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fotografz replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Kurt Kamka;1184 wrote: Forgot to change that, Jack. Just moved in this week.
How exciting for you. An exotic new location … nothing like a new place to get the juices flowing. I envy you. Best of shooting to you.
-Marc
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Pete Walentin replied to the topic First Look at the Leica S2 Microprism Focusing Screen in the forum S2 14 years, 9 months ago
I have the screen since yesterday in the camera and it is amazing. It feels like back in good old non-AF SLR days. I am amazed how precise the screen works. Focusing manually is so smooth, even when you have something far far away the screen supports excellent focusing abilities. On top of this when using AF it shows you perfectly if the spot you…[Read more]
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Stuart Richardson replied to the topic Will Leica start making more silver chrome lenses again? in the forum M Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Photojazz;1157 wrote: I hope not. The market is thin enough without them producing specialty lens materials. I say stick to stealth black, and make all you can. To me, the M9 P says, people like basic black, and to be able to blend in, not stand out in a crowd. It's the style of shooting many M9 fans do, less is more.
Totally agree. And…[Read more]
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Leica Store wrote a new post 14 years, 9 months ago
At Photo Plus Expo in New York City, Leica introduced the new Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH wide angle lens for the S2. I received a lot of questions as to why Leica would come out with a lens so similar in focal length to the existing and already quite amazing Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 ASPH. For the Leica S2 Pro Format, a 30mm is equivalent to a 24mm FOV (field of view) on the 135 format. This actually compliments the 35mm Summarit-S quite nicely, which has an equivalent FOV of 28mm. For decades, 24mm and 28mm have been important and distinct wide-angle focal lengths in the Leica stable of lenses. And, when the 24mm f/3.5 lens is released next year, the S-System will have an incredible wide-angle line-up of 19, 24 and 28 equivalent focal lengths.
With this new S lens, Leica had an opportunity to build upon the basic optical design of the 35 and make the changes necessary to widen the angle of view without sacrificing optical quality. This certainly isn’t the first time that Leica optical designers have modified existing designs to other focal lengths. In the M system, this is now the norm. Examples of this can be found in the 18 and 24 Elmar, 50 Lux and 75 APO, 21 and 24 Lux. In order to maintain the same 82mm front diameter, a 1/2 stop slower maximum aperture of f/2.8 was employed.
I had the opportunity to do some quick and dirty test shots with the new Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH lens at Leica’s demo studio. My first casual hand-held shots inside the studio showed that the 30mm was right in line with the other four S lenses quality-wise, which is what I’d expect. So, instead of trying to do extensive testing of the lens itself when time was limited, I decided that it might be interesting to put the 30mm and 35mm head-to-head. This would demonstrate the differences as well as the similarities between these wide-angle brethren.
Handling of the lenses is, for all practical purposes, identical. Their weight, size and balance are pretty much indistinguishable. They even share the exact same lens shade. Looking through the viewfinder, though, it’s clear which is the wider lens.
I ventured out onto the small balcony of the 10th floor studio to get some shots of the city. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a straight-on skyline shot, as the balcony was only on one side of the building – the one with a large building right next-door. So, I used the lovely chain link fence on the balcony’s edge to show variation in perspective and also test the difference in depth of field. I did my best to figure out the hyperfocal distance on the new lens by bracketing my focus from infinity to 1m and selecting the image with the most foreground DOF while retaining crisp details at infinity. And, even though I am familiar with getting the most usable DOF out of the 35, I used the same method in order to have an optimal result for comparison. Both were shot at f/13, which I’ve found to offer the sweet spot for maximizing DOF without losing sharpness to diffraction.
Upon review of the first pair of images, the 30mm clearly has more DOF. If you look at each image’s Crop 2, you’ll see that the chain link fence in the foreground of the 30mm is noticeably sharper. Keep in mind that the fence is less than 1m from the camera. And, even though I feel like I’m stating the obvious, the 30mm shot feels a fair amount wider. Both lenses show extremely minimal distortion and excellent sharpness. A look at Crop 1 will show detail at infinity.For the second image, I wanted to show detail from different sections of the image without worrying about carrying DOF. The other end of the balcony offered a view of the Hudson River with a lot of details. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid that pesky (and ugly) brown pyramidal building next-door from showing up in the lower right hand corner of the images.
Again, the additional coverage of the 30mm shows a larger field of view. Here, I’ve provided a few 100% crops. Crop 1 shows the very lower left corner, Crop 2 shows center left and Crop 3 shows the bottom edge. Both lenses show excellent detail and sharpness across the entire frame.
