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New S2 info thanks to David Farkas


JMacD

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Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. Working hard over here to get the most in-depth info and get it out in a timely way.

 

If there are any specific questions, please send them my way, either by email or by a comment on my blog (both of which I receive on my Blackberry). I can't check the forum until I get back to my hotel at night.

 

Thanks,

 

David

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David's blog entry for Day 2 has some interesting new information about the S2 and HDR photography. The information is toward the end of the day's blog entry. It is worth the read and sounds like an interesting possibility.

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There was another interesting tidbit I picked up from David's Day 1 entry that I don't know if others picked up on. That's the maximum exposure time when using bulb setting. Currently, the maximum exposure is 32 seconds. In David's report on the new firmware, he showed a new feature that lets the user select the exposure length in the bulb setting. What is more important about this new feature is the maximum exposure time is up to 128 seconds depending on ISO.

 

I very rarely have use for an exposure longer than 32 seconds so this isn't a big deal for me. However, I am excited about it because it shows that Leica is continuing to add features and make improvements in the S2 system. I put a lot of confidence in Leica by purchasing the S2 when first released. I am happy my confidence wasn't misplaced.

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Breaking the 32 second limitation is great news! I rented the S2 from David for ten days this month for a shoot in Northern Michigan and I was shooting night landscapes with the 35 and 70 wide open at ISO 320 and 640 and 32 seconds was often just not enough without the benefit of a full moon. And when it was enough, getting a bit more depth of field with a smaller aperture would have been nice. So now that will be possible. Thank you Leica, and David for his excellent reporting!

 

Geoffrey Peckham

Milford, PA

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I was told a different story about leaf shutters (Leica having serious problems with a supplier or subcontractor), but I would like to read a confirmation from David Farkas.

 

The CS lenses do work. I used one. Photographers shooting in the Leica Studio in the booth were using these exclusively pretty much non-stop throughout the show.

 

Why are they waiting for several more months before releasing? Leica is still working on the timing sequence to make the lag time and mirror blackout as short as possible. These are small tweaks in camera and lens firmware. They are also performing reliability testing. I didn't hear the 40/100K number that Mark Dubovoy wrote in his blog, so I really can't comment. I will just quote Peter Karbe, head of optics department, when he told me, "We don't ship green bananas!" In other words, Leica wants to make absolutely sure that the CS lenses perform perfectly and reliably upon release, without having to fix things after the fact.

 

Hope this answers your question.

 

David

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David Farkas' reports are a pleasure to read. Well written, very detailed, balanced, containing meaningful information...

 

His report on the Pentax 645D has shocked me a little. Hasselblad has released a H4D camera with a back for less than 10.000 euros. So the competition is alive and well there. Is it likely a price adjustment from Leica too?

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David Farkas' reports are a pleasure to read. Well written, very detailed, balanced, containing meaningful information...

 

His report on the Pentax 645D has shocked me a little. Hasselblad has released a H4D camera with a back for less than 10.000 euros. So the competition is alive and well there. Is it likely a price adjustment from Leica too?

 

 

I certainly agree re David's blog, although I think the terms 'price adjustment' and 'Leica' are mutually exclusive:)

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Hasselblad has released a H4D camera with a back for less than 10.000 euros.

Excluding VAT. They put in the last generation 31 MP sensor that was supposed to be superceded by its 40 MP successor to push the price below the magical 10,000 Euro mark.

 

So the competition is alive and well there. Is it likely a price adjustment from Leica too?

I don’t think so. Leica’s USP has never been the price.

 

The Pentax 645D is a very nice little camera and they expect to sell (apparently realistically so) a figure well into the three-digit range in Germany alone, but I don’t expect Leica to get nervous just yet. Rather I expect the effect of these relatively affordable models to be that the total MF market will grow, benefitting everyone.

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