Member Josh Lehrer

Because the sensor cracking issue is a known manufacturer defect, it will be a free repair for the lifetime of the camera (or at least as long as parts are available) so Leica will repair the cracked sensor free of charge even if the camera is out of warranty.

Yes, that is a cracked sensor. The camera needs to go to Leica for repair. The good news is that the repair will be covered under warranty, and they'll do a full “clean and check” of the camera while they have it.

It's possible, because your settings should not be reset that quickly!

I can also confirm that the new S hand grip works just fine on the S2. I tested it here at the store, the grip reads the extra battery just fine.

It's a clever idea but I agree with the posters above, the eyepiece cap stays in the box. I believe the part costs somewhere around $50 to replace from Leica. I haven't found a scenario where I need it.

Mark:

The S2 should not reset ANYTHING unless you turn the camera off (or it goes to sleep) or pull the battery out. If the camera is changing your settings while it is still on, then something is not right with the camera. The “drive mode” and mirror lockup settings are both reset to default (they are not sticky) when the camera is turned…[Read more]

As I've tested the UDMA7 cards more I do see that any card 32GB or smaller will work in the S2 so I think that they are OK to use. I'd still be very thorough when testing a UDMA7 CF card with the S2 before taking it to an important shoot.

We've only received one very small shipment of the zoom so far. I haven't heard about any production delays, although I imagine this is a complex lens to make. Leica has been shipping a steady supply of CS lenses so perhaps that is what their production is focused on right now although that is pure speculation on my part.

I pulled together a few DNG sample files from the Leica S. Nothing award winning but it gives you an idea of what the camera is capable of. All the files have been edited in Lightroom using my basic S presets, and then exported as DNG files.

Leica S (typ 006) Sample DNG Files

Feel free to use the files for examination but note they are…[Read more]

While my head tends to spin anytime I try to think about the shutter sequence, Doug you are correct. Because the focal plane shutter is built in to the S2, and stands in between the incoming light rays and the sensor, it needs to be opened for the central shutter to function.

And yes, if you have the camera in CS mode, it will use the central…[Read more]

Alain, you will gain no other advantages from the CS lenses aside from a faster flash sync speed. The CS lenses still need to use the camera's focal plane shutter so there would be no reduction in shutter vibration. That advantage would only be applicable for a camera that didn't have a focal plane shutter to begin with, such as a Hasselblad. Your…[Read more]

Alain:

I haven't taken the S out for serious landscape photography yet but I do have a number of DNG files of non-portraits that I would be happy to send to you via DropBox or a similar service. Send me an email at [email]josh@dalephotoanddigital.com[/email] and we can arrange it.

I have seen the Eye-Fi cards used successfully in the S2 so I don't see why the Transcend cards wouldn't work, but I would test it thoroughly before taking it out in the field.

I agree with the previous post. Repairing that lens will most likely be costly and complex, it's probably easier to secure another one and sell the damaged lens for spare parts. Does the scratch show up in images that you shoot with the lens?

If you mean an official statement from Leica per the 35-70mm, I don't know if that's something they would do. Most likely, if it's a lens they plan on supporting, a profile for it would be released in a future firmware update. It's quite a rare lens and I imagine they have other items prioritized ahead of that, like shipping the M!

Roger:

With the S2, Leica did offer customers the option to purchase the Premium Service Package within the first year of ownership that extended the warranty by one additional year, for a total of two years and cost $1,595. In addition to extending the warranty of the S2 by a year, it also allowed you a one-time, 30% discount on an…[Read more]

Looks like you had a productive trip! Nice stuff.

I agree, this shot is awesome!

In the Leica S2, the fastest SD card you can use is a class 10 SDHC card. It is not compatible with anything faster. Per a CF card, it is compatible with a UDMA6 card but not the newer UDMA7 cards. That's one of the advantages that the new Leica S has, full compatibility with the latest 1000x UDMA7 CF cards. I'm getting write speeds 50-60% faster…[Read more]

Well I have some unfortunate news. After speaking with Leica, they indicated that you cannot purchase the new Leica S Protection Plan on an S2-P that is in it's second year of warranty. The terms of the new plan indicate that you need to acquire it within one year of purchasing the new camera, whether it is an S2 or an S2-P.

This means that…[Read more]