Leica S2 assembly and brief hands-on
Finally, we were treated to an overview of the assembly of Leica's new flagship S2 medium format DSLR, and given a brief chance to handle the camera. Its all-electronic, autofocus design means that there are fewer checking and calibration steps in the course of its assembly compared to the M8 or M9, although this still takes 3 hours per camera.
The S2 isn't much larger than full-frame DSLRs such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Nikon D700 or Sony Alpha 850/900, but its chunky, substantial design makes it feel bigger. The view above shows off a couple of interesting features; the angled shutter button, dual 1/4" and 3/8" tripod mounting sockets, and the very neat battery compartment design (the battery just slides into the hole in the base with no hinged cover, so changing it is quick and easy). Most striking, however, is the enormous diameter of the lens mount.
S2 assembly
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The S2 assembly line is rather smaller than that for the M9, but still contains equipment for sensor alignment, autofocus calibration, and shutter speed testing. Again, all cameras which leave the camera are individually checked and calibrated. |
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Here's the S2 subassemblies Airfix kit that's put together at Solms. It consists of the main mechanical assembly, the top, front and rear body plates, and the sensor board. |
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Here's the main mechanical assembly seen from the rear. It's dominated by the shutter gate covering that 45 x 30mm medium format sensor. |
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This is the same assembly seen from the front. The large lens mount and mirror can clearly be seen, plus the prism covered by the metering system and its associated electronics. Essentially it's all just like a 35mm format DSLR, but bigger. |
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This is the inside of the rear plate, illustrating the slimness of the LCD display which adds little to the thickness of the camera body. |
Brief Hands-On
Whilst showing us round the assembly line at Solms, Leica also allowed us a few moments handling the S2. Here are a few shots to give some idea of its size in the hand.
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This shot gives some impression of the size of the S2. The camera body isn't huge, and is perfectly comfortable to hand-hold; but the Summarit-S 70mm F2.5 normal lens is enormous, apparently due to the space requirements of the 'Central Shutter' design (in-lens leaf-type shutter). |
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This is the rear of the camera, with its remarkably clean design. The profusion of buttons and switches normally seen on pro-level SLRs has been eliminated by the use of four multi-modal buttons arranged around the rear LCD, which are used to select and change settings. |
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Here's a glimpse of the main controls (the traditional-style shutter speed dial on the top, and the rear dial for aperture setting), which fall neatly to hand. You can also see the small top plate color OLED screen, which displays major shooting settings. In typical Leica fashion, shutter speeds and apertures are set in half stop increments. |
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