentax 645D and the image quality is really good too. But its not for me, for various reasons. And don't forget, I also do not own the Leica S3. Leica just gave it to me for 10 days to test it out :)
The S system has the best lenses ever made for a DSLR system. Hard to see anyone ever beating it. The problem with the S is the same as with other series of Leica cameras: The colour output is not what most people are used to or prefer. Thus, they should make an S3 Monochrom. No billionaire needs colour anyway.
Ha! Your comment on "billionaire" made me smile :) Black & White will do the trick ;) On S-lenses quality, your comment is spot on. That's why I also love to shoot S-lenses on my Leica SL2. And due to the larger image circle of S-lenses when put on top of a full-frame sensor, you only use the juicy part of these lenses around the center.
I had to return the Leica S3 to Leica, sorry. But here is my simple assessment: image quality is about at par, both sensors have about the same size, comparable dynamic range, same creative possibilities. The GFX 100s in addition is a much more modern camera with many more features than the Leica S3 has to offer. Price tag is also significantly lower on the camera body for the GFX 100s compared to about USD 19k for the S3 body. So clearly in an overall comparison the GFX 100s is a better choice. The only thing that drives people to go nevertheless for the Leica S3 is this special "dreamy" Leica look the S3 can produce if you shoot the camera and lenses the right way. But that special look is in the eye of the observer and is hard to nail down in concrete terms. So for some of us going for the much more expensive and slightly outdated Leica S3 is still an option, for most of us the GFX 100s is the better value for money. In particular if you take autofocus into account: the GFX 100s has an Intelligent Hybrid AF (contrast AF / phase-detection AF) system with up to 425 selectable AF points including eye and face detection. And the resolution is 102MP natively plus 400MP Multishot option. This, in combination with a large format sensor of the same size as the Leica S3 has it, is hard to beat :)
@@mathphotographer true. It would be interesting if someone makes an adapter for Leica S to GFX, but from what I know you won’t be able to set the F aperture.
It is not more than with other DSLRs and you can shoot with Mirror up and live view if you want. You lose the autofocus then of course but on a tripod for vibration free landscape its not a problem at all to go for manual focus.
Correct Jim, and I mention it several times in the video when speaking about sensor size. Hasselblad H6D and Phase One IQ4 sensors are significantly larger than the S3 sensor.
@@mathphotographer It would be great to see a real comparison between full mf sensors and cropped. Other than a larger viewfinder image, wider angles, and shallower DOF, as far as image quality and DR, what is the difference if any?
Comparing this camera to a Hasselblad (any of them) is a dead end. Actually there is no real reason to buy this set. Hassy has better colors, better color science, 16 bit, better compatibility and lower price. Adding the terrific Leica service background (why I actually left Leica...) which is a nightmare I would say: choose Hassy, PhaseOne or Fuji what you like but run away from this camera.
@@johannes.f.r. not really. I still have a few Leicas and lenses and they are amazing. Comparing a Canon or Nikon to a Leica the difference is visible. I have a Hasselblad X1DII too and have to tell that the color science of the Hasselblad is better than any other cameras. The lenses are amazing especially the 120 mm macro with a leaf shutter. And let us not forget the service background. You can have the best car in the world but without a reliable maintenance background is useless. Wetzlar service is one of the worst camera services in the world…
the reason to get this is bcos its simpler, not modular, and not a mirroless therefore looking straight from the lens, and better than average weather sealing. if i have the money I would get hasselblad because i love leaf shutter and better design solely personal.
Thanks for being one of the few to be in a position to get through the mystique of this troubled camera model. This tank-like camera is a thing of ergonomic beauty and simplicity. However, if I was a pro I doubt I could see or justify a single benefit it might give over the 100s and the 110mm f 2 portrait lens to justify a price tag not less than three times higher. If I was a pro shooting adventure or making money from fine, high mountain photography in the Swiss Alps I would again see not a single advantage in output it might confer compared to the image stabilised GFX 10 system. It will outlast any GFX body, for sure, but its output has no discernible advantage.
