science

Leica S-System

Leica S-System is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Leica S-System rather than just read about it. In short: The Leica S-System is a medium format digital single lens reflex camera system introduced by Leica Camera in 1996. Beginning with the Leica S1, a prototype top-end studio digital camera unveiled at Photokina 1996.

Key takeaways

Leica S-System belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Leica S-System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Leica S-System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Leica S-System is a medium format digital single lens reflex camera system introduced by Leica Camera in 1996. Beginning with the Leica S1, a prototype top-end studio digital camera unveiled at Photokina 1996. It went into production at the end of 1997.

Leica S-System cameras Leica S1 – The Leica S1 Pro is a scanner camera with a very high resolution (26.4 megapixels) for stationary use introduced in 1996. On a 36×36 mm2 sensor 5140×5140 pixels are scanned and optically transferred to a connected computer. The object lens adapter system was exchangeable, thus object lenses of the systems Leica R, Leica M, Hasselblad, Mamiya 645, and all mechanical objective lenses from Canon (FD), Nikon, etc. can be used with the S1. The software for the S1 is a special SilverFast version, originally developed by LaserSoft Imaging for high-end scanners. Approximately 160 cameras were built and mostly sold to museums, archives and research institutes. Later on Leica introduced the S1 Highspeed with very quick scanning and the S1 Alpha with half the resolution to the market. Leica S2 – In 2008, Leica announced plans to offer an S-System – DSLR with a Kodak-made custom CCD image sensor measuring 30×45 mm and containing 37 million pixels. This sensor has a 26% longer diagonal and 56% larger area than a "full-frame″ 24×36 mm DSLR sensor and outputs an approximately 5000x7500 pixel image. The Leica S2 is thus essentially a medium format camera in a "35 mm SLR"-sized body. The new "Maestro" image processor used in the S2 was developed by Fujitsu based on the Milbeaut and the autofocus system (Leica's first to see production) was developed in house. The S2 series body, lenses and accessories were available in 2009. Leica S (Typ 006) – Leica announced the Leica S (Typ 006) in September 2012. It replaces the Leica S2, having a new sensor board with improved noise characteristics. Leica S (Typ 007) – Leica announced the Leica S (Typ 007) in September 2014. It replaces the Typ 006's CCD with a new CMOS image sensor. It offers improved noise characteristics, stills at 3.5 frames/second, and 4K video. Leica S3 – Leica announced the Leica S3 in October 2018. The camera specs were finally released in early 2020, to be available for sale in the spring.

Leica S lenses A series of new Leica lenses is manufactured specifically for the S2 and Leica claims they offer unsurpassed resolution and contrast at all apertures and focusing distances, even exceeding the sensor's capabilities. Lenses offered for the S2 include Summarit-S in normal (70 mm), wideangle (35 mm), and macro (120 mm) varieties, and Tele-Elmar (180 mm) portrait-length telephotos; these are available in versions that feature integrated multi-leaf blade shutters ("Central Shutter", or CS), in addition to the focal-plane shutter in the camera body, to enable higher flash sync speeds.

Super-Elmar-S 1:3.5/24 mm ASPH. Elmarit-S 1:2.8/30 mm ASPH. Elmarit-S 1:2.8/30 mm ASPH. CS Summarit-S 1:2.5/35 mm ASPH. Summarit-S 1:2.5/35 mm ASPH. CS Elmarit-S 1:2.8/45 mm ASPH. Elmarit-S 1:2.8/45 mm ASPH. CS Summarit-S 1:2.5/70 mm ASPH. Summarit-S 1:2.5/70 mm ASPH. CS Summicron-S 1:2/100 mm ASPH. Apo-Macro-Summarit-S 1:2.5/120 mm Apo-Macro-Summarit-S 1:2.5/120 mm CS TS-APO-Elmar-S 1:5.6/120 mm ASPH. (Schneider-Kreuznach design) Apo-Elmar-S 1:3.5/180 mm ASPH. Apo-Elmar-S 1:3.5/180 mm ASPH. CS Vario-Elmar-S 1:3.5-5.6/30–90 mm ASPH.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Leica S-System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Leica S-System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Leica S-System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Leica S-System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Leica S-System

In research: Leica S-System appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Leica S-System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Leica S-System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Leica S-mount cameras, Leica S-mount lenses, Lens mounts, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Leica S-System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Leica S-System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Leica S-System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Leica S-System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Leica S-System in simple terms?

Why does Leica S-System matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Leica S-System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Leica S-System.