DPR Forum

Welcome to the Friendly Aisles!
DPRF is a photography forum with people from all over the world freely sharing their knowledge and love of photography. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to the experienced professional. Whether it is Medium Format, fullframe, APS-C, MFT or smaller formats. Digital or film. DPRF is a forum for everybody and for every format.
Enjoy this modern, easy to use software. Look also at our Reviews & Gallery!

Medium Format of Leica

Having seen the newproduct listed on Leica's website this last couple of days it had looked like this rumoured gear wasn't to arrive for this year's Photokina. But it has! It will be interesting to see whether this can 'take off' when Leica have famously failed to ignite enthusiasm for their SLR products previously. The M8 has been much more successful than was anticipated. If this can give the company a similar injection of customer acceptance then it will be a most positive note for the company to move forward. What a launch - a new format, a new camera, and 9 new lenses!
 
Hi

photoman. I attended the press conference and had later on the possibility to take a closer look at the S2 in the VIP lounge.

The S2 is an impressive camera. Please bear in mind, that this is still a pre-production model. So things can only get better.

The S2 feels very comfortable in the hand. Well balanced with the 70/2.5 lens. I was surprised how much it felt like a 24x36mm DSLR. Also not that heave if you compare it with other Medium Format cameras. The S2 is significant lighter and better balanced in your hands.

The AF is pretty fast. The way to focus manually in between is very comfortable. I know many other brands, where it is an uncomfortable feeling to use the lens in manual focus. Not with the S2. I enjoyed it.

A VERY large viewfinder. Very bright. Excellent for low-light work. The shutter is not very quite. But this is obviously always with MF the case. There is just more weight to transport.

The size is very impressive, I asked for an R9 to put it side by side, so you can compare it better with each other. IMHO the size difference is really not big if you bear in mind that the S2 has an almost 60% bigger "sensor".

See the images I have taken below. Sorry for the bad quality of the images, but it still gives you the idea of the size differences or the lack of :)

View attachment 2321


View attachment 2322

Price of the body shall be between 10.000-15.000 EUR. Delivery date Summer 2009.

Best wishes
 

Attachments

  • S2_R9_Vergleich1.jpg
    EXIF
    S2_R9_Vergleich1.jpg
    104 KB · Views: 29
  • S2_R9_Vergleich_von-oben.jpg
    EXIF
    S2_R9_Vergleich_von-oben.jpg
    43.7 KB · Views: 29
10K to 15K euro's is a fair price considering your stepping up from a High end 35mm Digital SLR to somthing close to a digital medium format. Guess I'll have to start saving up for this one. The lenses will probably run between 2K to 4K each, maybe more. Can't wait to get a chance to try one out. I'll definitly keep an eye out for more news on this. Thank goodness Leica is finally doing this.
 
Hi photoman,

please bear in mind, that th S-System is an add-on to the already existing M- and R-System. An R10 will definitely come, most likely still in 2009.

So this is not an either/or decision. The S-System is introduced to attract new customers, who formerly were only looking at all the other medium format brands and sometimes for a Canon 1Ds Mark III for specific on location projects.

Of course everybody is allowed to buy the S-System additionally, but Leica underlines, that the R-System will continue to exist and will be further developed parallel to the S- and M-System.

Best wishes
 
Dirk

I believe , that the LEICA S2 must have been like a bomb for other MF digital camera/back makers .
The dramatic price drop for digital gear announced by HASSELBLAD , is obviously only , to prevent photographers to wait for the S2.

I do not own a LEICA yet , but that system has my highest attention .
As I am not a friend of the H-SYSTEM , I must say the S2 has given me two sleepless nights yet .

BTW , Dirk , please PM me your address , so that I can send you the calendar .

Regards Jürgen
 
Hi Jürgen,

yes, it was a bomb. But do expect even more bombs ;)

Nikon might be also interested in Medium Format :)

I organised a special show for our Leicainfo.de users tomorrow morning at the Leica booth. If you can make it, please join. Between 10 am and 10.15 am we will meet there and get a presentation then in a special room just for us about the S2 and probably also about the M8.2 (if there is demand for it)

So if someone wants to joint please come to the Leica booth at the earliest time and look for Leicainfo / camera-info name buttons/ T-shirts.

Best wishes
 
Back
Top