The decisive moment is never missed.

Leica S3

Words / Elva Pang
Translation / Fanny Chan

⟨ 12 June 2020 ⟩

現於香港Leica Gallery舉行的Alan Schaller攝影展覽，展出倫敦街頭攝影師Alan Schaller以Leica M10 Monochrom相機來拍攝，他專注於黑白攝影，以何藩及他的作品《The Living Theatre 人生舞台》為靈感，並堅持拍攝時要保持思想一致，才能表現相片的整體意念。在Alan Schaller的鏡頭下，黑白影像讓主題更突出、構圖更純粹而深刻，當中蘊藏的情感更是能夠觸動人心。M10 Monochrom比較五年前推出的M Monochrom，擁有更高的像素和更大的感光度，拍攝出來的照片自然銳利，漸變的灰色效果層次分明。

作為街頭攝影師，相機最重要是能幫助他抓緊每個「Decisive Moment」，除了M10 Monochrom，Leica S系列相機正是以此為目標。自2008年推出S2後，S3於兩年前的世界影像博覽會（Photokina）上宣佈研發，今年終於面世，功能上相比上一代更是大大提升，為拍攝帶來新的體驗。與S2的3750萬像素比較，S3採用了6400萬像素傳感器，提升相片的細緻度，加上沿用S系列專屬的ProFormat感光配件、增加56%的感光區域，以及提升最高ISO感光度至50000，使用家能在不同的光暗環境下，仍能快速地捕捉眼前的影像，拍攝出細緻銳利的照片，真實地還原所見的影像。作為專業級的中畫幅相機，Leica S3更是首次支援4K電影解析度的拍攝，使流動的影像同樣能清晰流暢。

Leica S3的內在功能得到大大提升之餘，機身採用鎂合金、鏡頭卡口是高強度不銹鋼材質，以及防水、防灰塵等多種密封措施保護，使相機更穩定和持久耐用。Leica官方以「The One」來形容S3相機，完美也是唯一的，把S系列的目標「將創作的自由最大化，確保不錯過任何一個決定性的瞬間」實現出來。

The Hong Kong Leica Gallery is currently hosting the Alan Schaller Exhibition showcasing works by the London-based street photographer Alan Schaller shot with the Leica M10 Monochrom. Inspired by Fan Ho and his book The Living Theatre, Alan Schaller focuses on creating black and white photography. He takes a stand on having consistency in his thought process while photographing so that even a random set of images can also work as a whole. Under the lens of Alan Schaller, the subjects emerge profoundly among the black and white imagery, the composition is striking and authentic, and the sentiment is intense. Compared with the M Monochrom that was launched five years ago, the M10 Monochrom offers higher resolution and greater ISO sensitivity that produce fine-detail images with distinctive shades of gray.

For street photographers like Alan Schaller, it is essential to have a camera that can help them capture the “Decisive Moment.” The M10 Monochrom as well as the Leica S-system series are set to serve this particular purpose. Ten years after the launch of S2 in 2008, the Leica S3 was first teased at Photokina 2018, yet it was not until early this year that the final product was released on the market with a much improved functionality bringing users a brand new picture taking experience. Compared to its predecessor, S2, which has a 37.5-megapixels sensor, S3 is equipped with a 64-megapixel high resolution sensor that can capture every detail imaginable. The ProFormat high resolution sensor, which is developed exclusively for the Leica S-System, also offers a 56% larger light sensitive surface area and a maximum ISO sensitivity setting of 50000 delivering exceptional image quality in any imaginable lighting situation and providing the perfect photographic reproduction of reality. As a professional-grade medium format camera, Leica S3, for the first time ever in the Leica S-system, supports 4K cinema resolution shooting to deliver excellent imaging performance.

With a whopping advancement in functionality, Leica S3 has a refined appearance that matches up with its internal excellence – a magnesium body, a lens bayonet made from solid stainless steel, and numerous seals that protect the camera against dust and spray; all of which contribute to the reliability and long service life of the camera. Leica has labelled S3 as “The One”, the unique and perfect system lives up to its singular purpose: “maximizing creative freedom and ensuring that the decisive moment is never missed.”