Leica S1 High Speed

[dkpeterborough]

Seen a new one for sale at a well known dealer and trying to find out more about them .. but information via Google is sparse ... might suit my type of still life photography as I'm not too bothered about the 'scan times' ... so far have managed to ascertain that it is a good tool for document copying and that Leica R, Hasselblad and Nikon lenses are usable presumably with adaptors ... and it has a tilt and shift function but not sure if Tilt & Shift is standard original equipment or an optional extra. And file size is 96Mb max with 16 megapixel sensor?? I would like to find out if it has a built in screen or does it only work in tethered mode ie with a Mac or PC ... and does software support Mac and PC and if so which versions of which operating systems? And is it suitable for 3D subjects as well as documents? How would the exposure be measured/ascertained ? I could ask the dealer but prefer an opinion(s) from actual user(s) and any web links if there are any reviews. I found nothing on the Leica website ..and very little via Google ... only real info has been gleaned from Leica Pocketbook 7th Edition ... two specific lines of entry only. Is the performance outdated by more modern sensors? It is cheaper than a used DMR.

Any information/links would be appreciated.

Thanks

Dunk

[Moritz]

Duncan,

there is an expert for the S1 in the german section of this forum. His name is Bernd Stummeyer and his website is: Wilkommen bei fotomoto - Digitale Fotografie und Highend-Reproduktionen mitten in Hessen . You may ask him directly by email or phone call.

Regards Moritz

[dkpeterborough]

Thank you Moritz.

Duncan

[dkpeterborough]

Have found out much more ref the specification on the website .. thanks again

Duncan

[petermcwerner]

Duncan,

You might be interested by the following thread on photo-net:

Leica Photography Forum: The S1, The first digital Leica 1998

Peter

[dkpeterborough]

Thanks Peter; I had seen the thread ... it refers to the original S1 Pro ... interesting information ... confirms it is a superb camera for tethered photography of still life subjects ... the technology is quite old considering how fast digital is progressing ... I'm now wondering if can get similar quality using medium format film and a modern scanner ... probably can but the S1 would be quicker for an experienced user ... and appears to require less image manipulation as the images created seem to be cleaner than with a digital slr.

Dunk

[dkpeterborough]

If I bought an S1 I'd probably end up buying a Panerai wristwatch as well .... the designs complement each other! ...

Dunk

[davephoto]

there was a fellow whom i ran into back in february (or january) who swears by the photos he'd seen produced by the s1 as being the holy grail of digital images. i've never been lucky enough to have seen either the camera itself nor any photos produced by it.

[dkpeterborough]

I've taken the plunge and bought one ... arrives tomorrow Wednesday 16th August ... also buying another Mac computer to slot in the necessary PCI card .. will be a few weeks before can start using it as spent out now and still have to buy the necessary Silverfast Software ... the Silverfast version with the camera is only OS7 compatible and no upgrades are available for it ... seems like a lot of trouble to go to but I hope the potential results will make the acquisition worthwhile. Dealer has advised the camera is new and unused but bankrupt stock ... last price new I found was US$28000 ... the dealer's asking price now is a fraction of that ... Looking forward to some tethered camera photography of shells and minerals ... with 96Mb picture size.

Dunk

[mgcd]

All the studio images posted on the new Leica Product website were taken with a Leica S1.

[davephoto]

looking forward to your s1 images, duncan.

[Angora]

So ? What about the S1 images ?!

[dkpeterborough]

Originally Posted by Angora

So ? What about the S1 images ?!

My IT skills are not sufficient to tackle this camera ...I bought an old Mac to use OS 9 (as Silverfast software required only works on a Mac with OS 9) but cannot get new monitor to work with the old Mac. The other option is to use a desktop PC and Windows XP which AFAIK is more compatible with the version of Silverfast required .. but I do not wish to buy a PC. There are other reasons as well which have prevented me commencing the project.

Have decided to abandon the project and sell the Leica S1 High Speed ... so, one new unused S1 will probably be going off to dealer for commission sale in near future.

Dunk

[footnoteblog]

Seems like driving a Modena to the corner store.

:\

[Angora]

Originally Posted by dkpeterborough

My IT skills are not sufficient to tackle this camera ...I bought an old Mac to use OS 9 (as Silverfast software required only works on a Mac with OS 9) but cannot get new monitor to work with the old Mac. The other option is to use a desktop PC and Windows XP which AFAIK is more compatible with the version of Silverfast required .. but I do not wish to buy a PC. There are other reasons as well which have prevented me commencing the project.

Have decided to abandon the project and sell the Leica S1 High Speed ... so, one new unused S1 will probably be going off to dealer for commission sale in near future.

Dunk

You didn't have any computer prior to the Apple you bought ?
In any case, it's a pity you couldn't realise your project :/

[dkpeterborough]

Originally Posted by Angora

You didn't have any computer prior to the Apple you bought ?
In any case, it's a pity you couldn't realise your project :/

I did not have a computer with a slot that would accept the necessary PCI card ... I have been and still am using an iMac G5 which does not take the card .

Dunk

[philipotto]

Dunk,

If you are to go forward with the S1, I would recommend purchasing a Power Mac G4 1.25ghz (MDD 2003) .
This was the last Mac to utilize dual boot, i.e. it can boot OS 9 or OS X natively.
This model was also available from apple with dual 1.25GHZ processors.

The standard ATI 9000 64mb is capable of running two 23" cinema displays, one via the ADC and one via the DVI connector. The model could also be configured with the NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 128mb, that also supports two 23s, one ADC, one DVI.
The new Cinema Displays use DVI, so you could either just use one new monitor, one new and one older ADC monitor, or two new displays + a Apple DVI to ADC Display Adapter


Cheers,
Philip

[Angora]

Originally Posted by dkpeterborough

I did not have a computer with a slot that would accept the necessary PCI card ... I have been and still am using an iMac G5 which does not take the card .

Dunk

Oh indeed it would be a bit difficult to find free PCI slots with that kind of stuff.

If you still have the computer you bought as well as some time, you should try to find an adapter like this (to be checked by an Apple user, I'm not) : with such a cheap accessory, you can use nearly any monitor on the market, as they have VGA connector.
It'd be worth the try.

[carstenw]

Originally Posted by dkpeterborough

My IT skills are not sufficient to tackle this camera ...I bought an old Mac to use OS 9 (as Silverfast software required only works on a Mac with OS 9) but cannot get new monitor to work with the old Mac. The other option is to use a desktop PC and Windows XP which AFAIK is more compatible with the version of Silverfast required .. but I do not wish to buy a PC. There are other reasons as well which have prevented me commencing the project.

Have decided to abandon the project and sell the Leica S1 High Speed ... so, one new unused S1 will probably be going off to dealer for commission sale in near future.

Dunk

What would such a camera sell for?

[dkpeterborough]

After much thought ... and admiring the superb build quality .. have decided to keep the Leica S1 High Speed ... and as soon as can afford them buy Silverfast Ai software and a PC to run Windows XP ... it would never have worked with Mac OS9 ... this link refers http://www.silverfast.com/product/Leica/160/en.html

The camera was originally sold with Mac OS7 ... Silverfast no longer support the software used with OS7.

Dunk