Anyone still buying into/investing in the S system at this point?

[Pieter12]

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I purchased a 100mm lens that Leica had confirmed had never been upgraded, so I immediately sent it off. When I got it back 5 months later, it was underexposing by 2-3 stops and went right back to Wetzlar. They say it will get priority, who knows when I'll get to use it.

[Tirpitz666]

Wow that really suck, especially considering that I can imagine you paid a substantial amount of money for that.. 

Hope they will manage to return it to you soon fully fixed.

[John McMaster]

Mine exposes correctly on either S(007)

john

[bernstein1234]

I have a S2, 35CS, 70 and 180 for under USD6k. A good time to collect them now.
 

And after viewing the landscape and portrait images which I took with this system, it makes my Leica M images look ordinary. M users might scoff at this comment but the sheer magic from the S combination is really breathtaking. 

[John McMaster]

That is why I have sold most of my M kit 😉

john

[Stuart Richardson]

On 11/6/2025 at 9:32 AM, bernstein1234 said:

I have a S2, 35CS, 70 and 180 for under USD6k. A good time to collect them now.
 

And after viewing the landscape and portrait images which I took with this system, it makes my Leica M images look ordinary. M users might scoff at this comment but the sheer magic from the S combination is really breathtaking. 

Honestly, the SL high MP bodies do that too. But there is an extra level in some ways with the S. The combination of lens quality and resolution really add up. I feel like the SL APO Summicrons get there through sheer force of image quality, but in M mount there are fewer that manage. 

[bernstein1234]

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1 hour ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Honestly, the SL high MP bodies do that too. But there is an extra level in some ways with the S. The combination of lens quality and resolution really add up. I feel like the SL APO Summicrons get there through sheer force of image quality, but in M mount there are fewer that manage. 

To quote from the reviews commonly associated with Leica S, the images produced (with S lenses) are/have

1. Crisp

2. Subtle in tonality

3. Nice skin tones

4. Definition in especially leaves details

5. Low noise at base ISO (for comparison, Leica M10R has some noise at base ISO)

6. And the list goes on

[tom0511]

Am 7.11.2025 um 14:02 schrieb Stuart Richardson:

Honestly, the SL high MP bodies do that too. But there is an extra level in some ways with the S. The combination of lens quality and resolution really add up. I feel like the SL APO Summicrons get there through sheer force of image quality, but in M mount there are fewer that manage. 

I think the m35apo is one of them.

[tom0511]

its a shame Leica does not give us a S body with adequate AF capablilities. they even don't let us know if we can hope for one in the future.

why do they always come up with great innovations (Leica the S as one of the first small medium format cameras, the TL/CL as a high quality compact with exchangeable lenses or the SL as the first full sized mirrorless in a solid body) and then let the competitors take over?

 

 

[Stuart Richardson]

I think that Leica tries to get it right the first time, but unless that becomes a smash hit they don’t seem to really want to invest much else or change it at all. In the case of the S, they launched S2 in 2008 and three generations and five body versions later (S2P, S006, SE and S007) and the S3 comes out with only minor changes in 2020. They even have the same HDMI spec from the S2 in it, so it is not fast enough to output 4k to an external recorder. I don’t really get it either. It is one thing to not fix what isn’t broken to begin with, but certainly the AF and an ancient HDMI spec were not worth keeping as is. In this case I think they made a conservative choice to use old style AF motors when the system was developed (2005/6?), and that precluded any real advancement for the life of the system. Thankfully they fixed that problem in the L mount lenses. 

[BernardC]

On 11/9/2025 at 6:23 PM, tom0511 said:

its a shame Leica does not give us a S body with adequate AF capablilities. they even don't let us know if we can hope for one in the future.

You should read the S4 thread. They have let us know that a new medium format us on the way, possibly as early as next year.

The SL is doing well. The CL and TL were effectively replaced by the ultra-successful Q series. One can argue that the Q and CL are different, but Leica's customers overwhelmingly voted for the Q as their compact AF camera of choice. 

[helged]

18 minutes ago, BernardC said:

You should read the S4 thread. They have let us know that a new medium format us on the way, possibly as early as next year.

The SL is doing well. The CL and TL were effectively replaced by the ultra-successful Q series. One can argue that the Q and CL are different, but Leica's customers overwhelmingly voted for the Q as their compact AF camera of choice. 

+1. The stated adaptability to S- and L-mount lenses (plus, I presume, all sorts of full frame M etc lenses) makes the S4 an interesting body/system for me. One can hope for a release in 2026, if not, at least a formal announcement in 2026...

[SlowDriver]

12 hours ago, BernardC said:

You should read the S4 thread. They have let us know that a new medium format us on the way, possibly as early as next year.

