The problem is cost and performance or cost/performance ratio.
S3 sensor show significantly less DR than Sonys 44/33 sensor. Not sure how much it contribute to much higher price than Hasselblad and GFX series.
Whoever makes the sensor doesn’t matter as long as it deliver but M11 has the best Leica sensor I ever used, I hope they succeed. For landscape, M11’s E shutter itself a great feature to use even with relative slow read out speed. It noticeably produce sharper image at relative slow shutter speed. (<1/100s)
SlowDriver wrote:
Interesting development. FWIW, as far as I know the S007 sensor (from which the M240 sensor was derived) was made by CMOSIS, CMOSIS was acquired by ams in 2015 and it was headquartered in Antwerp Belgium, so when the LR article says "Dutch development office" that sounds kind of awkward but anyway... I don't believe it was ever confirmed they made the S3/M10-R sensor but it sounds like that might have been the case... Also, if Leica for their new medium format camera sticks with the 3:2 aspect ratio of their S cameras they are kind of forced to do their own thing, rather than use the 4:3 aspect ratio Sony sensor that both Hasselblad and Fuji use. ...Show more →
I don't think we will see a new Medium Format camera from Leica in the near future. I have heard that this project was canceled and there are no current plans to develop a MF camera.
Honestly, since the Leica M is so well respected for street photography, equipping the M12 with a stacked sensor or global shutter CMOS would make a lot of sense to me.
We have gotten a little too caught up in the resolution race, but the truth is most of us already have more than enough detail to work with.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Honestly, since the Leica M is so well respected for street photography, equipping the M12 with a stacked sensor or global shutter CMOS would make a lot of sense to me.
We have gotten a little too caught up in the resolution race, but the truth is most of us already have more than enough detail to work with.
Global shutter would go hand in hand with the idea of capturing the decisive moment.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Honestly, since the Leica M is so well respected for street photography, equipping the M12 with a stacked sensor or global shutter CMOS would make a lot of sense to me.
We have gotten a little too caught up in the resolution race, but the truth is most of us already have more than enough detail to work with.
I have stopped caring and consider anything over 42mp to be overkill. I have printed up to 8 feet using the full lateral resolution at 42mp and it’s looked great at typical viewing distance featuring nature and urban scenes. And I crop decently too at times as a prime shooter. I wonder how many people really use the resolution at greater than 42mp files for actual photography versus zooming for pixel peeping and being neurotic? (I am neurotic about lenses, but I admit it).
I hear you, Fred.
After gfx100RF and Sony rx1r3, I totally changed my perspective on this. I don’t need resolution by itself but digital crop is really really handy for me compare to any zoom lenses or change lenses in Field.
The world is not a fixed format for me when I used 100RF range from square to 2:1, with focal length crop, even more option.
RX1 has a great 50mm f2.8 30M file with super smooth bokeh.
I actually like the idea to have have 100M m12 with 50mm fixed there. I know I might be a minority here but now days, all gear are just so capable that it is really about fun to use for me. I heavily use crop and stitch to get the view I wanted with above theee cameras mentioned.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Honestly, since the Leica M is so well respected for street photography, equipping the M12 with a stacked sensor or global shutter CMOS would make a lot of sense to me.
We have gotten a little too caught up in the resolution race, but the truth is most of us already have more than enough detail to work with.
mkuredjian wrote:
Global shutter would go hand in hand with the idea of capturing the decisive moment.
+1
Trying to think outside the box from a blank page ... Foveon / X-Trans /
Maybe they finally make a "curved plane" sensor (vs. the elliptical microlenses) that presents Zone B / C more perpendicular to the light rays.
Or, a hybrid RGB / Mono sensor. Could be something like the X-Trans, but with an RKGKBK arrangement ... or a Foveon with the depth layer that has an R / G / B / K ... or some form of an RGB K pattern that emulates the rods / cones (e.g. Fuji S5), etc.
Just trying to think of something that Leica could do that is a "Marching to the beat of their own drum." moreover than following others. You know, something they couldn't talk Sony into doing, while Leica goes their own way.
People have been bagging the sensors in Leica cameras since the M8. It’s either too noisy or too slow or too little resolution or too much resolution. It’s so…..boring. It’ll just make pages and pages of forum fodder like it always has. Whatever they do next they need to do something different because one day people will stop buying M11’s and Leica needs to make money. The interwebs will not be kind. Expect a response on DPR so negative they may round up actual dentists and ban them from the site.
Really, a new processor is what the M12 needs. But that doesn’t get headlines or rather it gets the wrong ones. Have a look at the incessant whine about the Sony A1 mkii. Vastly better than its predecessor at its main task but written off as a firmware upgrade.
A new processor gets, faster start ups, less shutter lag, faster card writes and reads, snappier menus and a potentially better Visoflex performance. Possibly better IQ. Heck, they could halve the current shutter lag with EFCS via a firmware upgrade on the current camera. Or shooters could use some technique and shoot around it.
