Forum Replies Created
Andy:
Sorry to hear that you are having issues. Are you saying that the S2 battery was physically stuck inside both the camera and the grip? That is something I have never seen. What I have seen is batteries that do not lock very well inside the camera, but this appears to be the opposite problem. How did you end up removing the stuck batteries? Or did you need to send the camera to Germany to have them removed and repaired?
Per your cracked sensor, it is unfortunate but there are still a few S2 bodies out there with sensor cover glass from that bad batch from Kodak…thankfully Leica will always fix these cameras at no charge. Repair usually takes just 2-3 weeks from my experience.
Hope everything turns out OK, keep us posted!
Josh
Yes, the Schneider APO 120mm T/S Macro can be used on a Leica S2 using a Mamiya 645 Adapter. I apologize that the Schneider 120mm is not yet on our website, but we can certainly get the lens for you if you like as we are Schneider dealers.
It is just about impossible to buy a new Leica camera with 0 shutter actuations, as Leica tests every body in their factory before it is shipped. While there is no way to verify the number of shots on an S2 body, I can say from experience that M9 cameras ship with between 50-150 shots already taken. Additionally, we (at Dale Photo & Digital) check every single S2 that we ship out for any defects or irregularities and will fire off a few frames as well to verify that everything is working properly.
When buying a new S2 I would be less concerned with the starting file name, and more so with the condition of the body and packaging. If the battery is still freshly wrapped in plastic, the neck strap still properly put away, and everything appears undisturbed, you are the owner of a brand new S2.
RGK, I think I am going to send you a Kindle loaded with ALL the Leica manuals for the holidays.
This lens has been sold!
Nice shot Mark! I say get the print made! Maybe you can wrap your car with it?
Jack, thank you for the kind words. I recognize how important expedient and efficient service is to S2 owners, so I will always do whatever it takes to get the job done.
RGK, Leica relies on its Leica S-Professional dealers for primary S2 support. My experience with Leica S service has been excellent in regard to commitment to the warranty, turnaround time, and addressing any other issues that David or myself might not be equipped to handle.
Anyone involved with the Leica S-system knows that they can come to David or me anytime and we will always answer any questions they may have. We have an excellent relationship with Leica, so on the off chance there is an S-related question that we cannot answer, a quick phone call to Leica, or an email directly to Germany if necessary, will get us the needed answer.
Leica cares very much about their S2 owners, which is why they had the product managers from Germany directly available to anyone who stopped by the Leica Studio in New York last week. They are very receptive to user feedback and are always willing to listen.
A large percentage of M9 purchasers have never owned a Leica before, which has created a huge demand for lenses. The used market for Leica lenses peaked around late May, and while it has not gone down very much since then, it is possible to find good deals on used lenses like the 35mm and 50mm Summicron if you are patient.
Any large Leica dealer will have considerable waiting lists for the popular lenses like the 50mm Summilux and new 35mm Summilux. Here at Dale Photo & Digital we do not require deposits or prepayments for a spot on our waiting lists, so it never hurts to let us know what you are looking for.
Matt:
The viewfinder of the S2 is very large and bright without a doubt, but it is also very color-neutral. My experience with some of the viewfinders on other brands of MF cameras has been that they often exhibit a slight green or yellow cast.
I frequently use non-Leica lenses on the S2 with the standard focusing screen, and find that the viewfinder is more than bright enough to manual focus these lenses even when stopped down to around f/8 or so.
Check out this link for a few images and a video through the viewfinder of the S2 using the upcoming microprism focusing screen. It should give you an idea of the viewfinder's size and brightness.
To give everyone a better idea of what to look for…this image (taken outdoors in open shade) shows 3 different S2 bodies with 3 different OLED screens. The bottom S2's screen is from an early batch of S2 bodies, and exhibits heavy fading to the point where it can barely be seen. The middle S2's OLED screen was replaced by Leica before the newest component was available. It is brighter, but will eventually fade to the same level as the bottom OLED. The S2 on the top is the newest OLED component, notice the slight bluish cast. It is considerably brighter and more contrasty than the original OLED, and can been seen clearly outdoors.
Mark, usually that happens when the photos are uploaded with a color space other than sRGB. When the browser converts it to sRGB for web viewing, it gets very dull.
The original OLED part, while ultimately defective, is a great idea. The ability to color-code information on the top display allows the user to quickly see what's going with the camera. For example, if a setting on the top OLED is blue while shooting tethered, that means that setting is being controlled from the computer. If something is green, the camera is calculating that setting. The colors are not arbitrary by any means.
The new component is worlds better than the old, and is visible in any lighting condition without difficulty. All new cameras come with this component, and Leica will replace older OLED screens free of charge. From my experience, the repair itself (not including time in transit) takes about 8 days.
The regular S2 is considerably more popular than the S2-P, especially because a Premium or Platinum service package can be purchased along with a regular S2, at any point during the camera's one year warranty. The S2-P is designed for high-use environments such as catalog photographers, rental studios, etc, where the camera will undergo lots of heavy use. Our demo cameras are both S2-P bodies, and have been shipped many, many times all over the world. I have yet to see a single mark on either camera's rear LCD, a true testament to the strength of the sapphire glass.
A Giottos screen protector or something similar is a great idea for a regular S2 if the camera is being moved around frequently.
When I shoot with the S2, here is what I set the buttons to:
- Upper Left: ISO
- Lower Left: Drive Mode (gives me easy access to 2-Second Self Timer which incorporates mirror lockup)
- Upper Right: Exposure Compensation (especially useful now that no button press is needed to confirm the selection, and is visible live in the viewfinder)
- Lower Right: Bracketing (a feature we use a lot, especially with the new “auto” feature)
- Front Button: Depth of Field preview when shooting landscape, and Key Lock when working in the studio so we don't accidentally change any settings.
- Rear AF button: Always set this to auto focus, the shutter I use for AE lock.
- Rear wheel: Always set to “Long Push” to avoid accidental mode changes
I have been playing with this combination a bit today to see what's what. I tried every combination I could, camera on first, flash on first, camera on then attach flash while off, camera on then attach flash while on. I have yet to find a combination where the flash will not allow me to select TTL-HSS while attached to the camera. If I take the flash off the camera, turn it off, then on again, I lose the ability to choose TTL-HSS, but as soon as I put it back on the camera, I can select TTL-HSS with no difficulty.
