Best pseudo-S2?

[carstenw]

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I don't think the actual weight has been specified yet, but somewhere it mentioned that it would be more than a compact full-frame 35mm camera (5D, D700) but less than a full-on pro 35mm body. I would guess just short of 1kg for the body. The lenses are chunky though. The smallest is about the size of a Canon 24-105L.

 

Leica/Dr. Kaufmann have gone on record stating that releasing the R10 before the S2 would be a fizzle, compared to the other way around. The R10 faces way more competition and enters a hotly contested market, with no new features, whereas the S2 defines a new segment. The R10 has also been promised, but will come later. Furthermore, Leica is dropping many hints that it will be closer to the R7 in size than the R8. Read Dave Farkas' blog for some of these hints, including the showcase with the empty spot for the R10, with no R8/9 in sight, but an R7.

[AlanG]

Luminous Landscape did some photos comparing the Canon G10 with MF backs. I thought this was interesting.

 

Kidding

 

Now of course many people need to make images that are larger than 13x19 inches or require narrow depth of field or some other feature that isn't available on the G10.

 

Recently, I shot photos for an ad and posted medium res for my client to choose from. The idea was that I'd do a high res well adjusted retouched shot of just the one they wanted. You know what? They used the smaller file and it was more than good enough for them. A G10 would have been overkill for that job. This isn't so unusual.

[carstenw]

It has been coming for a while. Using a D-Lux 3 in broad daylight also gives really nice results, as do various Panasonics. I am a bit surprised that it moved this fast though, and that the G10 gives nice enough results to compare with MF, if you don't look too closely or blow it up too much. I am a bit shocked that looking at 100% crops doesn't make it immediately obvious. I think the time has come even for serious photographers to add a high-quality compact to their equipment collection, for light-duty jobs. Some already do, some even do it exclusively, but mostly for reportage. Now it goes further.

 

Personally, I also just like using the higher-end equipment, compared to cheaper stuff. I might up adding an LX3 or D-Lux 4 some day, but I doubt that I will ever enjoy it as much as using my M8 or Contax 645.

[khun_k]

I have never seen the actual weight of the S2 specified. Can you advise the actual weight please?

 

Sorry, I have no exact information but was judging base on Leica's coment the camera to be size/weight between a top end 135mm DSLR model (1Ds3/D3 may be) to a middle range model, so it is quite comfortable, at least it is to me. I have no problem with 1Ds 3 already and in fact, the 1Ds 3 is just about the weight as my H3D39 and just slightly less than my P45+ with Contax 645 w/battery grip. The Leica lens is typically more compact although hefty, so I assume the balance camera and lens should be very good.

I like the R8 very much for its low profile prism which appear the case as the S2, that when shooting I can put the eye in the viewfinder and still able to see the scene with the other, of course nowadays we all use radio transmitter in the studio so that make this a little more difficult.