jplomley Posted June 18, 2011 Share #1 Posted June 18, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm 99% ready to pull the plug and buy the S2 with 35/70/120 Macro lenses, but for me, the system is incomplete without something wider than 35mm. This is the show-stopper. And I really don't care what Leica promises, because it is a virtual product until the day I can buy one. Seems to me Leica is so focussed on the M product line, that the S advancements have lost momentum. So anyone with an inside line on when we can expect the 24mm (not announced, but actually shipping for purchase)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 18, 2011 Posted June 18, 2011 Hi jplomley, Take a look here Waiting for the 24mm Lens. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Marty Posted June 18, 2011 Share #2 Posted June 18, 2011 Funny, meanwhile the M camp are blaming the M lens shortage on S production Can't please everyone all the time but right now nobody seems too pleased... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMacD Posted June 19, 2011 Share #3 Posted June 19, 2011 Blame the Leica cine lenses. Hey, they fetch $180 000. The 24mm will not come for two years. The CS lenses first. Then the zoom, then a 24mm, perhaps the shift, and a 30mm too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realphotos Posted June 19, 2011 Share #4 Posted June 19, 2011 Hi JMacD Are the dates your posting your personal guesses or have you seen a Leica Road map with dates attached? Don't you think all the primes will before the zooms? Some Leica adaptors (eg S2/Blad) would be good now so we could be busy in a holding pattern waiting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastgreenlander Posted June 19, 2011 Share #5 Posted June 19, 2011 Im in the same situation, waiting on the wider option for the S2 system. The 35mm equals 28mm in FF with a F/2.5 is pretty remarkable in such a big sensor. The S2 is perfect for Greenland landscape and my MPs/ Tri X are perfect for the people in Greenland. I've tried the popular DSLR options and I just hate them. Leica is the only brand that make systems I get. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted June 19, 2011 The 24mm will not come for two years. If this is true, then I guess I have at least another two years to save and I'm sure by then I will be looking at an S3 with a 50-60 MP sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastgreenlander Posted June 19, 2011 Share #7 Posted June 19, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) This is from David Farkas blog: "Leica has already indicated that the next lens to come from Solms will be a 24mm f/3.5 (19mm equiv)." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share #8 Posted June 19, 2011 Well, that was a year ago, and Leica lenses are out of stock virtually everywhere. Can we realistically hope for a new lens launch when they cannot even produce enough of their existing lenses to meet demand? And if they do manage to get the 24mm out the door, I'm pretty sure availability will be limited. I believe Leica have some very serious problems on their hands, and thus I am being cautious in adopting the S2 system. I could place an order at B&H right now for a complete HBlad or Phase One system. Try that with an S2! The product is only viable if it is available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfarkas Posted June 19, 2011 Share #9 Posted June 19, 2011 Well, that was a year ago, and Leica lenses are out of stock virtually everywhere. Can we realistically hope for a new lens launch when they cannot even produce enough of their existing lenses to meet demand? And if they do manage to get the 24mm out the door, I'm pretty sure availability will be limited. I believe Leica have some very serious problems on their hands, and thus I am being cautious in adopting the S2 system. I could place an order at B&H right now for a complete HBlad or Phase One system. Try that with an S2! The product is only viable if it is available. Jeff, As of Photokina, my information is that Leica will launch the 30mm f/2.8 and 24mm f/3.5 next, followed by the 30-90mm f/3.5-5.6. The new policy is not to give specific release dates until the product is ready to ship. My personal guess is that they are waiting to release the CS lenses first as there will be a surge in demand, before the new wide angles. And in more recent conversations, the CS are very, very close to release. Really, the hardest lenses to get at the moment are the 35 and the 120. Speaking for our store, we have S2 bodies, 70 and 180 lenses, along with every S System accessory in stock. And, we are almost caught up on our pre-order lists for the other two lenses. So, in a short while, larger S System dealers such as ourselves will have everything in stock. Most of my S customers are already shooting with complete S2 kits today.Smaller dealers may not wish to carry this kind of inventory, especially if they do not specialize in the product. Your example of B&H is an interesting one as they are actually not S System Professional Dealers. While B&H is certainly the largest