albertknappmd Posted February 15, 2011 Share #1 Posted February 15, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have returned safe and sound from an unforgetable 15 day trip to the Antarctic peninsula hosted by Quark expeditions. I want to thank every member of the Forum as your cumulative wisdom and sage advice resulted in a photographic triumph! The S2 performed flawlessly, on the icebreaker, in the zodiac, in the kayak, on the frozen beaches, on the frigid mountains, in the redolent penguin rookeries and on the whale/seal photographic "hunts"... The autofocus, undoubtedly improved with the latest program update was flawless. I shot over 5100 files and have winnowed it down to about 200 superiro pictures and probably 20 or 30 superlative ones. The light was stunning and I was fortunate to have clouds when confronted with the blue icebergs gracing them with a preternatural look.. The cmera is as solid as a rock and even survived two falls while mountain climbing. Luigi's leather case protected it not only from the cold and salt spray but from teh fall as well. The lens shade on the 70 mm shattered on impact but saved the camera and lens. Both performed perfectly after the trauma.. Not one scratch... I borrowed some crazy glue from the ship's engineer and reassembled the lens shade.. Good as new! I was particularly impressed by the camera's prowess photographing birds in flight... The autofucus was deadly accurate and I am able to blow up the pictures without any loss of resolution.. There were about 100 other members of the tour with their congeries of Nikon D3s and Canons but they were amazed by the S2... At least two of them were intrigued enough to consider switching to the S2! I am refining the photos now and will post in the near future. Can someone just let me know how to do this speedily and easily as I am truly pressed for time.. BTW, I sent the S2 and the 70 mm lens back to Leica for CLA and assessment jsut in case. I doubt any bad news! Regards, Albert:):) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 Hi albertknappmd, Take a look here The S2 triumphs in the Antarctic!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Guest Posted February 15, 2011 Share #2 Posted February 15, 2011 We look forward with anticipation to see your pics... Congratulations on the trip...sounds like a wonderful experience. Regards, Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S. Wong Posted February 15, 2011 Share #3 Posted February 15, 2011 Congrats on the successful trip, and the lack of need for your backups. I wonder if a replacement hood is available from Leica in exchange for a story on the ruggedness of the construction Can't wait to see the photos you post. -Steven Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
c6gowin Posted February 15, 2011 Share #4 Posted February 15, 2011 Hi Albert, Congratulations on a successful trip. I look forward to seeing your photos. I know it is tough to pair down 5100 photos to just a couple hundred. If you are using LR and have a web host you easily output a website of your antartic photo using LR web output. That is the quickest and easiest way to get your photos on line. Another option is to post some of them here on the image sharing section. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted February 15, 2011 Share #5 Posted February 15, 2011 ...The S2 performed flawlessly, on the icebreaker, in the zodiac, in the kayak, on the frozen beaches, on the frigid mountains, in the redolent penguin rookeries and on the whale/seal photographic "hunts"... It's always a little unsettling to bring an un-tested tool on a one-in-a-lifetime trip, but now you've gained some incalculably valuable confidence in the camera's abilities. I'm enviously looking forward to seeing your photos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted February 15, 2011 Share #6 Posted February 15, 2011 Hi Albert, I am really looking forward to see your images. May I ask which lenses you used how much? Good to hear that the camera worked fine in thosew rough conditions. Kind Regards, Thomas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted February 15, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you all for the kind words... First, great idea about writing a quasi-testimonial about the dependabilty of the 70 mm lensshade and getting a free replacement. Should have thought of that one but David Farkas already sent me the new lens shade! The smashed one actually looks quite interesting and is quite solid thanks to Krazy glue so I may keep using the initial shade for a while! As to Doug's passion, what I found and hope that you will appreciate teh awesome resolution power of both the S lenses as well as the camera. My avain "closeups" were all done with a 70mm lens! As to Tom's question, I used the 70mm 80% of the time, the 180 mm 15% and the 35 mm 5% of the time. All three lenses are simply not to be believed re contrast, sharpness and resolution! I do not have a website etc so I will process the gradually into JPGs and will share them with you. How do I upload them on to this site? Albert:):) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted February 15, 2011 Share #8 Posted February 15, 2011 How do I upload them on to this site? http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=8 The lower center of this screen has a button called Manage Attachments. Attach your .jpg files and we'll see them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted February 15, 2011 Share #9 Posted February 15, 2011 How to resize to the right size: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/about-leica-forum/144288-how-resize-photos-posting-forum.html How to post: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/about-leica-forum/144293-how-upload-photos-forum.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted February 16, 2011 Here are three photos of birds in the Drake passage taken from theship with 20 foot swells. I used the 70mm lens and cropped severely! My maiden post! Albert Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/144151-the-s2-triumphs-in-the-antarctic/?do=findComment&comment=1589313'>More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted February 16, 2011 a few more shots... Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/144151-the-s2-triumphs-in-the-antarctic/?do=findComment&comment=1589320'>More sharing options...
Googaliser Posted February 16, 2011 Share #12 Posted February 16, 2011 Certainly no focus issues with your S2 ! I am really looking forward to seeing more images from your trip M Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidigital Posted February 16, 2011 Share #13 Posted February 16, 2011 Lovely images, Albert! Glad to hear that you had a great trip with the S2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted February 16, 2011 I cannot upload vertical pictures... The heigt is 960 and the width is 638 pixels in Photoshop... However, when I upload in Leica Forum, it states the height at 960 but says the width is 1466??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted February 16, 2011 Share #15 Posted February 16, 2011 Wow-those are impressive. What I like a lot is they do not look "digital" or over proecessed at all. Very natural. II also think the S2 handeled the strong light very well. Didnt think it was popssible to shoot such birf in flight images with the S2 (my first atemmps with C-AF were not so succesfull) Keep them coming. Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted February 16, 2011 Share #16 Posted February 16, 2011 Please place your shots in the Photo section of the forum, not here. Thanks. Re portrait shots, resize them so that the vertical length is 800 pixels. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyp Posted February 16, 2011 Share #17 Posted February 16, 2011 Very impressive photos, in more than one way, thanks for showing these. They make my S2 lust increase even more ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share #18 Posted February 17, 2011 I have to be candid...I am in awe and in thrall with the S2. The wildlife photgraphs were not only accurate but were taken with the 70 mm lens and cropped many fold in Photoshop... A 180 mm lens was simply obviated in many cases. The technological advancements over the past few years are breakneck and breathtaking. The S2 is a true joy! I will try to place more photos over the weekend. Thanks for all your positive comments! Albert:):) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 17, 2011 Share #19 Posted February 17, 2011 Great stuff Albert - one tip: if you resize for the forum, do it in three steps: reduce by 50% using bicubic, again 50 % using bicubic and then down to the final 960 pixels using bicubic sharper. You preserve microcontrast that way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phancj Posted February 17, 2011 Share #20 Posted February 17, 2011 Albert, Simply astounding images. Looking closely at any photos you care to post in future. And hope I do well this year so I can buy myself a gift (S2) haha. I am inclined towards AF too. CJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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