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Whether one will like using non-S lenses on the Leica S will probably depend heavily on one's predisposition to using adapters. The draw backs have been noted here – mostly related to speed. When it comes to focus speed, using the microprism (in the S2) is faster than the S2's auto-focus, so I find manual focus a non-issue. I have been very pleased with the Mamiya 200mm F2.8 APO on the S2. While on the pricey side, the Leica S adapters are beautifully made.
I was hoping to see an option to set the direction of the thumb wheel. Is this the last firmware update for the S2?
Leica is probably struggling to figure out how to actually administer the program:
— What to do with the incoming inventory?
— What stays at the dealer level vs what comes back to Germany?
— Do lenses sent back to Germany get reconditioned and re-cert'd?
— What if the lens is in well-used condition?
— How fast can they liquidate the incoming S lenses?We're focused on the lenses, but Leica is looking at cash flow and margins. I am glad I am not the program manager on this, or the marketing guy that hatched this egg.
Well, the lenses do physically exist – they are shown here in David's picture from PhotoPlus – Photo Plus Expo Post. I know that doesn't answer your question or resolve the situation, but it's something.
Any news from Photo Plus?
David had posted that Leica is still offering the CS trade-in program:
http://www.reddotforum.com/showthread.php/458-180mm-or-120mm-First?p=1932&viewfull=1#post1932
Hi Stuart –
There might be some curvature with the 70S. The pic below was taken at F4 and the windmill blades are pin point sharp at 100%. While editing the image I noticed the structure became soft at the lower / base area. There could be several reasons –
1) Lens was angled slightly upwards, so the DOF plane was at an angle – plausible.
2) Pic was taken at F4, maybe the MTF drops off enough at the edges to look soft?
3) There is a degree of curvature – maybe.
4) F4 wasn't enough DOF?I did not go out to test for curvature. I just happened to stumble upon this result and thought of your post. This is a much closer distance than your experience, so it's not a good apples to apples study. I'm going to start paying more attention. The temps have finally cooled off here, so it is safe to go outdoors 🙂
Did you have your lens checked out by Leica?
Actually, I think October is the 3rd or 4th date they have given for CS availability. Generally i do not need CS lenses, but I would like to have one – either the 70 or 120 CS.
Maybe they will start selling the HC adapter with little red Leica stickers so people can put a sticker over the Hasselblad logo 🙂
I've been curious to see examples of the 100/2.2 HC on the S2 (hint-hint-hint!) I don't have an H system, so buying the HC adapter + 100/2.2 is an expensive experiment.
The Hasselblad 110/2 really is something wonderful on its intended 6×6 negative. I liked it on my Phase One systems, but on the S2 with its smaller sensor, some of the magic is lost. And I agree, the color fringing in the bokeh can be intense at times, and something about Leica's color profiles just seem to really highlight it that much more.
If a soft lens is not your taste wide open, then scratch the Mamiya 110/2.8 off that list. The lens actually has a nice rendering, but it's not wide open sharp like its big brothers – the 200/2.8 APO and 300/2.8 APO. The Mamiya 80/1.9 (in my experience) is sharper wide open than the 110/2.8. The 80/1.9's bokeh can be alittle nervous, but ~$200 and F1.9 — it's pretty darn hard to beat.
You could try some non-Leica lenses, such as:
Leica S / HC Adapter with the Hasselblad 100/2.2
Leica S / V Adapter with the Hasselblad 110/2
Leica S / 645M Adapter with the Mamiya 110/2.8
Leica S / 645M Adapter with the Mamiya 80/1.9With regards to the Elpro, to me that seems like a tool to make the 180S a semi macro lens. The 180S has a min focus distance of 1.5 meters, which is a fairly tight head shot as-is. The 70S has a short minimum focus distance, so shooting tight with it is another option.
If Leica adds the control wheel option, remedies the bugs already noted, then I think that is a good finish to the S2. I do not foresee them offering the ISO now (even if they could) because that makes the new S alittle less enticing. I would like to see 1/2x, 1/3x and 1/4x added to the Auto-ISO parameters. One-over-the-focal length is too limited if anything is moving (and you want to freeze the movement). Too bad that the code isn't open source 🙂
For the 120mm TS, you may want to consider the Mamiya / Phase One mount ($4643 at B&H) and the S / Mamiya adapter ($875 at retail). That combo is $1500 less. Both lenses are fully manual with no automatic aperture.
It is very unlikely we would see the ISO steps change on the S2 because that is linked to the hardware and the amount of amplification performed by the hardware. Generally ISO starts with a base level hardware amplification and then some or all the subsequent ISO increments are extrapolated by the camera's software.
Leica had previously they could change how the data was read off the sensor, using 2 channels instead of 4. This would lead to slower shot-to-shot performance but would reduce noise by 1 to 2 stops. Whether or not we will see this in a new firmware for the S2 is speculation. I tend to think not. But, Leica could do the easy things, like adding the custom function which sets control wheel direction, adding more parameters to Auto ISO, re-doing the overview screen layout.
Lots of good info there – Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing some specifics on the sensor performance. Do you know if LR will have an update for new S?
Well, the S2 still has some known bugs (which have been noted on these boards), and that was really what I was getting at. And then there some easy adds, such as –
* Allowing us to control which direction the wheel turns for inc / dec
* Setting auto ISO to 1/2x focal length rather than just 1/focal length
* Enter lens focal length for manual lensesHistorically Leica has been very good about supporting firmware on out of production models (ie – M8 and M8.2). Leica has stated on a couple occasions that a firmware update is coming, so since you (David) are in Germany meeting with Leica, it seems like an opportune time to ask, “when?”
