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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Feel free to use the files for examination but note they are not for publication elsewhere or any commercial distribution. As I mentioned I've applied some basic edits but of course they can be reset so you can see what the out-of-camera file looked like.
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.
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.
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 out-of-warranty repair.
Because the new S comes with the 3 year protection plan, of course service packages are no longer needed with that camera. When they announced the S, Leica also announced that they will make available for purchase the 3 year protection plan for customers still within their first year of ownership of an S2 or S2-P.
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 than I was with the S2 and UDMA6 CF cards.
To reiterate, Class 10 SDHC and UMDA6 CF are the fastest cards that you can use in the S2 or the S2-P. Anything newer (SDXC, UHS, UMDA7, etc) will not function properly in the camera.
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 if you have a Leica S2-P that is more than one year old, you cannot extend the warranty from Leica. I would probably recommend sending it in for an overall service before the warranty expires, if you are able. Part of the Platinum Package that comes with the S2-P is that you receive a service loaner, so that should make it easier.
The Leica S2 does not support SDXC or UHS memory cards, this is most likely your problem. You need to use an SDHC card, which comes in sizes of 32GB or smaller. You cannot use an SD card larger than 32GB in the S2 or S2-P. I would recommend Transcend Class 10 32gb SDHC cards, that is what I have used for a number of years in the S2 without any problems at all.
