The Sinar Leica S Mirrorless Camera

See my wish lists at B&H Photo including my Leica M wish list.

Thanks to reader John D for pointing out that in effect, Leica has a mirrorless digital format camera now, the Sinar S30/S45. So there are not at least 3 mirrorless entrants in the medium format arena: the Hasselblad X1D, the Fujifilm GFX are conventional; the Sinar is a workhorse speciality tool.

The Sinary S30/S45 takes Leica S lenses via the Sinar S-CS adapter: CS (central shutter) S lenses required as the back has no shutter of its own. At its core, it is a Leica S, utilize the S firmware, S mount and S image processor. My understanding is that Leica purchased Sinar, hence the tight collaboration using the guts of the S system.

SENSOR SIZE / ASPECT RATIO: 30 x 45mm / 2:3

Leica CMOS sensor with 6 μm pixel size, 37,5 MP

COLOR DEPTH: 16 bits per pixel

MOIRÉ REDUCTION: with external software

ISO 100 – ISO 12500

VIDEO: Full HD, 4K, uninterrupted video recordings up to 29 minutes, maximum file size for transfer to Mac computers 4 GB

CF memory cards (max. UDMA7), SD cards up to 2 GB, SDHC cards up to 32 GB, SDXC cards. Memory cards with less than 1 GB cannot be used. 4K video recordings can only be stored on SD cards.

The S-CS adapter apparently supports shift/rise/fall, but does not tilt.

The Mobile Digital Back

Sinar's legendary image quality and precision, traditionally bound to the studio is now available in the great outdoors. The new Sinarback S 30|45 was specially designed for mobile use. A high-resolution 3-inch display guarantees accurate and vivid review of photographs in every situation.

You can also view a live image directly on the display – and you even have the option of viewing on an iPad. CF and SD memory card slots ensure a reliable workflow when you're shooting on location. Tethered shooting is available via USB 3.0 connection directly to the Sinar CaptureFlow software. Ideal for all our view cameras, the S 30|45 digital back perfectly complements the Sinar lanTec, which is also ideal for shooting outside of the studio.

Built-in Video Option

This digital back can do more than just take pictures. A Leica CMOS-sensor with micro lenses (37.5 million pixels) and a Leica Maestro II image processor provide the option of shooting Full HD and even 4K video. This puts the Sinar S 30|45 digital back in a class of its own, rendering it uniquely suited for shooting both stills and video. It has opened up completely new horizons of creativity and efficiency for photographers.

Direct WLAN control leaves nothing to be desired

You can connect an iPad directly to the new Sinarback S 30|45. This allows you to see the live view image directly from thesensor, view shots already saved, zoom, rate and access certain Sinarback S 30|45 functions including firing the shutter. Having this option untetheredmakes for intuitive use and provides an optimized workflow with control over the imaging process.

Sinar S-CS Adapter for Leica S Lenses

The Sinarback S 30|45 provides maximum flexibility, extreme sensor sensitivity of up to ISO 12500 and extensive features for the highest quality photographs and video. When a production requires high mobility and superior image quality, photographers now have the option of using Leica S-Lenses in addition to the familiar Sinaron digital lenses!

The new Sinar S-CS adapter makes this linkage possible, providing a seamless connection for all available Leica S-Lenses. The Sinarback S 30|45, the S-CS adapter and the Leica S central shutter lenses make up a chain that provides a compact and very simple-to-use system.

Ergonomic, intuitive and robust

When you are on the move, in addition to superior image quality, you expect one thing from your camera above all else: intuitive handling. That's why we paid particular attention to ergonomic and intuitive operation when developing the Sinarback S 30|45. Of course, the digital back is as robust as you would expect from a dedicated mobile camera solution

Source: The Sinar Leica S Mirrorless Camera