I had the S007 for a little while. From a tech perspective I felt like I was going back in time, and it was so massive and heavy with the (wonderful) S lenses that I didn't keep it for long. I am much, much happier shooting with the M11.
Shooting with the M11 is making me happy too, thanks for your comment, Peter. Clearly, the S3 vs M11 are completely different camera concepts with different applications. In any case, shooting the M11 is always a good idea and will continue to make happy :)
First.. this is MEDIUM format camera and you keep say its large format .. you need to know the difference cause there is LARGE format camera out there and they are totally different everything .. Then .. if you keep missing you focus, its your problem not the camera .. if you are a photographer, you should know how to do focus in any ways and any how without complaining why there is no 4000000 focus point, also this is not outdate it at all, I never heard of red blue green OUTDATE .. you will get them in all cameras and all photos you print or edit, this is a real camera got real camera function to get the PHOTO out of what you see in the view finder, this is not TABLET and a COMPUTER camera wanna be, its real camera got what a PRO photographer need as they dont complain, the one complain and name outdated cause they want the camera to be a COMPUTER with many features and what so ever, this is not sony camera , so dont confused your self and others who watch this video, back in film this is what real photographers used to deal with, and Leica made it to digital as easier to get the photos right a way from film, so if you cant handle such a camera and its too much for you, you should not go to Leica store to start with and get a camera is larger than your brain can handle. Cheers.
Thanks Ramsey, kind of an aggressive comment but everyone is welcome at my channel ;) Let me comment on your comment with all due respect. The S3 sensor is not a classical medium format. Leica calls it (see here: leica-camera.com/en-int/photography/cameras/s/s3-black/details ) the "Leica ProFormat" sensor since the medium format sensor size is typically around 53 x 40mm and is only available, e.g., in the Hasselblad H6D-100c and -50c and the Phase One IQ4 or other IQ backs. On that Leica Website, Leica further say that "The Leica ProFormat therefore represents an ideal balance between image quality and creative capabilities for a broad spectrum of photographic applications and uses the ideal SYNTHESIS of 35mm and traditional medium format.". See? That's how Leica speaks about the S3. The Leica S3 sensor is significantly smaller than a true medium format sensor - so is not a medium format sensor in the traditional way of looking at medium format :) The aspect ratio 3:2 of the Leica S3 is also unusual for medium format type sensors. In addition, of course, medium format also refers to the large film rolls you can shoot on medium format cameras like the Hasselblad 500 series or the Mamiya RZ67 camera series. I am referring here to, for instance, 120 film rolls. I am shooting them all, so I know these camera systems very well. The sensor size of the Leica S3 is about the same sensor size as what you get on a Hasselblad X1D(II) or a Fuji GFX 100s. Also for this sensor size, people rather call it "cropped medium format" instead of medium format since these sensor are significantly smaller than true medium format (again, classical medium format sensors have a dimension of about 53 x 40mm give or take). Fuji actually makes this explicit and does not even talk about medium format, they call the GFX sensors "Large Format", see here: fujifilm-x.com/global/products/cameras/gfx100/feature-device/ And yes I know, in a film roll context "Large Format" is something different than what Fuji addresses here. In any case, If you watch my video @09:00 you will find the explanations you are looking for. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, nevertheless, and I hope my comment could clarify the points you are making.
This cam is overprices and underfeatured. Outdated and useless. For the same price you get so much better gear than this. PS: Selling point - "this camera is a true DSLR, I can show you the mirror" - REALLY?!?! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! AMAZING!!! 😂
If it was 5000/6000/7000 I would hug it, but 18000€ is too much. Lenses are expensive too, but not too much for being Leica and extremely high quality.
@@tiziocaio8657 Correct - the lenses' price tag is in range with other expensive Leica lenses from the M or SL systems but the camera body for USD 19k is just overpriced when embedding the features of the camera into today's camera market.
