S2 for Documentary

[johnburrell]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi All

 

I am a photojournalism / travel photographer, looking for some new kit (currently using the high end Canon equipment). I had a look at the S2 in the summer but it seemed to me that it was primarily a studio camera. BUT, reading some of these topics here it seems you guys are using it for quite diverse shooting.

 

Can you please tell me if you think this camera can be used for reportage and travel photography?

[k_g_wolf ✝]

From what I know: YES !

 

If you can travel with CANON and/ or HASSELBLAD you can easily travel

with a Leica S2, esp. once the zoomlenses are out,

 

 

Best

GEORG

[johnburrell]

Cheers Georg - that sounds positive. I was slightly concerned with only 2 frames per second.

[glenerrolrd]

Georg

 

I do almost exclusively travel and reportage photography and have found the M9 as close to perfect as it gets . I work with two M9 s and have a back up to insure I am never waiting for service. I find the image quality of the M9 to be different but essentially equal to my D3x and the zeiss glass.

 

I ve shot with the S2 but haven t put it thru the paces like it deserves. I don t need to be convinced that the S2 or really any of the MF solutions offer a step up in IQ ....if and this is a big if... I can stay in control of shooting situation. If the subjects are moving ,or you expect low available light ...forget it. Yes there are ways to make it work but its just making it harder to create the images you want . So ..the talk of 1600 is great ....hard to swallow....and isn t acceptable image quality and MF an oxymoron ...why would you ever suffer with the complexity of MF to get an acceptable IQ.

 

But the S2 is built for rugged environments (or appears to be ) and if you are trying to stand out in a crowded field of photographs ....the S2 and MF files is very seductive.

 

The cost and availability of lenses and accessories are the major hurdles. I would want two bodies and 4 lenses and thats expensive ...otherwise its a special purpose camera and the M9s carry the bulk of my shooting.

[k_g_wolf ✝]

>> Roger

 

Well, I also prefer a digital Leica M for travelling, because of size

and portability. I tried a Demo S2 recently and can easily imagine

using it out of a studio.

 

So far it is out of my reach financially, but for the time being

I would prefer some new lenses for the M instead.

 

 

best

GEORG

[JMacD]

If you are willing to drag Canon gear then an S2 is not any bigger. David Farkas now uses his S2 for travel over his M9. But your question was not an M9 vs S2 but an S2 vs Canon DSLR. Two frames a second is fast enough for all but sports. Given the investment, you might rent the system first, or ask David for a demo session. The system is robust. I've shot sailboat racing from a waverunnner personal water vehicle in 25 knot winds and It worked better than the Canon system. That's clearly shooting outside of the studio.

[Jeffacme]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

For reportage style shooting I wouldn't dream of using the S2. Can't imagine giving up multi point auto focus. Frame rate is sometimes important and my experience with the S2 was more like 1 to 1.5 frames per second.

 

Either Canon or Nikon will be far more efficient in low light high ISO situations. Also the availability of gear would be a huge issue for me on location. I cannot go on assignment without redundant backup in my gear. There simply would be no way to quickly replace S2 components in all but the largest cities around the world.

[LeicaS2]

Jeff is right. And without more info from you, I can't see why you would need medium format file size for your uses either. But as jmacd says you can try it, medium format was not designed for your purpose, but the S2 can be used with versatility. For the money, and your professed needs, I would have two nikon 3's and a bunch of lenses yet to exist for the S system.

[albertknappmd]

I received my S2 along with the 70mm and 180mm lenses a few months ago and have taken it out several times so far. It is versatile and has seamlessly replaced my R9-DMR kit. I am planning to take it to the Antarctic in January alog with my M8 kit. The S2 is outstanding and I encourage you to rent one try it ot and then buy one.. You will not be sorry..

[glenerrolrd]

Its always a balance of pros and cons ..in matching any system to the requirements of the photographer. The S2 clearly offers an ability to take MF IQ into the field and rough environments. This is one of its most important differentiating features.

 

I was with David when he did the series on Volleyball Players at South Beach . The S2 feels like a D3 with a larger lens. The weather sealing ,handling,viewing are all impressive and IMHO clear advantages over the traditional MF competitors. So you have the ability to apply the advantages of MF into situations typically reserved for DSLR.

