Leica is engaged on growing its personal picture sensors once more, an thrilling and fascinating improvement in an trade the place there’s not all that a lot range in picture sensor expertise.
Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Digicam AG, was just lately a visitor on the German language podcast, “Leica Fanatic Podcast” with Michel Birnbacher. Within the newest episode, printed on Christmas Eve, Birnbacher had an in depth dialog with Dr. Kaufmann about all issues Leica, from its a centesimal anniversary celebrations in 2025 to its newest merchandise, together with the polarizing however good Leica M EV1.
However arguably probably the most thrilling a part of the dialog, as reported by Leica Rumors, got here within the latter portion when Birnbacher and Dr. Kaufmann mentioned the picture sensors in latest Leica M-System cameras.
“We have now loads of concepts for additional improvement,” Dr. Kaufmann mentioned of the Leica M-System. “And that shall be very thrilling… As has already been partially reported, we’re additionally growing our personal sensor once more.”
Dr. Kaufmann continues, explaining that the sensor improvement has been ongoing and that it takes appreciable time to develop a picture sensor.
What isn’t clear is exactly how lengthy Leica has been growing an in-house picture sensor, whether or not it should work with an outdoor get together on closing sensor manufacturing, or when a Leica digicam with a brand new Leica-engineered picture sensor might make it to market. Merely making a brand new digicam, even when it has the identical picture sensor as its predecessor, can simply take three-plus years. Including in a brand new picture sensor solely additional complicates the method.
The more than likely rationalization right here, and that is hypothesis, is that Leica’s engineers are working intently with an present picture sensor fabricator to design and create a brand-new picture sensor for some future Leica digicam. There aren’t many firms on the earth that may make refined picture sensors.
As Dr. Kaufmann defined, Leica most just lately used off-the-shelf Sony picture sensors for its M11 sequence cameras, however for the M10, Leica developed sensors alongside AMS OSRAM, an Austrian picture sensor firm. Nonetheless, as Dr. Kaufmann notes, Leica labored with AMS’ Dutch improvement firm and the sensors had been made in a French foundry. European through-and-through, nonetheless.
There’s technically nothing stopping Leica from contracting Sony Semiconductor Options to create bespoke picture sensors. Whereas Leica has developed picture sensors alongside a variety of makers through the years, the picture sensor market is far much less numerous than it was, and “growing” a picture sensor can imply many issues. It could possibly imply one thing so simple as putting in a selected, distinctive coloration filter array in entrance of a extensively accessible picture sensor, tweaking the electronics under the picture sensor, or working with a fabricator on an all-new sensor designed from high to backside for a really particular photographic utility.
What is evident, primarily based on what Dr. Kaufmann advised Michel Birnbacher, is that Leica is taking a way more hands-on strategy to picture sensor improvement for future cameras, and that’s thrilling information.
The whole podcast episode is fascinating, though once more, it’s in German.
Some highlights embrace that Leica’s largest market is the USA, and its second-largest is now China. Its dwelling market, Germany, is in third place, however Dr. Kaufmann believes Japan will “in all probability overtake” Germany to take third.
Dr. Kaufmann additionally famous that Leica has “fairly a number of issues within the pipeline,” so photographers ought to hold their eyes peeled for thrilling information in 2026.
He additionally dished on the Leica M EV1, placing to mattress any considerations longtime Leica M fans had that Leica might in the end transfer away from the rangefinder. That’s not taking place.
“In case you have a look at the household tree now, you’d see a cut up into two branches,” Dr. Kaufmann mentioned. “One which operates by way of the digital viewfinder, and the opposite, for traditionalists like myself, [the rangefinder].”
Whereas Dr. Kaufmann mentioned the EVF will play a task within the Leica M-System, the corporate will keep two product households.
Picture credit: Leica