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M to S1 - a learning curve?


Richardgb

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Over in the Customer Forum at the end of November I replied to the 'Letting your Leica go' thread, having bought an S1 and 24-105 lens to replace my M Typ 240 and lenses. So what has it been like making the transition in these first few weeks?

Clearly, the S1 has more functions than the M, but nothing gets in the way if you try to do things with basic controls (à la M). Yes, it pays to read the instruction book (and I carry a copy on my phone, though I haven't had to use it in the field yet), but it's not necessary to know all of its 500+ pages from day 1. The menus and physical controls are clear and laid out so they can be used or avoided at will, so it's been easy to get used to handling and using the camera and lens while exploring its possibilities - it's bulkier, but weight-wise not much different to carrying the M-with-lenses kit.

One definite plus point is that the S1 has a co-ax flash sync socket in addition to the hot-shoe, so linking it to studio flash is easy (yes, I do know about radio triggers and have a basic set myself, but a cable still has its uses and is reassuring to have). For portable flash, I bought a Metz 64 (to replace an SF58), and found it to work well.

The in-camera JPG (fine) files could be good enough to use if I was pressed for time, while the RAW files have more than enough latitude, at least for the subjects I've taken so far which have mostly been under controlled lighting conditions.

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  • 4 weeks later...

One shortcut I have taken with the S1 is to set the color to Camera Natural and the white balance to Auto White Balance Warm. I think the color out of the camera is excellent. I have not stopped using my Leicas, but I use the S1 for video and often grab it for "casual" shooting. This is not to say it is not capable of more...it is an exceptional camera, but I think it is great for a grab and go camera, given the stabilization and autofocus (I use the 50mm Summicron). There are of course better cameras if you need something compact, but I think the S1 is one of the best values I have seen in cameras. The amount that it can do for the price of entry is remarkable. I like it so much more than the Sony mirrorless cameras I was using before for video.

If you are interested in more flash integration, Profoto has released a TTL trigger for Panasonic, so now Profoto flashes can integrate more seamlessly with the S1 and S1R etc. If only they would do it for Leica!!

 

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