jlehrer

I may be embarrassing but at least the content is free!

I care!

As the guy in the video I can say that the installation process, while straightforward, definitely requires patience and a light touch. The focusing screen can scratch easily if you let it touch the metal "holding tray" but once you get seated and pressed up into the mirror box, it should never fall out unless the camera has a serious impact or there is some defect. On our store demo S bodies (S2-P and S 006) I've never had the focusing screen holder fall down, but I have seen it happen with other users who've either installed it improperly or not fully latched it back up. We actually did a mini-review of this screen, and on the same page there's a little video of the screen in action: http://www.reddotforum.com/content/2011/09/first-look-at-the-leica-s2-microprism-focusing-screen-153/ If there's one thing I mention to people interested in purchasing the microprism, it's that with the 30-90mm zoom lens at the 90mm position, it can be difficult to use it for manual focus as the split prism itself does need a minimum amount of light to work properly. At f/5.6 it's straining. Also, if you're looking for a flip-up 2x magnifier, there's always this: http://leicastoremiami.com/collections/s-system-camera-accessories/products/leica-s-right-angle-finder For users who like to manual focus, or who just enjoy the look of a split prism, I would definitely recommend giving the microprism screen a try.

I was lucky enough to test out the new Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm lens for a weekend of shooting in Miami Beach. Needless to say I was impressed. You can check out my full review with plenty of sample images here: Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm Lens Review Now I can't wait to try out the Leica APO-Vario-Elmar-T 55-135mm f/3.5-4.5 ASPH! Soon I hope, once a generous customer lets me play with one before I ship it off to them.

I make no secret about my affiliations, and my post on Red Dot Forum was meant to be informative. Whether or not the purchase is worthwhile is a decision purely in the hands of the user. I do my best to present valid, logical information about the products they spend their hard-earned money on. I did compare the startup times and they were identical. Because the cameras use the same firmware that's not a big surprise. The extra RAM only allows for more images to be shot before the buffer fills. Since I never turn my camera off when I'm using it, (extra batteries are easy enough to stow in a pocket), I've yet to have startup time be an issue in my photography. I suppose my comment about the frame line lever was meant more for dramatic effect then detailed historical accuracy. I apologize if anyone or their cameras was offended!

I spent a weekend with the M-P and have written up a thorough hands-on preview. Check it out here: Leica M-P (Typ 240) Hands-On Preview If anyone has any questions or thoughts please let me know!

The "Adapter 1:1 for Leica R ELPRO to S-120mm Macro" as it's officially known is made by Michael Leibfritz in Germany. We offer it for sale here in the states for $130. It's a small ring that allows one to mount the ELPRO-R (product code 16545) onto the Leica S-120mm lens. We don't have it online yet but we will in about one week, and I will post a link here.

If you own or rent the S, or are just curious how it works, we have finally finished and posted our instructional videos for the new Leica S (Typ 006). You can see the full set here: New Instructional Video Series on Leica S (Typ 006) from Leica Store Miami Enjoy!

The S (Typ 006) has the advantage of being recalibrated to shoot at ISO100 as base ISO, versus ISO160 on the S2. This gives you a file that's a bit cleaner, but thanks to the reworking of the CCD's supporting electronics, you also get more dynamic range (especially in the highlights). Is it a massive difference? I don't think so, but it does depend on what you shoot. I have no problem going to ISO800 or even ISO1600 on the new S when I need to. Combine that with the increase in auto focus speed, dramatic improvement of the rear LCD, ergonomic enhancements thanks to the new rear joystick, integrated GPS, and much bigger buffer the new promotion is actually quite a deal. Keep in mind as well that purchasing a new S gives you Leica's full 3 year protection package that is fully transferable.

I haven't heard anything about the Multifunction grips...that's usually how it is. With the standard grips, we didn't hear a thing until we received our invoices from Leica two days before the shipment arrived.

As requested, more images of the Leica R-Adapter-M with the tripod foot.

The adapter has a removable tripod foot. When the foot is off, there is a small plastic cover that hides the attachment point on the adapter. The adapter includes a small Allen wrench for installing the tripod foot. I'll post some images on Monday when I am back in the office. The best part about the adapter over the Novoflex is the foot. Why you ask? Well, because thanks to the new design of the bottom plate, if you have the M attached to a tripod the entire camera needs to be removed to access the memory card or battery. With the Leica adapter attached I can use that to attach to my tripod, leaving the bottom plate easily accessible. This is especially handy if you are shooting video, and need to frequently remove the SD card to review footage.

Been using it for a bit and I am used to the way it operates. No complaints here! Works like a charm, and built like a tank.

Wilson: That is how our R adapter behaves (both Leica and Novoflex) but the behavior that I was expecting was that the M would automatically bring up the R lens selection menu as soon as I mount the adapter. Yes it remembers the last lens, but if I am changing R lenses I would not want to have to dive into the menu each time to select the proper lens.

An update. Now that I have the Leica R Adapter M here to test against the Novoflex LEM/LER I can confirm that both adapters bring up the 28/90mm frame lines when mounted on an M. Neither adapter automatically pops up the R lens profile menu on our M with the new firmware installed, I still need to go into the Lens Detection menu, select Manual, and then the list of R lenses is brought up for me to choose from. We just received more adapters from Novoflex, and I noticed that they updated their 6-bit coding to be higher quality and more closely match the Leica coding. In the image below the Leica adapter is on the left and the Novoflex on the right. The differences are apparent, and I'll be posting on Red Dot Forum with my full assessment this week!

