Any reason to get a CS lens beside flash photography?

[alaindNew Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 2 Offline]

I’m thinking about upgrading my M9 to an S and I’m looking at lenses. I never use flash, so I’m wondering if the CS lenses make any sense for me or if I should save some money and go with the regular ones. In particular, I’m wondering if there is less vibration in the camera with the central shutter…

Alain.

[alaindNew Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 2 Offline]

[Josh LehrerLegendary Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 233 Currently using: Leica M, Leica S, Leica Compact Offline]

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 best bet is to go with the non-CS lenses, I know that there are many great deals currently on used non-CS S lenses, we have a number of focal lengths available from 30-180mm in our pre-owned department.

[Josh LehrerLegendary Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 233 Currently using: Leica M, Leica S, Leica Compact Offline]

[AndrewNew Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 8 Currently using: Leica S Offline]

“The CS lenses still need to use the camera’s focal plane shutter so there would be no reduction in shutter vibration.”

Josh, do you imply that the camera uses both the FPS and the CS in the same time?

I think that if you go faster than the 1/1000s the camera moves from CS to FPS.

Am I missing something if I’d say that set on CS (with the proper lens, of course), using a flash or not, until you reach 1/1000s the camera uses the central shutter only?

Thanks.

Andrew

[AndrewNew Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 8 Currently using: Leica S Offline]

[DougFrequent Member Central Washington Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 123 Currently using: Leica M, Leica S, Leica Q Offline]

Hi Andrew — No, the FP shutter is used for every exposure, whether the LS operates or not. I believe the sequence is: Leaf shutter closes, Mirror rises, lens aperture stops down, FP shutter opens, leaf shutter opens and closes, FP shutter closes, lens aperture opens, mirror drops, and leaf shutter opens again for viewing. If the leaf shutter is absent or turned off, then obviously delete references to it above. 🙂

[DougFrequent Member Central Washington Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 123 Currently using: Leica M, Leica S, Leica Q Offline]

[Josh LehrerLegendary Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 233 Currently using: Leica M, Leica S, Leica Compact Offline]

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 shutter until you pass 1/1000th of a second, then it switches to the focal plane shutter. There would be no reason to put the camera in CS mode unless you were using strobes and wanted the faster sync speed.

[Josh LehrerLegendary Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 233 Currently using: Leica M, Leica S, Leica Compact Offline]

[mayyaNew Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 2 Offline]

I have a set of photos made with R lenses here:

[mayyaNew Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 2 Offline]