Luminous landscape

Last Fall was a busy one for me with lots of international travel and workshops, and so I wasn't able to attend eitherPhotokinain Cologne orPhoto Eastin New York. Consequently there were a number of interesting new products which I had failed to see first hand.
The most appealing of these, for me at least, was theLeica S2, a slightly larger than DSLR sized camera with a 37.5 Megapixel sensor measuring 30X45mm.
When it was announced at Photokina I read the reports and didn't give the camera too much more thought. Leica hasn't had the most sterling track record in digital the past few years, and undoubtedly the S2 and its family of lenses would be ultra-expensive. But an invitation to meet with Leica and have a hands-on with the S2 at PMA in early March was an invitation that I couldn't resist.
Let me say right off the bat that this is one sweet camera system. In fact I found the simplicity and elegance of the design highly appealing. The body handles and is sized much like a top-of-th...