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New S3 owner


Milan_S

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I have a long history of using S cameras going way back to the S2 till S007 and now recently upgraded my S007 to the S3. I had the opportunity to beta test the S3 back in 2018/2019 and even wrote a review about it for Medium Format Mag. I felt it was a great camera but still didn't see the need to upgrade my S007 to the S3. Keep in mind my Beta S3 also had some issues with hot pixel at higher ISO. 
I have know added the S3 and couldn't be more happy, it's a cult camera and the last in his kind as we know of. The skin colors are absolutely gorgeous and need little to know tweaking. I even feel the lenses focus a bit better and faster in low light. I currently have the 35mm, 70mm and 120mm and I plan to pick up a 100mm f2 again but first will test the lens thoroughly to see if the focus accuracy is ok. Stay tuned for more updates and photos from my part...

Have a great day

Milan

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Hi Milan, I’ve enjoyed your work for many years. I bought an S3 a couple months ago and have the 24 / 70 / 120 with it. Agree with all your sentiments. As a long time M user I feel like this camera is even simpler, if that is even possible. But the results speak for themselves. Can’t wait to see what you do with it. John

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40 minutes ago, geddon_jt said:

Hi Milan, I’ve enjoyed your work for many years. I bought an S3 a couple months ago and have the 24 / 70 / 120 with it. Agree with all your sentiments. As a long time M user I feel like this camera is even simpler, if that is even possible. But the results speak for themselves. Can’t wait to see what you do with it. John

Dear John thank you for your lovely words, well I had a small issue with my S007 (sd card error) and that was the reason which pushed me forward to the S3, and I couldn't be more happy with it. The S might be a dinsosaur in some eyes for me it's the tool which gives me the most satisfaction both in using it and also afterwards seeing the wonderful rich files. I also feel the mirror shutter has been upgraded compared to the S007 and of course the colors are amazing. I keep you posted on my work and planning to do some great projects with it. 

Currently I have the 35mm, 70cs, 100mm f2 and 120mm CS

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I was also an S3 beta tester. The final result today is a truly great camera. The S3 files have the beauty of the S(006) and the dynamic range of the S(007). The resolution increase is less important to me, but that lovely interplay of glass and processing pipeline is still the best out there.

I'm comparing it to the X2D, and the highest compliment I can give the Hasselblad is that its colors are pretty close to the Leica's.

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53 minutes ago, Milan_S said:

I had a small issue with my S007 (sd card error)

On my spare 007 (not the one I'm currently selling) it has the red light of death and the camera freezes up. You can only get it working again if you pop the battery out. Has anyone had this before and, if so, how much did Leica charge to rectify the issue? I'm worried that Leica will 'find' other issues and I'll get charged an arm and a leg to get it fixed. If that did happen I'd rather cut my losses and fully join the GFX camp (I've just bought a second-hand GFX100S).

Thanks in advance.

Edited by Sarnian
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6 minutes ago, Sarnian said:

I'm worried that Leica will 'find' other issues and I'll get charged an arm and a leg to get it fixed.

They will definitely include body cover replacement, cleaning, and calibration to the estimate.

I think that's why they went with straight sides on the SL: the body cover is cut from flat pieces and can be replaced easily. The S has a molded 3D cover that needs to come off for most service.

You may as well get an estimate. The camera doesn't do anybody any good right now. Someone else can enjoy it even if you aren't.

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1 hour ago, Sarnian said:

On my spare 007 (not the one I'm currently selling) it has the red light of death and the camera freezes up. You can only get it working again if you pop the battery out. Has anyone had this before and, if so, how much did Leica charge to rectify the issue? I'm worried that Leica will 'find' other issues and I'll get charged an arm and a leg to get it fixed. If that did happen I'd rather cut my losses and fully join the GFX camp (I've just bought a second-hand GFX100S).

Thanks in advance.