The SL is doing well. The CL and TL were effectively replaced by the ultra-successful Q series. One can argue that the Q and CL are different, but Leica's customers overwhelmingly voted for the Q as their compact AF camera of choice. 

At this point in time we only know that Leica is working on a medium format system.  Whether that system will ever see the light of day is completely unknown right now.  And if it does it will take at least 3-5 years before it is stable and with a reasonable and workable amount of lenses while at the same time needing to compete with very mature Hasselblad and Fuji systems.  Not an easy task, especially with the X2Dii already being lighter and cheaper than the SL3 right now.  

Do you have any numbers to back up that the Leica SL is doing well?  Or are you just repeating the Leica marketing messages?

And the Q can at best be considered as a replacement for the X-series of cameras.  I gather that you don't have $20K of Leica APS-C gear sitting on the shelves.  The only system that could potentially replace the CL and the TL2 is a more compact L-mount camera with a high number of MP so that the APS-C lenses still can be used effectively.  It will probably never happen.  

[tom0511]

Has Leica ever told us officially that we will see a S4 for sure?

And if it I is going to happen, which facts will make us to hope for an AF which is better than adapted S lenses on SL2/3 bides with S-adapter? (which is accurate but hunting a lot and slow and loud)

IMO its all too slow and too few communication from Leica side.

I loved the S system when it came out but today I take the precise AF and size of the x2d over it. For me deciding factor is not loyalty but facts and how good things work for me.

 

[Pieter12]

13 hours ago, helged said:

+1. The stated adaptability to S- and L-mount lenses (plus, I presume, all sorts of full frame M etc lenses) makes the S4 an interesting body/system for me. One can hope for a release in 2026, if not, at least a formal announcement in 2026...

I want mine covered in Unicorn hide.

[Jon Warwick]

On 11/9/2025 at 6:18 PM, tom0511 said:

I think the m35apo is one of them.

 

1 hour ago, tom0511 said:

I loved the S system when it came out but today I take the precise AF and size of the x2d over it.

 

I don’t disagree with what you say. As M lenses go, the M 35 APO is a masterpiece, IMHO, not just in terms of sharpness, but with a beautifully smooth bokeh (better imho than the SL APO primes) and gentle rendering.

But then I start to think of alternatives, including the accuracy of both a really good autofocus system (such as the SL3-S) and the benefits of IBIS (X2Ds, SLs), and I start to scratch my head as to how reliable an M camera is to fully achieve in daily use what is a brilliant MTF chart for the M 35 APO (and other tier one M lenses)?

I often use a tripod (a solid Really Right Stuff 3-Series at that!), Visoflex, base ISO etc to extract all that I can in terms of image quality from my Ms, but I’m perhaps an outlier in terms of such methodical use. Starting to recently play more with a SLs (and excellent Sigma DG DN 50mm 1.4), and I’m personally contemplating that there are better Leica systems than the M to extract the highest image quality on a more consistent and reliable basis.

I haven’t extensively tried the X2D, but I can imagine with its AF and small size that it’s a good combo for many. 

 

Edited November 11 by Jon Warwick

[Jeff S]

46 minutes ago, Jon Warwick said:

 

But then I start to think of alternatives, including the accuracy of both a really good autofocus system (such as the SL3-S) and the benefits of IBIS (X2Ds, SLs), and I start to scratch my head as to how reliable an M camera is to fully achieve in daily use what is a brilliant MTF chart for the M 35 APO (and other tier one M lenses)?

I often use a tripod (a solid Really Right Stuff 3-Series at that!), Visoflex, base ISO etc to extract all that I can in terms of image quality from my Ms, but I’m perhaps an outlier in terms of such methodical use. Starting to recently play more with a SLs (and excellent Sigma DG DN 50mm 1.4), and I’m personally contemplating that there are better Leica systems than the M to extract the highest image quality on a more consistent and reliable basis.

 

 

This is why I currently rely most often on the SL2 and 24-90, handheld, despite having used M bodies since the 80’s, now including an M10-R BP, which I’m in the process of selling due to lack of use. I’ll keep my M10M, primarily due to its unique shooting approach.

I’d be interested in testing an S4 if it materializes, but it would have to demonstrably exceed some high standards (in print and in handling) already achieved with my current gear, especially given its likely high price point.

Edited November 12 by Jeff S

[helged]

6 hours ago, Pieter12 said:

I want mine covered in Unicorn hide.

Thorsten O is your man.

[BernardC]

9 hours ago, tom0511 said:

Has Leica ever told us officially that we will see a S4 for sure?

Dozens of official reps have, including the chairman of the board. These are people who are aware of what information they can disclose during interviews. 

Obviously, official confirmation and specifications will have to wait for the official release , as with any new camera from any brand. 

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[tom0511]

We will see. For me counts whats available or in reach.