Leica S1 Pro
The Leica S1 Pro is one of the strangest and most ambitious cameras Leica ever built. It is a medium format digital "scanner camera," shown as a prototype at Photokina 1996, with production starting at the end of 1997. It doesn't grab a frame in an instant. Its 36×36mm sensor scanned the image line by line at 5140×5140 pixels - roughly 26.4 megapixels - and optically transferred the data to a connected computer. Digital Camera World called it a "monster futuristic Leica" that shot at a resolution over twenty times better than its rivals. The catch is that each exposure took about three minutes. The camera weighed roughly 8 pounds and was clearly built for stationary studio use, not handheld shooting.
The S1 Pro belongs to the Leica S-System. It was introduced alongside the R8 film SLR in 1996, the same year Leica Camera GmbH was spun off from Leica Holding and listed on the stock exchange. Adapters were available for Leica R lenses and Hasselblad optics, and you could even mount the S1 directly into the film standard of a view camera. A like-new example that turned up at a Westlicht auction came with both adapters, the software, and all relevant cables.
The S1 Pro is a rare, collectible piece of Leica's early digital history. One sold at the Leitz Photographica Auction in 2024 for €9,000.
Known specifications:
- 36×36mm square scanning sensor, 5140×5140 resolution (26.4 megapixels)
- Medium format digital SLR / "scanner camera"
- Approximately 8 lbs
- ~3 minutes per exposure
- Adapters for Leica R and Hasselblad lenses
- Introduced at Photokina 1996; production began end of 1997
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