@david-farkas
active 1 year, 8 months agoForum Replies Created
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Your assumptions are correct. According to Stephan Schulz (S2 product manager), there is no vibration advantage when using CS lenses as the focal plane shutter must fire immediately before the leaf shutter. The only advantage of the CS lenses is for faster flash sync speed, which in itself, is only an advantage when shooting with studio strobes outside. In studio, there is little advantage.
Having shot many slower shutter speed shots, the focal plane shutter of the S2 is very soft and I have not had any issues when using any of the Leica S lenses. When using the converted 400mm R lens, there are some speeds which do show movement (1/15, 1/8 for example).
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
Michael Moss;1603 wrote: My understanding is that the CS lenses have a built-in leaf shutter that allows 1/500 flash sync, but what are the other speeds available to the leaf shutter? Can it do the full range of speeds slower than 1/500? …like 1/4 or 1/8 etc? Thanks for any info
Michael,
The leaf shutter in the CS lenses can operate at the full range of shutter speeds up to 1/500th. At any speed higher than a 1/500th the camera will automatically switch to the focal plane shutter. To answer your question more directly, yes, the leaf shutter will operate at slower speeds like 1/4.
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
Jack,
I really like the first shot. I also like the more symmetrical version on your site of the same structure as well. Not sure which I like best. You could do a triptych series of 3 different angles of the same subject. Might be and interesting twist.
David
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
Your Monitor Back Plane Brightness setting is currently on Automatic. This adjusts the monitor backlight (not image brightness) based on ambient lighting conditions. To change:
1) Setup menu
2) Monitor/Display
3) Back Plane
4) Backlight
5) Change to Medium
6) Confirm by depressing the thumb wheelThis should solve your problem.
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
Thanks for all the feedback. We took all of the suggestions in this thread and discussed each one with S2 product managers Stephan Schulz and Toni Felsner when we met with them at Photo Plus Expo in NYC. I've posted the result of this discussion here:
Photo Plus Expo 2011: A Discussion with Leica S2 Product Managers Stephan Schulz and Toni Felsner
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
David K;1446 wrote: Jack, I don't think Josh had another pair of these to swap..they are EL. FS=For Sale BTW, these are especially good for watching the Packers go all the way again 🙂
They are green, after all….
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
linusm;1439 wrote: [quote=fotografz]Currently, I am way more into lighting, since that seems to make a much larger difference in the work than incrementally adding more of this or that to some digital box, especially a box like the S2 which is a light vampire just like most other MFD cameras. … not to mention that lighting is very challenging creatively.
-Marc
That to me is a very telling comment and one I had not given much thought to. It makes total sense to me. The bottom line is it is time to stop focusing on the gadget (the S2 is more gadget than I will ever make full use of) and focus on the items that make for a better photograph. Thanks for that.
I think that Marc's point is that an S2 owner would be better served with improving technique and adding things like lighting tools, rather than be concerned with what an S3 or S4, S5, etc. might offer in the future. The S2 already offers amazing image quality, an incredibly responsive interface, excellent battery performance, a great viewfinder, etc. And, Leica keeps enhancing the functionality with continued firmware updates.To answer your original question of relevancy of the S2 in 5 years we can take a look at few factors:[INDENT][INDENT] Looking back 5 years (when digital capture was far from mature), you have the Leica M8. The camera is still relevant and tens of thousands are still being used every day to capture great images. On the used market, it has held the same value for the last 3 years and allows many new users to get into Leica in an affordable way.
The S2 will produce exactly the same image quality (maybe better through new firmware and/or new LR algorithms – already have seen this) in 5 years as it does today. 40×60 inch prints from the S2 are mind-blowingly good. How much larger do you need or want to print?
Leica spent in excess of 40 Million Euro on developing the S System. It is actually the first medium format system to be designed with only digital capture in mind. All other systems trace their roots back to a legacy of film and building systems to adapt analog components to a digital world.
As digital technology has matured in the last few years, the product life cycle of high-end gear is getting longer. Look to Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, etc. for evidence of this.
[/INDENT][/INDENT]
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
rgk;1427 wrote: What is the advantage of using the Schneider system over screw in filters? Thank you.