Some people want a stacked sensors. I’m not sure why. Is this a R1 alternative or a rangefinder? It’s not like the M11 shutter is too loud for those drooling gran kids we need to chase around the back yard. I shot weddings with M’s for years and since the M(240) shutter noise hasn’t been an issue. Maybe they all need 30fps? On a manual focus camera with a 135mm as its longest lens. Absolutely!
The M11 has too much resolution for some. Those people don’t like the triple resolution technology although it does give no real IQ differences to a lower resolution sensor. Leica marketed that very poorly. It could have been a great feature but was easily written off with a poor usage description.
IBIS isn’t going into an M soon. Too much flange distance. It would be the killer feature. Flip screen won’t get to the M for the same reason. The M11 is peak M body design. The M(240) and M5 say you don’t f**ck with the body too much.
If the M12 had the same sensor it’d still have the highest IQ of a small format sensor. It’ll still share that crown with 6 other cameras. Apparently that’s a negative??
The M12 doesn’t need a new sensor. The SL3-S needs a new sensor. But the M12 will get one because that’s progress, apparently.
I feel for Leica. Because if this isn’t an 80MP global shutter with the DR of a Phase One back, we’ll never hear the end of it…..
I think it's a positive move. I think the best digital cameras they've made have been the M10-R and the S3. I won't say those sensors were better than the Sony 61MP monster, but Leica seemed to have a better handle on their output in the processing chains. The files took a lot less work in post to please me, anyway. More importantly, though, I think Leica needs the distinction, particularly for the M, and the industry as whole needs the diversity.
I would also think that in doing this they are unlikely to drop the ball given the expectations of their customer base. That said Sony is the defacto choice so I’m sure there will be some trade-offs.
1bwana1 wrote:
I don't think we will see a new Medium Format camera from Leica in the near future. I have heard that this project was canceled and there are no current plans to develop a MF camera.
I would not be surprised. Leica in my opinion would not be able to compete with Hasselblad/Fuji and would have a hard time creating its own niche market.
the problem with doing it from scratch, even though there are a lot experience out there, its still experience. do u all remember the corrosions problem with m and then leica s006. i just need a camera without baggage
SlowDriver wrote:
I would not be surprised. Leica in my opinion would not be able to compete with Hasselblad/Fuji and would have a hard time creating its own niche market.
Did that information come from a store employee?
Interestingly Dr Kaufman confirmed in May that the project was real and in active development. Then in December a Leica employee that the project was suspending because it decided that it was too much to bite off right now. We will see.
nehemiahphoto wrote:
I have stopped caring and consider anything over 42mp to be overkill. I have printed up to 8 feet using the full lateral resolution at 42mp and it’s looked great at typical viewing distance featuring nature and urban scenes. And I crop decently too at times as a prime shooter. I wonder how many people really use the resolution at greater than 42mp files for actual photography versus zooming for pixel peeping and being neurotic? (I am neurotic about lenses, but I admit it).
Same here. I noticed the same thing when moving from 40 to 60MP. The extra detail is real, but it also leads to a less balanced overall performance with many lenses. The center of most lenses is better corrected and benefits more from the added resolution than the outer areas. As pixel count increases, that imbalance becomes easier to see across the frame.
Back when we were shooting 3,6, or even 12MP, chasing more resolution made sense and the improvement was obvious. After 24 or 36MP, the situation changed. I still use two cameras with 24 megapixel sensors, the M10-P and the M-D, and I have never felt limited, even for landscapes. I also do not crop my images for tighter composition. Many say the benefit of higher resolution comes from cropping, but I avoid that since my original composition is usually exactly what I want.
With the new offerings in upscaling software, a high performing lens paired with 18 or 24MPs can produce a very large and detailed image...
Something I would really love to see is more highlight headroom, maybe 2 stops above where we are now. That would bring the shooting experience much closer to film, where you can let the bright areas breathe instead of blowing out so easily. I am perfectly fine with the shadows and mid-tones picking up more noise in exchange. Noise is not the villain, it often adds character and texture to an image.
Jan 03, 2026 at 11:03 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Fred Miranda wrote:
Honestly, since the Leica M is so well respected for street photography, equipping the M12 with a stacked sensor or global shutter CMOS would make a lot of sense to me.
We have gotten a little too caught up in the resolution race, but the truth is most of us already have more than enough detail to work with.
I think it could make sense, but if they were going to go in that direction then Sony is way ahead with that type of sensor and I would think they would be turning to Sony not away from Sony for the next sensor.
Completely agree — hard pressed to just catch up and even hold serve if you’re trying to match Sony at their bread and butter. Why bother?
Steve Spencer wrote:
I think it could make sense, but if they were going to go in that direction then Sony is way ahead with that type of sensor and I would think they would be turning to Sony not away from Sony for the next sensor.