This was also the case with my S007 it has to do with a motherboard issue, I also needed to remove the battery and insert the SD card again, sometimes it worked sometimes not. Also the red light kept flashing and I even couldn't enter the menu. So this was a big reason to upgrade to the S3

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5 minutes ago, Milan_S said:

This was also the case with my S007 it has to do with a motherboard issue, I also needed to remove the battery and insert the SD card again, sometimes it worked sometimes not. Also the red light kept flashing and I even couldn't enter the menu. So this was a big reason to upgrade to the S3

Ah! The red light doesn't flash on mine but stays constant. 

Did you trade your 007 in with Leica towards your S3 or is it an expensive paperweight?

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Hello Milan.  I had a question regarding the reproduction of the reds.  I heard that the S3 handles the reds better than either the 007 or the S2.  I have gotten blown out reds with both of those.

PS  Congratulations on your show.

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I am also curious as to what raw processors those of you who like the S3 colors use. When I had the S3 I came from the S006, and I really did not like the color with Lightroom and Adobe Color. I felt like it looked a bit like the "classic chrome" profile that Fuji has for the X100. The shadows were comparatively desaturated and there was some sort of contrast curve that resembled what it looks like when you add a clarity adjustment. As is always an issue with Adobe profiles, the skies were too cyan and the greens too yellow. I felt the colors were decidedly not neutral, and looked like they had been processed by one of my students or something. I had a very negative reaction to it compared to the S006, if I am honest. I felt the colors in the S006 were excellent, the best I have ever had in a digital camera, and looked much more like a well exposed Kodak E100G slide with more dynamic range. I did not like the color in the S3 until I found the Cobalt Image profiles. Even then, I still prefer the S006... It could also be largely dictated by the subject matter: things in nature, compared to portraits. I do think the S3 had very good skin tones, so I will not argue that.

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22 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

... I did not like the color in the S3 until I found the Cobalt Image profiles. Even then, I still prefer the S006... It could also be largely dictated by the subject matter: things in nature, compared to portraits. I do think the S3 had very good skin tones, so I will not argue that.

S3 and Cobalt Image profiles is what I use. The default Adobe profiles are, more often than not, to my liking. 

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@Milan_S, I did not get to beta test the S3, but did some of the s007 firmware, and have always enjoyed the way the larger sensor transitioned the light.  However, I’ve had the S3 for about a year now, and while I don’t really do any portrait work, I do a lot of landscape work on the coast in SC, mostly pre-sunrise.  The S3 color is the best I have ever seen out of camera.  The white balance is easy and the files are so elastic it makes the s007 look hard to use. I kept my S007 and am glad, turnaround for CLA’s on the S gear is slow from the US and I only send it to Germany.  

That said, I made the switch from Lightroom to Capture One (now C1 version 23) and it handles the Leica S3 and S lenses incredibly well, not starting with over saturated colors, allowing incredible control.  C1 also has the lens profiles well done and subtle DNG sharpening, removing lens vignetting and diffraction are well done.  I guess I just like the C1 method, which is very slow to make changes so I can get exactly what I want.

Just my experience with the system.

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Screen shot from my ipad, so apologize for that, but this was one from two morning ago.  45mm about 9.5, 6 seconds, ISO 100, 2 stop hard grad filter.  Capture One 23….

 

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!

Edited by davidmknoble
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David,  I found the same thing when I owned the S3 for my landscape photography business as well.  The camera files didn't need much tweaking and Leica really did improve the red channel in the S3.  I also really enjoyed the camera OVF and S lenses that are nothing short of most excellent German optical engineering.  What one saw is what you were going to get in the files.  I would think the S4 will have excellent color as well.  r/ Mark

Edited by LeicaR10
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On 2/17/2023 at 1:25 PM, BernardC said:

You may as well get an estimate. 

Leica have said that the red light on doom is a known issue so it will be repaired under goodwill. Fingers crossed that they don't 'find' anything else wrong with it...

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  • 2 weeks later...

So it has been such a joy using the S3 I mostly use it with the 100mm f2 since this lens now works perfectly and AF is accurate on the S3, it's such a joy to use. 
I currently have the 35mm, 70mm, 100mm and 120mm any other lenses you would recommend knowing I shoot portraits?

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