Member Jack MacD

Thanks for doing this Jack. Very helpful.

-Marc

rootbeer;4416 wrote: Marc, Excellent explanation that even I understood. Question: If I get the Nikon receivers can I mount a Canon 580 set to A? Can the on camera SF58 remain TTL?
Thanks a bunch!
Jim

Yes Jim, you can use any speed-light that is set to A because only the center universal contact point on the speed-light's hot shoe…[Read more]

Can confirm CS 1/1000th sync with Profoto AIR … no vignetting, clean corners.

Most other radio transmitters top out at 1/500th sync with leaf-shutter lenses. The extra stop with an AIR radio does help in overcoming the sun or white skies, and 1/1000th shutter even helps when shooting a longer hand-held lens with fill flash at wider aperture…[Read more]

antonybphoto;3914 wrote: Thanks to RVB I just manipulated the NEF and DNG files in adobe RAW very quickly.

I don't understand how the D800 has more dynamic range ?

There is about 20% more detail on the S file, which when blowing big is great. But the highlights in the sky are all but gone in about 50% of the sky on the S. the Nikon…

[Read more]

Because they had to, and were better poised to do so.

The traditional moveable multi-point solution found in 35mm SLR/DSLRs is more manageable due to the smaller AF area needing coverage … but even then, it is grouped toward the center. The advantage is you can set a specific outer AF point and leave it for multiple shots … yet even with…[Read more]

I also use the Giottos bulb … but only after pumping it a couple of times to get rid of any dust it may have ingested. I turn the camera sensor down so any dust gets dislodged and falls away from the sensor.

However, the best tool to date, the one I use on all my cameras, including MFD sensors, is the Arctic Butterfly brush. You run the…[Read more]

Lets be fair here Josh … the True Focus on the Hasselblad H4 camera isn't “theoretical”, it is a working fact, and it works very well.

As I understand it, Hasselblad has further refined it in the H5 camera to account for any lens field curvature.

The TF feature promotes creative off-center composition with confidence even with fast…[Read more]

David Farkas;3897 wrote: Have you tried Quickview in Image Shuttle? The 2MP preview JPG is pushed over the wire before the DNG and displays in about 1-1.5 seconds.

This function works great to check composition, expression, lighting, etc.

Thanks David, that preview speed is not all that bad. The question is then how long before…[Read more]

Doug;3904 wrote: Thank you, Marc, for the clarifying info; pretty tricky technology there! This live video feed is from the camera viewfinder, then, not off the sensor? Or with a device used instead of the back?

Actually, it has nothing to do with the viewfinder Doug. It is the back tethered to a computer using Phocus software. This is why…[Read more]

Doug;3890 wrote: That's because the S2 does not have “live view”, which to implement would require a different sensor.

Hasselblad does not have “Live View” in the way you are thinking of it Doug. The sensor is not the issue …both the S2/S and Hassey backs use CCD sensors. I think you are referencing Live View as implemented on CMOS sensor…[Read more]

I'm with Josh on this one.

For a similar field-of-view to what you use now, the S70/2.5 ASPH and S120/2.5 APO macro would seem to be ideal. These are lenses optimized for this camera system.

Both lenses offer a very bright viewfinder experience due to the relatively fast maximum aperture for Medium Format lenses … especially the 120…[Read more]

Good to know that your lenses are “clicking” also … it works and that's all that counts.

I can attest to the IQ of the newer HC-50-II … it is a great focal length field-of-view on the S camera and fills the gap between the S35 or 30 and S70.

-Marc

I'll preface the following with how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the S2!

However, for pro works I think Leica will have to address this tethered issue sooner, if not later in the next iteration of the S camera. At least USB3, preferably Thunderbolt because by then it will be more ubiquitous.

One really needs to be on set with paid models,…[Read more]

Thanks guys! I admit to being on a crusade regarding working with lights and the S2. Or, I should say, explore the possibilities with a tool that is more than qualified.

While is certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea, it can expand usage of this wonderful tool and open up the creative possibilities more fully.

The trick is using just…[Read more]

Below is how I most frequently use an off-camera KEY light, and a speed-light for fill:

The SF58 can be used directly in the hot-shoe and kept in HSS-TTL mode if you connect a radio sender via a sync cord to the S2's PC outlet on the side of the camera.

To accommodate this I place the S2 on a Kirk grip that has a 1/4″ tread on top of…[Read more]

I'm back!

Okay, here is a demo of using the Phottix Stratos-II Nikon Transmitter in the S2 hot-shoe with a SF-58 set to A then mounted on top of the Stratos-II. Plus another SF-58 off-camera set to A mounted on a Stratos-II Nikon Receiver that's in the SF-58 supplied stand-foot.

Top image shows the on-camera SF-58 shut off to evaluate…[Read more]

If I may offer a few suggestions:

Forget about using the SF58 in slave mode. It is an inferred trigger and quite unreliable like most line-of-sight flash trigger systems (which is why Canon has finally brought out a self-contained radio based speed-light system).

Not to mention what a huge trial-and-error PITA it is to balance out…[Read more]

So, where does one find these vouchers? Link please?

-Marc

Roger, I understand your ideas as being thoughtful suggestions.

I do NOT think for a moment that this offer should extend to lenses bought used. The incentive was intended to stimulate new sales of the S2 and what lenses existed … not everything, forever.

This concept isn't new. The MFD makers have done it for some time. Buy the…[Read more]

Leica cannot make this their customer's problem. It is their problem, and they should solve it. If they wanted to limit the time-line, then they should have clearly and concisely done it up front, not after the fact.

I bought the S2 primarily because it was a dual shutter camera. In effect, that selling feature has not been usable for the…[Read more]