Forum Replies Created
Not really interested in shooting 4K with this camera, I wish they would strip this out and put the savings into a lower priced option. To me, video has to be done right, which requires a lot of support equipment which I do not carry around on a daily basis.
Looks like Leica has recognized this and is taking action to replace the motors free of charge. I hope they have a better solution, motor/gear, than just replacing the existing motor.
Leica offers a free autofocus drive replacement on some S lenses
Good to know that they stand behind their faults and make good on them.
BTW my 30mm is at Wetzlar now on a spa vacation for it's motor replacement.
Pesto,
If you are driving up the coast, at the border of California and Oregon there is a spectacular grove of redwood trees (sequoias) at the Jeddidiah Smith Redwoods.Safe driving!
AlAboud,
Had the same problem with my 30, would not focus to infinity in AF mode. It ended up back in Solms for a tuneup.Looks like your lens will get to visit the new factory in Wetzlar. Contact Kelsey Fain and maybe she can arrange a loaner for you.
-Al
David Farkas;6366 wrote: Nice images, Al!
It's great that Leica brought along a T so everyone on the workshop could try it out.
David,
I will admit that I tried to make the system take a bad picture (technically) but it was very difficult. The only thing I wish were better is the image stabilization feature. With Olympus, the 5 axis in body stabilization is hard to beat but image quality is a bit behind the T.
-AlMark,
I hear you there! Hiking with a big tripod and S gear can get tiresome! The T is a very good system, wide DR and great image quality. A great upgrade for my X2 which I also carried out in the field. The lenses, 23 and 18-56 zoom are up to the standards that we have become accustomed to. It works very well with the T-M adapter and if you still have those M lenses, a worthwhile addition. Just have to figure how to present this to the CFO.anGy;6060 wrote: Do you guys have an accurate focus with your 24mm ?
The one I tested is back focussing.
I know that the center focus sensor is wide and covers a wide area on a wide angle lens, but even with an obvious subject (like a tree in a field) back focussing can be seen (more obvious on far subject, less present when close focussing).
Moreover judging focus in the viewfinder is not really possible (to my eyes at least) when shooting a far landscape.
So AF better be accurate (although it seems that focussing just before the infinity symbol do work for most of my shots).I had a similar issue with my 30, it went back for a recalibration and all is fine now.
Ed,
The 350 Apo from Contax is tempting. The price is a bit steep plus the age and serviceability of the AF motor is in question.-Al
As technology evolves, the “new normal” is established. Older photographers remember a certain “look” that Kodachrome – the original, had before the “new” EPA friendly Kodachrome, was introduced in the 70's and lamented the loss. But the “new” Kodachrome then became the standard for a new generation of photographers who never saw the original.
It is the same with digital technology, CCD to CMOS, but in this case, the market is driving the vendors for high ISO – low noise which is not feasible with CCD. For those that use and like CCD, me included, will one day say “remember when . . .” after CMOS takes over the imaging market share. And one day in the future, a new, new, generation of photographers will also commiserate about the loss of CMOS.
-Al
Ed,
The 350 f 4 Tele Tessar that I believe you are referring to is for the Hasselblad 200 and 2000 series focal plane cameras. It is in V mount, so a Leica S-V adapter is needed. The 350 was produced into versions, F and FE, the main difference is the FE had electronic contacts for aperture communication to the 200 series of cameras.If you are shopping for this lens, be aware that the second group of elements is prone to delaminate so check the edges of the lens as this can be a costly repair. Good to excellent examples can be had in the $2200 – $2700 range and you may even get a better deal.
I had a mint copy of one but found that shooting a manual focus lens that long had a lot of drawbacks. First off the S sensor is so good that any fault, such as motion or focus, is magnified. Was it up to the S lens standards? No, it was good, but not great. A crop of the 180 image to equal the 350 produced the equivalent image quality. Again, when you start shooting with that long of a lens, all faults are magnified.
As they say on the car commercials, . . . your results may vary . . .
-Al
Interesting, they must have changed the wording, mine reads:
“S-SYSTEM LENS VOUCHER
Dear Leica Customer,
We would like to thank you for your loyalty to our brand with this special S-System offer. Using this voucher, you can exchange the lens below for a Leica S-System central shutter lens with the same focal length. You can trade up your S lens, with this voucher via the authorised Leica S dealer from whom you originally purchased it. They will exchange your current lens for a lens of same focal length but with a central shutter. The original purchase price of your lens will be credited against the purchase of the new CS lens in full, without any deduction for wear and tear. You will only pay the difference in price.”I downloaded these in May 2012 after registering. No mention of purchase timeframe to qualify for the exchange. In fact my 30 was issued a voucher and was purchased in February 2012.
-Al
Just went to the S owners area and the link to the vouchers has disappeared. Luckily I kept PDF copies on my computer.
The OLED battery icon indicated 3/4 of charge left when I started the cycle. Lucky for me I only intended to use the magnifier scope to inspect the sensor at the time. I was probably a minute or two into looking at the sensor determining the best course of action for the cleaning when this happened. A battery will display a voltage at rest and can drain the voltage when a load is put on it as the case for the shutter being opened for cleaning. I suspect that the age of the battery and the time from the full charge to cleaning could be the cause. While the voltage at rest satisfied the logic circuit to allow cleaning to commence, when the voltage dropped below the design threshold for cleaning, the shutter just closed. I would have expected a warning instead of just the closing of the shutter. The battery still had a charge left in it according to the OLED if I recall correctly ~ 50%. The software sensing that the voltage was at or below threshold determined that cleaning should not be allowed and closed. I feel that the software, once it determines that cleaning can begin, would instead warn of low battery during the cleaning cycle by flashing the red LED for ten seconds signaling the shutter will close. I think the code was written to first check battery status, if < xx% then no cleaning, else allow cleaning. An additional if clause needs to be added for the voltage once cleaning has begun to incorporate voltage drop during the cleaning to read, if cleaning cycle = yes and battery < xx% then 'warn' and shut down.
Of course the best practice is to insert a freshly charged battery before beginning a clean.
Marc,
Great instructional posts with fantastic examples! You really show what is possible with the small strobes that most users buy and what can be done with the pro level strobes.-Al
Roger,
The wording on the certificate is below, it does imply that the lens has to have been bought from a Leica S dealer as you will have to go through them for the exchange. So in a way this keeps second hand lenses purchased from private parties out of the program.“Dear Leica Customer,
We would like to thank you for your loyalty to our brand with this special S-System offer. Using this voucher, you can exchange the lens below for a Leica S-System central shutter lens with the same focal length. You can trade up your S lens, with this voucher via the authorised Leica S dealer from whom you originally purchased it. They will exchange your current lens for a lens of same focal length but with a central shutter. The original purchase price of your lens will be credited against the purchase of the new CS lens in full, without any deduction for wear and tear. You will only pay the difference in price.”The difference in price is what the owner will pay, so if you got a great deal on the 70 at $3000 and the price of the CS is $5995, then you will need to pay the difference of $2995 for the upgrade. No deduction for wear and tear on the lens as well. I think when this first came about they figured it would only be a short time before the CS lenses would be introduced and number of lenses would be minimal and wear and tear would also be light.