photo store around, they are not necessarily well suited to offer advice and support for a system like this, nor a Hasselblad really. I would not say that Leica is in trouble, quite the opposite really. They are the most successful that they have ever been. No longer in a me-to market position, Leica has a lot of products where the demand is far outweighing the supply and current manufacturing capability. Would I like them to make more of everything right now? Of course. But trust me, the wait on a 35 Lux, 50 Lux, 75 Cron, 90 Cron, etc. for M is far longer than that of a 120 S. Everything is relative. Keep in mind as well that this is a problem that isn't isolated to Leica at the moment. Even the Japanese camera companies are having similar issues, although not for the same reasons. See the recent Luminous Landscape article by Mark Dubovoy here: Is the Photo Equipment Supply Chain Totally Broken? for more on that. Try buying a Nikon D3x or a Canon 5DmkII right now. You can't. The website doesn't even say "Out of Stock". It says "Temporarily Unavailable". Not encouraging. I suppose my point in all of this is to put things in a little perspective. The reality is that the S2 is a great system that is in fact being delivered to and being used by a fair amount of people. It is also a new system where every body purchaser needs lenses, which puts a strain on supply. In a legacy system like the M, the market's solution to inadequate supply is that used lenses sell for more than new ones. Leica will release a 24. They have no reason not to. Once they do, they are guaranteed to sell as many as they can make for quite some time. My only suggestion would be to get in line for the lens now and you will have a much shorter wait time than if you stand by until it is actually shipping. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted June 21, 2011 Many thanks David for your thoughtful response. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted June 30, 2011 Just a quick update, the S2 arrives next week. Really hope Leica follow through on their promise of a 24mm, preferably in early 2012. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidigital Posted June 30, 2011 Share #12 Posted June 30, 2011 Congrats, Jeff! I think that you'll be impressed with the S2 and believe that it will suit your photography well. Kurt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted July 1, 2011 Share #13 Posted July 1, 2011 I wholeheartedly second that! Albert :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted July 1, 2011 Kurt, Albert, many thanks for your feedback. Kurt, many thanks for the PM. Agree with everything you say. If interested, there is an interesting blog regarding the S2 posted today An Evaluation of the Leica S2 in White Mountain National Forest and Olympic National Park Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMacD Posted July 1, 2011 Share #15 Posted July 1, 2011 Jeff, Very nice detailed addition to the Leica blog. Thanks for writing it so well. As your reward, Leica will now move up their lens road map and get you the first of the 24mm in 2012 rather than 2013. Neville gets the second copy. And when it arrives, I'd love to borrow it. Best, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share #16 Posted July 2, 2011 Cheers Jack. I'm currently on a waiting list for the 24mm. I'm a big time fan of the 21 Elmarit Asph on the M9, and so really need to have this equivalent FL for the S2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMB Posted July 2, 2011 Share #17 Posted July 2, 2011 Congratulations to your new system. I look forward seeing some shots from you. Georg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Tansey Posted July 2, 2011 Share #18 Posted July 2, 2011 Although I would love a 24mm lens, I used the 120 85% of the time when I went to Olympic National Park last week. I only used the 35mm lens 15% of the time. Maybe I am seeing better with the 120mm lens. The weather was unusual, because it was sunny and 70 degrees F, which present many different challenges. I do find the S2 an absolute delight to work with. Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share #19 Posted July 2, 2011 Cheers George. Hoping to post some images here once I get some stick time with it next week. Hey Scott, my breakdown was: 35mm = 43% 70mm = 40% 180mm = 17% Wish I had the 120mm for that trip last year, but it was unavailable at the time. Pretty much unobtainable even now. Anywhere I can see some of your S2 work? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpdressed Posted July 3, 2011 Share #20 Posted July 3, 2011 Kurt, Albert, many thanks for your feedback. Kurt, many thanks for the PM. Agree with everything you say. If interested, there is an interesting blog regarding the S2 posted today An Evaluation of the Leica S2 in White Mountain National Forest and Olympic National Park Cheers, Jeff Great pictures Jeff! Have you developed the Dngs with LR3 or C1? If I'm not wrong with the M9 you work with C1... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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