Well, as somebody that is shooting higher end DSLR's now, and looking at MF as a preferred direction, I can say that the S2 does look like it could pull me away from the higher end DSLR segment, and also keep me from worrying too much over the rest of the MF segment. We all talk about the image being the critical piece. The sensors we know have the capability, so it starts to come right back around to the glass, and for me, Leica may have a very nice edge over others.
I have been reading, researching, wending through discussions, playing with different systems on the MF side, and honestly, though there are some incredible capabilities out there and coming. This S2 is quite bit of a game changer in my eyes. It has the size, handling, and much of the very good stuff about DSLRs, with the imaging capability of the MF crowd. Do I want/need 60MP? Not at this point. Would 37MP, 50% larger sensor than 35mm FF meet most needs? For me, absolutely. The real test is going to be the support and service for this new offering. If Leica, through Phase or whomever, get that nailed like other MF players, or Canon and Nikon for their DSLRs, I think they will succeed.
Will Canon, Nikon and maybe others toss their hats into this "pro format" (Leica's words) ring? Maybe. Will they do it more cheaply? Most likely. Will it be as good? Well, they still have not been able to produce any glass that even comes close to Leica for their present highest end DSLRs, so that contributing factor must change dramatically, which has not been their strength to date. There is good glass, but nothing close to what Leica has been making nearly forever. So, given that scenario, would I be more likely to pick up a cheaper Canon or Nikon that could enter this same "pro format" space with their own offerings? Probably not. I have that level of quality now and am not as impressed.
What I would wish for is a bit more modest pricing, but the Red Dot folks have not been known for that. IF, and this is a big one, they did offer the S2 and glass at a competitive price, I think they would have a hard time keeping up with demand. I do think a lot of pros would look at the S2 and move into it for the majority of their needs, if the IQ and pro service is there. There will always be needs for bigger, and MF is heading that way now, but that is probably a much smaller overall market segment than what could be handled nicely by this S2, I think.
Just my thinking on this. I know I will be watching this very closely, and if things are what they say, and service and support are at the level pros need (next day replacement loaner, week or less turnaround on repairs, timely firmware updates as needed, etc.), I will most likely be dumping most of my DSLR gear, and going with this S2 and glass. It looks that good to me....on paper at least. The images will tell the final story, as will price and service, but this could be a camera to pull me away from high end DSLR as well as meet most of my MF "needs" at this stage.
LJ