Any Leica Dealer who has an S3 in stock?

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40 minutes ago, Hans-Dieter Gülicher said:

Hello freinds,

I suppose I am the first and up to now the only one who got a S3 (at the 13th of March). After about 14 days of testing the big ship I have to confirm the S3 it is a wonderful camera. It meets my requirements of quality in any way. Look at the German part of this forum for further details.

Regards Hans, and stay healthy in spite of Corona

Hans -- can you please report on the AF, is it any better than 007?

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

First let me explain something. I am an old Leica freak since 1955 (M 3). My last big boy was the R9 + DMR + some lenses. But it crashed in 2012 and there was no chances for repair because of the known Leica problems at that time. So I switched over to Fudji xPro1 with adapted Leica lenses. After all in March 2019 I bought the new Q2. Back to the roots and I was happy. It was a lightweight and small camera for an old man, I thougt.

Visiting the Leica Store Wetzlar in January I discovered a secound hand 007 and took it. Later on I bought a new 30-90 mm lens. But I got a lot of trouble with the 007 body in the next time. So I decided to switch over to the S3 as soon as possible. At the 13th of March I got it as I thought to start to Antarctica at the 14th. From Wetzlar back to my home I had to notice that my planned trip has been canceled in the meantime because oft he Covit19 situation.

With regard to the new S3 you should bear in mind in all parts it is a real improvement compared to the 007 as the old one was based on a year 2010 concept and knowhow. That means the S3 clearly is up to date - according the by Leica boys well known Leica standards.

But back to your question. The AF of the S3 is o.k. absolutely and the other features, too. From my point of view it is a worthy successor of my earlier R9+DMR but on a higher level. I think the S3 and me coud be best friends in future. I hope so.

Please look on my German forum threads. You will find some samples. I like to take pictures of nature and landscapes f.i. Northwest of America, Iceland etc.

Have a nice and healthy day and best regards from Cologne Germany (CCAA means Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium)

Hans

Edited April 4, 2020 by Hans-Dieter Gülicher

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[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

One of my first creation: Lignum stellatum. Done by ACR / Photoshop CC

Regards Hans

 

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Edited April 4, 2020 by Hans-Dieter Gülicher

[Jeff S]

9 hours ago, Hans-Dieter Gülicher said:

With regard to the new S3 you should bear in mind in all parts it is a real improvement compared to the 007 as the old one was based on a year 2010 concept and knowhow. That means the S3 clearly is up to date - according the by Leica boys well known Leica standards.

 

But we already know, for instance, that the S3 shares the same Maestro II Processor used in the S007, while the SL2 has already incorporated Maestro III.  So it’s certainly not a given that the S3 has the latest and greatest, even within the Leica family.  That’s why some remain curious about AF improvements, if any.

Jeff

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

Please another one ...

Regards Hans

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!

[Sarnian]

What's with all the blue twigs?! 

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

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.... up to date - according the by Leica boys well known Leica standards. That means not always the latest or best as to my over years experiences.

But I have noticed no problems with the AF. 64 MP even means more details. That`s why I swithed over from the old 007 to S3.

Greatings Hans

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

I think it`s a matter of focus depth.

[Jeff S]

35 minutes ago, Hans-Dieter Gülicher said:

.... up to date - according the by Leica boys well known Leica standards. That means not always the latest or best as to my over years experiences.

 

But the processor is not up to the latest LEICA standards, forgetting about other brands.  The Leica SL2 has a faster, new generation processor.  The S3 had five years to upgrade. The S3 sensor and color array were clear upgrades from the S007, but it’s not clear if there are other significant improvements.

Jeff

[setuporg]

17 hours ago, Hans-Dieter Gülicher said:

Have a nice and healthy day and best regards from Cologne Germany (CCAA means Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium)

Danke, Hans!  Thanks for sharing, and happy that you can enjoy these times with such a great camera.  I have nothing but fun with 007, except focusing S100 was a challenge, as many here reported, but I guess I learned how to do it.

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

Hello Jeff,

first let me state, I am not a professional photographer. Started in 1959 in a microbiological lab my real profession is medical hygiene and infection control (hospitals, dentistry etc.) since more than 50 years. But I have sold my company in 2018.

Furthermore I am not a technician. To take pictures (landscape and nature) is my hobby, only. I do this on my way over years, f.i. traveling by Mobile Home through Northwest America, from Alasca, Yukon south to the mexican border.

After participating a Leica training in Wetzlar in January, as my friend had bought a SL2, we visited the Leica Store. I remember well the discussion on the new S3. We were told the new sensor (maestro ?) should be developed for Leica, only.