 

But you might consider that working with MF requires a high skill level to get the full advantage of the IQ . Precise focus is required and DOF is shallow (see Digllyod s reports). Shooting at shutter speeds below 1/250 requires real care . ISO performance beyond 800 questionable ? And a fast MF lens is f2.5 .

 

Further limitations in long and wide focal lengths restrict the versatility of the S2.

 

Common issues in MF and the S2 pushes a long way into what has been a DSLR domain.....only the individual can determine if the trade offs are worth it.

[Arif]

I recently took the S2 on separate trips to Indonesia, Hong Kong and Macau and used it fairly extensively but also brought along the Nikon D3s for situations where I needed high ISO (shadow puppets) and/or action (buffalo races). During the day, the S2 would always be used and I found it to be very easy to work with in almost all situations and can recommend it as a travel camera (I would say 98% of the time I hand held the camera). I am in the process of sorting through my pictures but you can see some of them on my blog already with others to follow as time permits. On this trip I took the 70 and 35 mm with the D3s equipped with the 70-200 VRII. The camera performed flawlessly but did require me to rethink my travel workflow as 64GB cards fill up very fast.

 

Please drop me a pm if you need more info.

[gpleica]

John,

 

I've shot the M9 for a year, taking it with me all over the world, 31M shots to date. But since September, like David, I've switched to using an S2P with the 70 only. There are a lot of pros and Leica enthusiasts that will swear by the fact that you need a lot of gear to be ready for all situations. But I feel just the opposite. Carrying a lot of gear can really weigh you down and cause you to think/see the world in the multiple perceptual capabilities of all the lenses you brought along. Personally, I find it much more enjoyable and fulfilling to work within the limitations imposed by minimal gear. One lens. One body. A warranty that will get me a replacement in a day or two. Yes, I'll throw in my M9 with a 35 cron as a backup because I don't want to miss a day's shooting if the S2 goes down. And always spare batteries and plenty of cards.

 

It all boils down to what you like to photograph and whether or not you can live with the limitations that Glen and Jeff aptly point out. They are right. Depth of field with the S2 is shallow unless you chose to use the 35. I rented the 35 from David for two weeks and it's a great lens but I found it took in too much for my taste. Its like a 24mm on a 35 full frame. I have found the S2 to be very robust, very comfortable on the shoulder, easy to focus in nearly all light, and a real joy to use for both landscape and documentary street type stuff. Just know that you've got to have a steady hand or a fairly good amount of light. Or you shoot the higher ISOs and live with the results, which are actually pretty good given that you are working with an incredible lens and MF.

 

Probably the best advice is to rent the outfit from David and see if it fits.

 

Geoffrey

[k_g_wolf ✝]

>> Arif

 

 

There are many gorgeous photographs on your

website ! Thx for sharing.

 

I´am most impressed.

 

 

Best

GEORG

[Arif]

>> Arif

 

 

There are many gorgeous photographs on your

website ! Thx for sharing.

 

I´am most impressed.

 

 

Best

GEORG

 

Georg,

Thank you very much for the kind comments. Very much appreciated. I am encouraged to post more pictures

best regards,

Arif

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jeffacme]

John,

 

Personally, I find it much more enjoyable and fulfilling to work within the limitations imposed by minimal gear. One lens. One body. A warranty that will get me a replacement in a day or two. Yes, I'll throw in my M9 with a 35 cron as a backup because I don't want to miss a day's shooting if the S2 goes down. And always spare batteries and plenty of cards.

 

 

Probably the best advice is to rent the outfit from David and see if it fits.

 

Geoffrey

 

Goeffrey,

 

I totally agree and often when shooting for personal enjoyment venture out with just a lens and a body. It is very freeing and elemental to just see and shoot.

 

My redundant backup comment however relates to business and there I simply cannot afford to be shut down by equipment failure. I still wonder how the Leica one day replacement will work in remote locations and would not use an S2 system for business without two bodies and three lenses minimum. An M9 backup may work but then we are into another mini system on top of the S2.

 

I love shooting MF and the S2 is certainly a great MF choice but the range required even by the most tame reportage shooting would lead me to shoot 35mm as reporters have done since the dawn of the format.

 

To each his own though and is is absolutely true that a long and thorough demo is a must when considering any MF system.