Leica is reinventing its image sensor, an exciting and interesting development in an industry where image sensor technology is not very diverse.

Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG, recently appeared on the German-language podcast "Leica Fans Podcast" hosted by Michel Bernbach. In the latest episode, released on Christmas Eve, Bernbach and Dr. Kaufmann discussed all aspects of Leica, from the centenary celebrations in 2025 to the latest products, including the controversial yet brilliant Leica M EV1.

Image sensor in Leica M system cameras

According to Leica Rumors, the most exciting part of the conversation was arguably the latter half, when Birnbacher and Dr. Kaufmann discussed the image sensor in the recent Leica M system cameras.

"We have many ideas about the further development of the Leica M system," said Dr. Kaufmann. "This will be very exciting… as previously reported, we are also developing our own sensor again."

Dr. Kaufmann went on to explain that sensor development is ongoing, and developing an image sensor takes a considerable amount of time.

It is currently unclear how long Leica will take to develop its own image sensor, whether it will collaborate with external manufacturers for final sensor production, and when Leica cameras equipped with the new Leica-developed image sensor will be available. Even if the new camera uses the same image sensor as its predecessor, the development process could still take more than three years. Adding a new image sensor would undoubtedly complicate the process further.

The most likely explanation (this is speculative) is that Leica engineers are working closely with an existing image sensor manufacturer to design and manufacture a completely new image sensor for future Leica cameras. There are only a handful of companies in the world capable of manufacturing precision image sensors.

Using Sony's off-the-shelf image sensor

As Dr. Kaufmann explained, Leica recently used off-the-shelf Sony image sensors in its M11 series cameras, but for the M10, Leica partnered with the Austrian image sensor company AMS OSRAM to develop the sensor. However, as Dr. Kaufmann pointed out, Leica collaborated with Osram's Dutch R&D company, while the sensor was manufactured in a French contract manufacturer. Nevertheless, it remains a thoroughly European product.

Technically, Leica could have easily commissioned Sony Semiconductor Solutions to customize the image sensor. While Leica has collaborated with numerous manufacturers on image sensor development over the years, the image sensor market is far less diverse than before, and "developing" an image sensor means many things. It can be as simple as mounting a specific color filter array in front of a commercially available image sensor, or it can involve adjusting the electronics beneath the image sensor, or collaborating with a manufacturer to design a completely new sensor from scratch for a specific photographic application.

According to what Dr. Kaufmann told Michel Bernbach, it's clear that Leica is taking a more proactive approach to developing image sensors for future cameras, which is truly exciting news.

The entire podcast was entertaining, though it remained in German.

Some highlights included: Leica's largest market is the US, and its second-largest is China. Its home market, Germany, ranks third, but Dr. Kaufmann believes Japan is "very likely" to surpass Germany and take third place.

Dr. Kaufmann also noted that Leica "has many projects in the pipeline," so photographers should keep a close eye on exciting news for 2026.

He also detailed the Leica M EV1, allaying long-standing concerns among Leica M-series enthusiasts that Leica might eventually abandon rangefinder cameras. This will not happen.

"If you look at the family tree now, you'll see it's split into two branches," Dr. Kaufmann said. "One branch uses an electronic viewfinder, and the other, like traditionalists such as myself, uses a rangefinder."

Dr. Kaufmann stated that the EVF will play a role in the Leica M system, but the company will maintain two product lines.

Source: Semiconductor Industry Observer (compiled)