Forum Replies Created
David – Has Leica expanded upon what the Leica S2 firmware update will be?
Yep, the price killed it for me too. I'll still with the 35 / 70 duo. I was thinking it would $6995 US, and so for $7k I could have a fast prime or a slowish zoom. And that is what really gets me with the 30-90mm – it's a slow aperture. If it had a constant F2.5 or F2.8, then I could sort of understand the price. But it's not…
I also do not like the 3 pound weight. I have the Hasselblad 50mm F2.8 FLE – and it's about the same size and weight as the 30-90. It's not a “fun” lens on the S2. It's heavy and it's work to use it. The lens would be exhausting on a vacation.
Hopefully Leica rethinks the pricing.
Hi David – If you could tomorrow, maybe a couple snapshots with a cellphone of the new menu “look”. Just curious 🙂 Some more serious questions/requests –
1) Want to see a picture of this 5-way mini joystick controller
2) Is the new S2 actually lighter? The specs see to indicate it is.
3) Is ISO visible in the viewfinder?
4) Have they expanded on the auto-ISO parameters?
5) initial impressions of the AF performance
6) And slap somebody on the back of the head for that $10k price tag on the 30-90…$9950 for the zoom…?… eek! Surely you meant to type $6950…?…
I hope you're right Bob. There have been some really great kits on Ebay lately with no takers. I'll be happy once that supply of dealer S2 and S2-P's is gone.
Josh – any word on the price of the 30-90mm zoom?
Having owned several Phase One backs, most recently the P65+, the S2 does not match Phase One's performance at base ISO. Now that the S' base ISO is running at 100, which presumably is much closer to the sensor's native ISO, ISO 100 could look much cleaner, smoother than the outgoing S2. We'll have to see real-world results, but we could finally have true medium format quality in a dSLR sized package.
The other items are evolutionary, but I see value in them because they are features I would use every time the camera is turned on. I think with the S3 (or whatever they are calling it), I could sell my Canon 1Ds Mark III and not miss it. On the other hand, for what it probably will cost to upgrade from the S2 to S3, I could buy a new M and a nice ASPH lens.
For current S2 owners, whether this new S is good or not will come down to price and how much out-of-pocket cash is needed to get into one. If the S came with a new sensor delivering either CMOS or more pixels, the upgrade would be more compelling. But I'm happy with 37.5 MP, so an improved camera works for me. The $21,950 price is nice to see, but the used S2 market is soft. I'm hoping Leica offers a trade-in program.
David – Has Leica released the US price and if there will be a trade up program?
I'll reserve judgement until hearing price. But as an evolution goes –
1) Reworked ISO, 100-1600; this is big if the camera uses a true ISO 100.
2) Thumb stick controller – will help with navigating images
3) Built-in GPS
4) Faster AF
5) 920,000 dot LCD
6) Larger buffer (not sure, what was it before?)
7) Sounds like menus might be re-worked, need to see pix to be sure
8) Gorilla Glass
9) 150 grams lighter? If true, that's nice.For new S owners, I think they should be very happy with this Version 2. For existing owners, I think we'll need an attractive trade-in / trade-up program.
Phase One's announcements were underwhelming and the Hasselblad H5D fell short of the hype generated by Hass' pre Photokina announcement. So if Leica surprises us with a bold upgrade to the S, they could steal the show in terms of medium format. I think the M10 will be the high point as well.
I have some focused just short of infinity at F5.6 and F8, I'm not seeing signs of curvature or anything that would lead me to think there is an issue. There could be curvature, but in my pictures there is nothing suspect. I know that doesn't help you… sorry. The next time I'm shooting landscapes with the 70mm, I do some test shots to specifically test at infinity.
I'm not so worried about the Leica S3 price. I think it is more important that there is an S3 because that will affirm Leica's commitment to the platform. And S2 users will know, if the time comes, they do have upgrade options. As for the “S3”, or maybe a S2.2, my guesses –
1) Still CCD, same sensor, same pixel count
2) Expanded upper ISO range by 2 stops or maybe ISO 2500 as top, but a 2 stop improvement
3) Generally, cleaner output (evolutionary update of electronics)
4) Updated / improved auto-focus
5) A new rear LCD screen
6) New menu graphics
7) ISO in the viewfinder
8) A smarter / easier way to change EC
9) Elimination of the P vs non-P; presumably all will be “P” variants
10) Maybe 1/125th X-sync bumped to 1/160th
11) Rework the service / support packagesI don't think current S2 users will be rushing to upgrade (unless Leica offers a really attractive trade-in program – doubtful), but depending on where Leica puts the price, maybe they will attract more new owners. I also suspect that a M10 with Live View and CMOS will cannibalize some of the S sales.
Whatever the case, I am looking forward to tomorrow's announcements – whatever they may be.
Thank you for the info. Any word on price and general availability yet?
Thank you for the feedback Martin. I saw a tripod mount on the grip and thought maybe the RRS L-Bracket could be re-used.
I'm probably going to wait on the grip until Photokina (since it's only about a month away). I want to make sure the grip is forward compatible.
Probably a “good” ISO 2500 would suffice for most people's needs. Leica said they could do this with the existing S2 by changing the read-out configuration (do-able via firmware) and the result would be around a 2-stop improvement. If they would take it a step further and add a binning option (i.e. – like Sensor+ on the Phase gear), then we're probably at ISO 2500 without re-inventing the S2.
Another reason I'm itching for higher ISO is so that Leica could release something like a 50mm F4 S. The chief design goal should be “compact”. I'd love to have a lens in the 10-12 ounce weight range that could be used for snapshots, casual walking about, etc. The S2 itself as a camera is pretty light; it's the 70S that bulks it up – and then of course the hood… 45mm would probably be the preferred focal length since that would equate to a ~35mm FOV. I would prefer 50mm, but that's just me.
As for the second wheel – I want EC adjustment on the fly without having to press any buttons. A second wheel is the most common way. I'm sure Leica would make it programmable and some people may assign ISO to it. My biggest gripe with the interface is all the various button taps to move around and review parts of an image on the rear LCD. Touch screens are a mixed blessing, but the one the Phase IQ backs is awesome for reviewing images. I don't need a wheel, thumb-stick and touchscreen – just one of them. Leica can choose and I'll adapt.
While the S2 is expensive, running a 2nd kit to fill the gaps is expensive too. If the S3 would improve in ISO (both lower and upper), AF speed and some minor ergo tweaks, then I think the S could be my only camera. I would still want something small and some of these new compacts like the Sony RX100 look impressive. If Leica just warms up the S2 with a minor ISO tweak and calls that an S3, then I wouldn't upgrade either. But if they hit most of wish list then I would seriously consider upgrading. A good trade-in program would make that decision easier.
