Leica was expected to stun the world tonight with a special press conference at Photokina in Cologne, Germany. Of course, the release was leaked online a few hours before the press briefing. However, BJP was able to see the S2 in an exclusive briefing held in London last month. Here are 13 pictures of the new system with its lenses.
The entire S range
Since its announcement in September last year, the Leica S2 flagship camera - a 37.5 million pixel portable mastodon - has been the subject of countless rumours. At some point, it was thought that the project was doomed from the start or that delays would affect the ultimate release of the camera. Last year, when Leica presented the camera to the press, a summer 2009 release was announced. But, the appearance of an ad in the Norwegian photography magazine Fotografi has sparked rumours of delays, as the ad says the camera will only be released in September.
A quick check online or in a good almanac should put photographers' fears to rest: the last day of summer is 21 September.
***We've updated this blog with pictures from inside the store. Find them here***
Leica is expected to open its first official store in London. The store will be open to the public from Thursday 10 September at 10am. Some photos before the official opening.
Today's Leica press conference will also be a live webcast available to all online. Tune it at 2pm London time, right her to view the webcast, or follow us on Twitter for behind the scenes information about the launch of the M9 and X1 cameras, as well as the opening of the London Leica store...
Live Webcast on 9/9/2009 - The next Generation of Leica Cameras from leica camera on Vimeo.
Time and time again, Leica has made history with its superior quality cameras and lenses. And, each time, the innovations and developments made throughout the company's history have always been - and will always be - committed to one single aim: Uncompromising quality dedicated solely to the creation of a perfect image.
Please join us as Leica begins a new chapter in photography and tune in to the live webcast on September 9th to witness the unveiling of the next generation of Leica Cameras. www.leica-camera.com
The Leica store in London will open on Thursday 10 September at 10am. The address is:
In the meantime, here are some photos from inside the shop.
More images after the jump.
This morning, BJP was invited for an exclusive test of the Leica S2 camera. Our reviewer and expert on Medium Format cameras Adam Woolfitt gives his opinion of the new camera.
BJP interviewed this morning Stephan Schulz, product manager for the Leica S-System, and David Bell, UK managing director, about the upcoming release of the Leica S2 camera. The video is in two parts.
Part 1/2
Part 2/2
BJP is able to confirm that Leica will release a special edition of its M7 film camera designed by Hermes. Here is an image of the camera in its orange version. Read our full report here.
