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Will the S3 be DOA?

dave.gt

Well-known member
Hi, Jorgen,

It is always refreshing to read your posts.:)

Having been given the opportunity to use a Leica S 006 for a number of months and enjoying the experience very much, I can honestly say that the S was a great idea and the results have been on a level higher than the D850. The D850 was the first to go when our medical bills escalated last year. The D850 is an amazing camera! A Swiss Army knife for sure... and at a great price point.

Perhaps, I could have simply bought a complete D850 system and been perfectly happy three years ago. It is impossible to say. My results with the S were consistently better files and final images for the work I do. It always put a smile on my face. I have never tried a S007, and I certainly will never afford an S3. But then, I don't need either one. Nor do I need 100+mpg by any brand. Nor EVF. Nor another system . I am simply tired of the rat race being run by today's jaded camera users and those professionals who actually need those tools, I am delighted their needs are met.

I will be traveling a different path this year.:)

Think of a 1982 Mercedes 240D with manual transmission being chosen over a new Tesla. :thumbs: And that will be me.:thumbup: Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile!

I will edit to say that I do not expect the S3 to be DOA. Nothing remains the same for very long these days though and I suspect there will be radically different systems in 2025 when the current generation cameras wind up on eBay at basement prices. Good for the masses I suppose so that will be a good thing. An example is the excellent X1D that just sold on the Buy/Sell forum for some price south of $2900, a fraction of the cost of the camera when new just a few years ago? A new S3 should sell quite well because it has a quality of experience that separates itself from other systems. Just my two cents worth...:)
 

PeterA

Well-known member


S2 70S

I was an early adopter of the S series - great ergonomics/ great camera / great files / great lenses - when the autofocus wasn't blowing up because of a 50cent part in the lenses...that scared me off big time ....I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used nice mint example if it wasn't for the steep price of the lenses- as in eye wateringly expensive down here....

I'll just have to be happy with the "el cheapo" SL2 and SL lenses with the occasional sneaky M lens thrown in.

I dont know what to say about who Leica's target market is for the latest iteration of the camera- so many choices these days.
 

bab

Active member
Sounds like you have all nailed it the S3 is the camera for the person who only needs the S3 for the rest of their life to be solely contented.
It’s the last S someone said the last camera you ever need. With all the used S glass available for cheap money one could assemble a nice system for a fraction of the new costs.
Marketing wise you could sell the Copy machine (S3 body) cheap and make money with the ink (S lenses) but that would assume you could produce the lenses and make money doing so. That would also require Leica to change a 100 year policy of being the most limited and expensive camera brand so no I don’t think for one second the S3 will be released at a reasonable price.
Also I don’t think it will be released with competitive bells and whistles as all Leica buyers have a different goal when purchasing equipment. Prioritization falls on quality before performance or latest and greatest.

As usual I hope they prove me wrong, and I hope I win the lottery, or a very rich uncle I never heard of dies and leaves me millions or my biggest wish is one day I wake up and I can sing like Frank!
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
:deadhorse:
The S3, if and when it appears, will appeal to those who appreciate its strengths, can live without its absent features, and can afford it.

Every time I pick up the 007, which is, I admit, rarely, I get real pleasure from the handling, and extreme pleasure from the result - if it is in focus. In some situations, focus is easy. In others, it is not. I know which is which, and I expect luck to play a role in the latter instances. Can I live with that? I'm not sure. Can I justify the price? I'm not sure.

We'll see.

Matt
 

Photon42

Well-known member
i dont't have Capture One (anymore) but I think C1 opens any DNG. You just don't have any C1 profiles for the S out of the box. Maybe someone can comment on this who has access to both.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
i dont't have Capture One (anymore) but I think C1 opens any DNG. You just don't have any C1 profiles for the S out of the box. Maybe someone can comment on this who has access to both.
C1 will not open the Leica S produced DNG . It is possible to work around this by Pre Processing the files to strip the Leica information creating a generic DNG . Without the C1 profile you lose much (not all ) of the C1 advantage . It can be done but most find it impractical .

This seems like an outdated policy for Capture One as fewer and fewer buyers are debating Leica,HB,Fuji,Phase One ...each has carved out small part of the medium format market .Fuji (the largest and fastest growing ) of course made a deal with Capture One .

Has anyone seen current market share info on MF gear ?
 

msadat

Member
I don't know how many S-cameras Leica has made and how much money they have made from them. What sets Leica apart from most of the newcomers in the camera business is that they think long term customer relations. The user base is apparently large enough for Leica to feel responsible for their ability to upgrade their tools. This is a very different attitude from companies like Sony and to a certain degree Panasonic that discontinue a product line if it doesn't reach satisfying sales figures, and once they have a product that will make a higher profit (Sony A-mount and Panasonic 4/3 mount).

The alternative to a modest upgrade like the S3 is to discontinue. Not only would that send the customers to other supliers, but it would also potentially hurt sales of other Leica products, particularly L-mount cameras. Maybe it was a mistake to develop the S2 to start with, but once it was launched, Leica has had no alternative other than staying with the product line for a while.
Yes, Leica for sure look for long term relation with their customers, that's why started charging for failed AF motors on the S lenses. They don't want anybody to forget they can screw up and ask you to pay for it.
 

PeterA

Well-known member
I'd be happy to pay for fixing things if it meant that I could still use a system I wanted to use. A lot of other companies haven't even provided their clients with that opportunity and just cloesed shop or discontinued product lines and stoped all support....
 
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