As mentioned before I bought a second hand 007 with agreement to exchange for the new S3 and I did so in March. That means I can compare both in a certain way. As to my opinion the S3 in all parts is a real improvement especially the complete firmware.

But from my point of view the only important matter is the output of the S3. I like to print out my pictures for my friends and me on a high level (earlier for my exhibitions or workshops) and I like to produce AV-shows. I am convinced the S3 is a very nice camera.

Have a nice day abd best regards from Germany

Hans

By the way, the distance from my home to Wetzlar, the home of Leica, is about 170 km = 90 min travel time, only. To visit the new, stylish Leica buildings (factory, administration, museum, exhibitions, academy, store, hotel, cafeteria etc. is a real event. To meet friends is another important point. I should plan the next trip.

[BernardC]

17 hours ago, Jeff S said:

But the processor is not up to the latest LEICA standards, forgetting about other brands.  The Leica SL2 has a faster, new generation processor.  The S3 had five years to upgrade. The S3 sensor and color array were clear upgrades from the S007, but it’s not clear if there are other significant improvements.

What difference would a faster processor make? The S lenses will never focus as fast as SL lenses, because of their construction and optical design. Try it yourself, put some S lenses on an SL2 (or SL) and see how much "faster" they focus.

Frankly, that's a big part of the system's appeal: lenses that aren't compromised for fast focus (which means having a focusing group that is as small and light as possible). It's a rare thing these days.

As you noted, Leica already has a system that caters to those who need speed and high resolution: the SL2. They could have built a medium format SL, but it would need all-new lenses (smaller aperture and software-corrected like GFX and X1D lenses). This would have been a very expensive way to get a camera that has neither the speed of the SL2, nor the output of the S3.

[Chaemono]

vor 31 Minuten schrieb BernardC:

What difference would a faster processor make? The S lenses will never focus as fast as SL lenses, because of their construction and optical design. Try it yourself, put some S lenses on an SL2 (or SL) and see how much "faster" they focus.

[...]

The 120 Macro Summarit focuses more slowly on the SL2 than on the S3.

[BernardC]

31 minutes ago, Chaemono said:

The 120 Macro Summarit focuses more slowly on the SL2 than on the S3.

Exactly. The processor is not a limiting factor.

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, BernardC said:

What difference would a faster processor make? The S lenses will never focus as fast as SL lenses, because of their construction and optical design. Try it yourself, put some S lenses on an SL2 (or SL) and see how much "faster" they focus.

Frankly, that's a big part of the system's appeal: lenses that aren't compromised for fast focus (which means having a focusing group that is as small and light as possible). It's a rare thing these days.

As you noted, Leica already has a system that caters to those who need speed and high resolution: the SL2. They could have built a medium format SL, but it would need all-new lenses (smaller aperture and software-corrected like GFX and X1D lenses). This would have been a very expensive way to get a camera that has neither the speed of the SL2, nor the output of the S3.

I said nothing about AF.  The point was that Leica apparently invested little in new hardware or enhancements beyond the sensor and color array, in response to the quoted comment that the S3 incorporated all that Leica had to offer, at the highest standard, for whatever reason. One could argue that’s because the S007 was already state of the art. But that doesn’t seem the attitude or approach associated with other recent Leica product releases.  I’m no engineer, but I imagine that a faster processor might offer benefits besides AF; but that’s besides the point.

Jeff

[mgrayson3]

Oddly enough, the camera and its marketing are not the same thing. Which one would you rather have?

[Jeff S]

At the price, neither. 

Jeff

[Hans-Dieter Gülicher]

My decision. Because of the better feeling. But look on the Neandertalers (just there was a report on German/Austrian TV). They had no camera, no Leica, no money. But surely they feel pretty with flowers at their caves. So I supose living with Leica should be better.

Hans

[Stuart Richardson]

Perhaps it is better to frame it in an additive rather than subtractive way. By most accounts, it seems that the S3 takes a camera that people were really delighted with and nearly doubles the megapixels while increasing the high iso performance and improving the color, at a lower price than the previous model. If the improvements over the S007 or S006 are not enough for you, then you are in luck, as they have never been cheaper. If you want the bleeding edge technical features, the SL2 is the better choice, and it will even take all the S lenses with similar speed as on their native S body as long as you have an adapter.

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Hallo,

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[davidmknoble]

Also note that the maestro 2 is a processor.  It does not mean the software is the same. Why increase processing speed if it isn’t necessary?  Does not equal old technology.