Well I can chime in here in a somewhat official capacity. Novoflex is now making the LEM/LER adapter with 6-bit coding to allow the R lens profile menu to be selected on the M (Typ 240). The part numbers have not changed, so the only way to know for sure that you are getting the adapter is to order one and check. At Dale Photo at least, anytime that I order the adapters from our rep at HP Marketing (the USA distributor for Novoflex) I specifically request that they only ship me coded adapters. I know that they check each one before sending them along. Going forward, we will only order the non-coded adapters if someone requests one. This means the only difference between the Novoflex LEM/LER and the Leica R Adapter M is that the Leica-made adapter has a tripod foot and the Novoflex does not. Of course anything about build quality, the quality of the coding, or the solidity of the lens-adapter connection between the two products is purely conjecture until the Leica adapter ships and I can evaluate the two side-by-side. I am curious, for those who now have the coded Novoflex adapter, if anyone sees a difference in the resulting image when an R lens profile is selected. I've yet to see any difference, but that's only after a few shots. I don't have any wide angle R lenses to test, where I imagine the differences would be most notable. I also want to mention that for some reason I was under the impression that the R lens menu pops up as soon as the adapter is mounted. This is not the case (again, only with my brief initial testing). You need to go to the lens detection menu in the M (automatic will be greyed out), select Manual, and then the R lens list will be brought up.

Paul, I have asked Germany a number of times if it is possible to replace the standard glass on an S2 with the sapphire glass from the S2-P, and every time the answer has always been a firm "no." I don't know the exact reason, but if I had to take an educated guess I would say it is because they do not stock an abundance of this particular component, and wish to reserve their limited supply should the screen on an S2-P be replaced. The new S (Typ 006) does not use sapphire glass, so they would not have a reason to keep significant inventory of the 3 inch sapphire glass cover. The S2 and the S2-P are identical other than the screen, so I can't imagine it being a mechanical or an electronic issue either, however without dissembling one it's impossible to know for sure! If anyone wants to donate an S2-P for us to take apart I am happy to post my findings here!

I can have cables made to connect just about anything to the S2's motor drive port that has a 3.5mm headphone-style jack on it. Whether or not it will work depends on the signal it puts out, as long as it's a basic "dumb" trigger signal it will work. The S2's drive port does not have a "half-press" position so it's either "fire" or nothing at all.

Yes, the Vello unit will work with the S2!

Over the past 3 years here we have seen many M9 cameras come through the shop for sale in our used department, some with 500 shots on the shutter, and some with 50,000. At the moment, I have an M9 for sale with a bit over 40,000 shots on it. I've only ever had to have one M9's shutter replaced (out of many hundreds of cameras that I've handled), and that was an M9-P with only 1,000 shots on it that was dropped by the owner. I think users place too much emphasis on M9 actuations when purchasing a camera. I know many of my customers are using cameras with over 50,000 shots on them and are still going strong. What's more important that the shot count when purchasing a used M9 is knowing how the previous owner treated the camera - ask about any drops or impacts, and if they cleaned the sensor themselves or had a professional do it. Whenever we take a used M9 on trade-in, the first thing I do is send it to Leica USA for a cleaning and checkup. The main issues I see are out-of-calibration rangefinders, dirty or scratched sensors, and dented bottom plates.

We offer custom-made Pocket Wizard trigger cables for the S2, this would allow you to attach a unit like a Pocket Wizard MutliMax which has a built in intervalometer function for time-lapse photography: Leica S2 Pocket Wizard Motor Drive Cable. And there are most likely some other trigger units that work; anything with the standard 3.5mm mic jack port will work with that cable.

If I was going to have a rare/expensive Leica R telephoto lens modified, most likely I would only trust Leica Germany to perform the work. I wouldn't want to risk anyone other than Leica performing that service. I'm not sure how much "room" there is in the lens to extend infinity focus beyond it's original position but I am going to investigate this a bit.

After additional testing with a number of lenses, I believe this adapter is more of a novelty than anything else. With no (unmodified) lens was I able to focus anywhere near infinity, my best success was with using a 280mm, I was able to focus to about 40 feet. The lenses that I tried: 28mm f/2.8, 80mm f/1.4, 100mm f/2.8 APO-Macro, 180mm f/2.8 APO, 105-280mm f/4.2, and 35-70mm f/2.8. I was especially curious about the 35-70mm, but it can only used from about 45-70mm because the rear element extends too far out and would hit the mirror. And it doesn't focus farther than 3 feet. I am not sure how successful you would be modifying a lens shorter than 280mm, I am also not sure how much tolerance is built into the lens beyond infinity. I think if you had lenses 280mm or longer, you would not have a problem having them modified to work on the S with infinity focus, but you would not be able to practically use them on an R camera. However with shorter lenses, the adapter is only useful for macro focusing, I don't think it would be possible to modify a lens such as the 80mm f/1.4 or 100mm f/2.8 to focus at infinity, not to mention the fact that the rear element on the 80mm will hit the mirror if you focus past 2m or so. There are enough useful lenses within the Leica S lens lineup that I don't think it would be worth it to switch to the S system solely for this adapter. However, there are currently no native lenses for the S longer than 180mm, so if you had a collection of R telephoto lenses that you weren't using, and an S camera, then I would try having a lens modified and see how well it works!

This is 100% full frame, no cropping. Wide open at f/2.8 the lens exhibits some minor vignetting, but stopped down, there is almost none! Amazing for a sensor that's 50% larger than the lens was originally designed to cover.

This is what happens when you put a Leica Elmarit-R 28mm f/2.8 E55 on that adapter onto an S2 and focus it at minimum distance. I was at f/8 focused about 3 inches away from the car: