Leica’s medium format S3 DSLR is out and it can be yours for “only” $19,000

First photos of Leica S3 leaked ages ago, and earlier this year we saw the specs leak as well. But now it’s official: Leica S3 is out. It’s a medium format DSLR with 64MP 30 x 45mm CMOS sensor and 4K and full HD video, and as you have probably expected, it’s a pricey piece of gear. Let’s dive in and find out more about what Leica’s new medium format camera has to offer.

The Leica S3 sports a 64MP 30 x 45mm CMOS sensor, with dynamic range rated for up to 15 stops. This “Leica ProFormat” sensor also omits an optical low-pass filter. This means that it offers “the greatest sharpness possible.” The ISO ranges between 100 and 50,000 and the camera supports continuous shooting up to 3 fps. When it comes to autofocus, the S3 packs a predictive phase-detection autofocus system.

Other than shooting photos, the S3 can also be used for video. It features a DCI 4K recording at 24 fps and full HD up to 30 fps. You can add an external microphone via the 3.5mm port and external recording at Full HD is supported via HDMI Type-C with 4:2:2 8-bit color sampling.

Here are the full specs of the camera:

Imaging
Lens Mount	Leica S
Camera Format	Medium Format
Pixels	Effective: 64 Megapixel
Aspect Ratio	1970-01-01 03:02:00
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Size	30 x 45 mm
Image File Format	DNG, JPEG
Bit Depth	14-Bit
Exposure Control
ISO Sensitivity	Auto, 100 to 50000
Shutter Type	Focal Plane Shutter, Leaf Shutter
Shutter Speed	Mechanical Shutter
	1/4000 to 120 Second
Metering Method	Center-Weighted Average, Multi-Zone, Spot
Exposure Modes	Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority
Exposure Compensation	-3 to +3 EV (1/2 EV Steps)
Metering Range	1.2 to 20 EV
White Balance	Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Halogen, Incandescent, Shade, Tungsten
Continuous Shooting	Mechanical Shutter
	Up to 3 fps at 64 MP for up to 6 Frames (Raw) / Unlimited Frames (JPEG)
Interval Recording	Yes
Self-Timer	2/12-Second Delay
Mirror Lock-Up	Yes
Video
Recording Modes	MOV/M-JPEG 4:2:2 8-Bit
	DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at 24.00p
	Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 24.00p/25p/29.97p
External Recording Modes	4:2:2 8-Bit
	Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 24.00p/25p/29.97p
Video Encoding	NTSC/PAL
Audio Recording	Built-In Microphone (Stereo)
	External Microphone Input (Stereo)
Focus
Focus Type	Auto and Manual Focus
Focus Mode	Continuous-Servo AF (C), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S)
Viewfinder and Monitor
Viewfinder Type	Optical (Pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage	0.98
Viewfinder Magnification	Approx. 0.87x
Diopter Adjustment	-3 to +1
Monitor Size	3"
Monitor Resolution	921,600 Dot
Monitor Type	Fixed LCD
Flash
Built-In Flash	No
Flash Modes	First-Curtain Sync, Hi-Speed Sync, Second-Curtain Sync
Maximum Sync Speed	1/125 Second (Focal Plane Shutter)
	1/1000 Second (Leaf Shutter)
Dedicated Flash System	TTL
External Flash Connection	Hot Shoe, Proprietary
Interface
Memory Card Slot	Slot 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC
	Slot 2: CompactFlash (UDMA 7)
Connectivity	Leica S Remote Terminal (USB 3.0), HDMI C (Mini), 3.5mm Microphone
Wireless	Wi-Fi
GPS	Yes
Environmental
Operating Temperature	32 to 113°F / 0 to 45°C
Operating Humidity	15 to 80%
Physical
Battery	1 x S BP-PRO1 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.3 VDC, 2300 mAh
Dimensions (W x H x D)	6.3 x 3.15 x 4.72" / 160 x 80 x 120 mm
Weight	2.77 lb / 1260 g (Body Only)

And here are more photos of the Leica S3:

The Leica S3 is available for preorders and it can be yours for $18,995. It’s expected to start shipping in late March, hopefully without any delays.