Leica reportedly developing new medium-format camera to rival Hasselblad X2D II

The medium-format Leica S3 was the brand’s flagship camera when it was announced back in 2018. Unlike the Leica M and SL series, which have to “make do” with full-frame sensors, the S series featured Leica’s ProFormat medium-format sensors measuring 45 x 30 mm.

The Leica S was designed as a DSLR system. After Canon, Nikon and Sony had ended DSLR production, Leica finally followed suit by discontinuing the Leica S3 in 2023 without introducing a successor. The company has already confirmed multiple times that a new medium-format camera is in development. In a July 2025 interview with ThePhoblographer, Leica’s majority owner Dr Andreas Kaufmann acknowledged the existence and active development of this medium-format camera but declined to share further details.

LeicaRumors now reports that the new Leica medium-format camera could debut as early as 2026, though a release date remains unconfirmed. The typically well-informed Leica leak site also suggested that the product could be a mirrorless medium-format camera. If this proves true, the camera would mark the beginning of an entirely new series instead of a continuation as the Leica S4. Leica’s direction remains open at this stage. It is unclear whether this camera will be positioned as a highly compact alternative to the Hasselblad X2D II 100C (around $5,024 on Amazon) or as a larger professional camera akin to the Leica SL3.