From what I’ve seen so far, the 30mm doesn’t disappoint. Leica has delivered a one-two punch for the two most commonly used wide angle focal lengths, both stellar lenses in their own rights. When the 24mm starts shipping next year, Leica should have the undisputed best wide-angle lens lineup for medium format. With low distortion, sharpness from center to edge and extremely fast apertures, these lenses push the limits of optical design and demonstrate that Leica knows a thing or two about making great lenses.
The 30mm is now available for pre-order from Dale Photo & Digital at a cost of $7,495. The lens should start shipping by the end of 2011.
Feel free to add to the existing discussion thread in the Forum section, here. -
Mark Gowin replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Kurt Kamka;1184 wrote: Forgot to change that, Jack. Just moved in this week.
I look forward to seeing some of your B&W's from the new location. Good luck with your move.
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David K replied to the topic Thank you Leica in the forum S2 14 years, 9 months ago
rgk;1177 wrote:
S2 customer service is not good. It is, in my experience, lacking in comparison to the service and tech support that I have obtained for my M cameras.I get tech support from Josh Lehrer at Dale, not from Leica and I am very worried should I experience a hard failure with any part of my S2 system.
This does not…[Read more]
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Kurt Kamka replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Jack MacD;1179 wrote: Kurt, your info says you are still in WI, I thought asia by now?
Forgot to change that, Jack. Just moved in this week.
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stephan replied to the topic Will Leica start making more silver chrome lenses again? in the forum M Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
To me, the M9 P says, people like basic black
at least not here in good old Europe, where the chrome version of the M9P is much more apreciated (and sold) than the black one.
Besides the esthetics, there are real arguments for a “real chrome” version, as chrome is much more resistant and more in the “Leica-tradition” than black paint. My…[Read more]
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Mark Gowin replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
David K;1175 wrote: Looks like I'll be taking a trip to So. Florida soon…
That could be an expensive trip. Leica's trade-up program for CS lenses will make it more tolerable.
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Mark Gowin replied to the topic Thank you Leica in the forum S2 14 years, 9 months ago
rgk, I don't understand why you are perplexed. I was simply thanking Leica for a job well done. I appreciated their efforts and felt compelled to thank them for their hard work in putting on the studio event. They went out of their way to provide current and prospective customers with a venue where they could use their products in a controlled…[Read more]
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Josh Lehrer replied to the topic Thank you Leica in the forum S2 14 years, 9 months ago
Jack, thank you for the kind words. I recognize how important expedient and efficient service is to S2 owners, so I will always do whatever it takes to get the job done.
RGK, Leica relies on its Leica S-Professional dealers for primary S2 support. My experience with Leica S service has been excellent in regard to commitment to the warranty,…[Read more]
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Jack MacD replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Kurt, your info says you are still in WI, I thought asia by now?
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Jack MacD replied to the topic Thank you Leica in the forum S2 14 years, 9 months ago
Leica cannot compete with Josh. But they are glad he exists.
As am I. -
rgk replied to the topic Thank you Leica in the forum S2 14 years, 9 months ago
I'm perplexed by this thread. Why are the customers thanking the vendor? In my experience the vendor thanks the customer. S2 customers are a very tiny segment of the camera market and they are to be valued highly.
As far as i am concerned the S2 is, for me, the best camera that I have ever owned and I am pleased that it exists and that I can…[Read more]
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Kurt Kamka replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
David K;1175 wrote: Looks like I'll be taking a trip to So. Florida soon…
David, Mr. Farkas always has the best interests of your wallet at heart. 😉
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David K replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
David Farkas;1171 wrote: Pete,
I have the images from the 30mm just about ready to go up…. but of course today I am a little distracted. Doing a test shoot this afternoon with some CS lenses at the beach. 😎
Looks like I'll be taking a trip to So. Florida soon…
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Delfi_r replied to the topic Will Leica start making more silver chrome lenses again? in the forum M Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Don't expect more silver or chrome lenses in the near future. I've direct information that there are plans to cancel in the future the chrome M9P and grey M9 because their production slows the total output of the factory and now there is urge to fullfill the orders.
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Pete Walentin replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
David Farkas;1171 wrote: Doing a test shoot this afternoon with some CS lenses at the beach. 😎
CS What?
Mr. Farkas is driving me crazy.
😮
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Jack MacD replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
CS lenses? What CS lenses?
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David Farkas replied to the topic Leica introduces Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH in the forum S Lenses 14 years, 9 months ago
Pete Walentin;1169 wrote: Dear Mr. Farkas, where are you? 😀
Can't wait to see some picutres.
Pete,
I have the images from the 30mm just about ready to go up…. but of course today I am a little distracted. Doing a test shoot this afternoon with some CS lenses at the beach. 😎
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