Member Al Tanabe

Jack,
Thanks for the great comparison shots!

Roger,
The 180 3.4 was a great lens at infinity but not as good near-mid range as the Apo Elmarit. Also the near to far on the 3.4 was over one revolution if I recall. With the 1.4x + 180 you have quite a long lens in a small package for travel.

I need to stop talking about this or my wallet will be much lighter!

Al

Josh Lehrer;3104 wrote: The price of the new Leica S will be $21,950. This looks AMAZING and I am extremely excited. A few highlights that I am excited about:
. . .

What is more amazing is the price is $1K less that the S2 with two extra years warranty. I think this is a first for Leica, lowering the price of a new, more featured camera!

Roger,
The CCD to CMOS is the uncertainty, will the files still have the nice rich look to it? As I understand, the sensor was made to Leica specifications so it should be a lot closer than the Sony generic sensor look.

I could see a 180 Apo Elmarit and the M, nice and small for travel for a longer reach when needed. I am sure that more…[Read more]

Interesting tact – got rid of the S2P, put Gorilla Glass instead of sapphire and put a 3 year warranty on the camera. Much easier for the dealers to stock, and they can always add on the service package.

I don't know if it is enough for me to switch, ISO is marginally improved and I don't need GPS and don't use the LCD for championship…[Read more]

David,
Nice shots and easy on the eyes so late in the day:o. The edge still goes to Leica in lens performance and one day, someday, they may have a fast 100 with central shutter that comes in at a reasonable price. But till that day comes you can have a reasonable substitute.

-Al

Jack,
Nice images of Miller Park, the color shot was very nice as well! Interesting observation about sepia toned prints being more acceptable for corporate art. I guess design elements like the trusses work better as a graphic vs the full color beauty shot? It would be interesting to work with an interior designer to place those images…[Read more]

Now I wonder about the 1.7x extender? Marc, thanks for the test with the HTS, eagerly await more tests with the other lenses.

Roger,
I think the biggest problem that the S2 had was poor product planning. Lenses were not readily available, lens family was not revealed, accessories kept secret. Now that it is older and some lenses available, the S3 has to hit a homerun in features in order to convince the public to buy into the system. The market for MFD can go with…[Read more]

The thought of a trade in program by Leica is pretty far fetched for a company that has never done it in their history. Add to that the thought of a price lowering of a camera again an event that has never been done. Two speculations that have very low probabilities to come to fruition.

However, stopping in a Leica shop in Honolulu, the…[Read more]

Higher ISO would be nice to 2500 – but a new noise algorithm for the S2 would be even better!

Double tap on the scroll wheel for 100% mag – could be a software upgrade for the S2

Higher res screen would be nice, not that important to me.

Faster buffer = higher frame rate

Basically happy with the output and feature set of the…[Read more]

Marc,
You are a skilled technician and have a great eye! I greatly enjoy your comparative evaluations on real world situations. You prove that there is more to a photo than pixel peeping!

Al

Josh and David did a great job on the S2 pre sets so this should be great!

David,
Any explanation on why the extender and extension tubes will not work? I can understand the TS adapter due to the extra software commands but the extender and extension tubes should just pass right through. Thoughts?

Al

LOL! David, I have my ways, after all you use a MS based computer!

Seriously, the local camera store, Glazers, had a two day camera fest where the manufacturers brought in speakers and showed all the gear. So I got a chance to handle all of the latest goodies including the M9M and X2. What I have to say is that while it is an incremental…[Read more]

Got to handle the X2 today and the improvements over the X1 are apparent. Faster AF, control dials tighter, higher ISO are all positive improvements. The chrome finish really is nice and the new leatherette cover a lot grippier. With all of the new cameras on the market competing for your hard earned money, I would still have to say that the X2…[Read more]

Mark,
Beautiful stomping grounds! The second shot looks great, love the color and framing.

-Al

Mark,
Yes, the screen surrounding the micro prism and split circle appears to be the same as the standard screen. The split screen really does come in handy for focus confirmation at infinity though. Helps with focus confirmation with the wides at infinity as well. Although AF does work, it is not perfect all of the time. Also it is great…[Read more]

Tom L. L.,
The S2 is a large camera, made larger when you add a lens and the wides 30, 35, can be intimidating on the street. The size comparison of the 30 or 35 is a champagne bottle to the point where the foil is on the neck and about the same diameter. The old 19 R Elmarit was tiny compared to these lenses, that is why I felt that a 24…[Read more]

I wonder what Ralph Gibson would do? He made a career of shooting fine art nudes with TriX and Ms.