Screw-in filters are useful for circular ploarizers or UV filters where the effect is across the entire image. A graduated ND filter (GND) needs to slide up and down in order to position it for optimal effect, so the rectangular form factor is better. You can use a solid ND in screw-in style, but you won't be able to see through the viewfinder for composition or focusing. A square drop in filter lets you insert the filter quickly and easily after you've framed and focused your shot.
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
Bob Moore;1424 wrote: David,
Are you using the Lee system for the 4″ filters?
Thanks,
Bob
Bob,
I use the Schneider system, which uses Schott optical glass filters rather than plastic resin. I am extremely pleased with the quality of these. Here is a link to the 4″ filter system on our site:
http://www.dalephotoanddigital.com/_e/gdept/12-008/4_inch_Filter_System.htm
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
stephan;1420 wrote: Seen the price of the lenses, I thought it would be a good idea to use some UV-filters and bought some nice Zeiss-Filters.
But are those filters really needed and don't they spoil the image quality (a little)? As far as I understood, the S2 lenses have a special anti-dirt treatment of the front-element, and this also is integrated in optical calculation.
So maybe the idea is not that good?
Stephan,
While you certainly can use filters to protect the S lenses, I haven't found it needed. The AquaDura coating on the front element is pretty strong and does resist dust and water. On the 70mm, I'd strongly recommend not using a clear or UV filter. The 70mm has a clear, thick protective filter as part of its design already built-in. The front element is acutally the one you see moving inside when you focus. If you use a filter on the lens, you'll have two flat pieces of glass with air space in-between – a recipe for some pretty nasty flare when shooting towards the sun.
Personally, I only use circular polarizing filters and Schneider 4″ glass filters for ND and GND on my S lenses.
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
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I thought that the R1C1 might work with the S2 in manual mode, but according to a few S2 owners who have the R1C1 and have tried it, the R1C1 does not work.
I'm curious if Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX would work in Manual mode on the S2…. any S2 users have one laying around?
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
GMB;1373 wrote: Two friends of mine getting married. Will a special one for as it is the first gay marriage I am going to attend. They did not get a professional photographer but asked me and a few other friends to shoot.
My main issue is flash. The SF58 and I are simply not friends. Sometimes I get decent results but not because I control the thing but because I get lucky.
I set the flash to HSS-TTL but I have no clue on how best to set the camera (P, A, or M, and if M, what M?).
Any tips are much appreciated.
In terms of lenses, I thought the 120 (for when I need some reach), the 70, and the 35.
Thanks.
Georg
Georg,
I'm not a wedding shooter, but here are settings that I'd recommend (assuming the event is indoors):
SF-58 on TTL-HSS (preferably bounced if ceiling height allows)
S2 on M, f/4 or f/5.6 @ 1/90th, ISO 320 (for more ambient available light feel, but less DOF, you could open up to f/2.8)
I'd probably stick to the 35 and 70 lenses, and perhaps the 120 if you need more reach
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
Andrew;1342 wrote: Everything works fine now that I made the right setting. Thanks David.
About that Kindle offer, Josh I'm ready to accept one as well, as you implied that it helps in reading/understanding the Leica Manuals! BTW, the flash manual is way better than the S2 manual. Lucky us, the S2 camera is easier to use than its manual.
Andrew
Glad to hear you got it all sorted out, Andrew.
As far as the Kindle goes…. Josh is on his own with that one. 😀
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami -
fotografz;1339 wrote: Interesting article in LFI on the new S30mm.
It appears that this 30mm will be the widest lens available as a CS lens. So, I may have to rethink my lens strategy … keep the 35, but get the CS version of the 30 when available. Then a 70CS and 120CS upgrade.
Here's a tech question for the Leica lads … if you use a SF58 with a CS lens can you use TTL … since the flash can only be used in HSS mode, how's that going to work with CS lenses using 1/500th? Won't the HSS cut the flash output anyway and foil the whole purpose of CS with full power TTL flash output?
-Marc
This is an excellent question, Marc. And one that I don't readily have the answer to….yet. 🙂 Let me see what I can find out.
David Farkas
Red Dot Forum
Leica Store Miami
