CS price list for Leica available here : http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/price-guides/1033863-singapore-leica-camera-price-guide-2012-a.html
looking forward to more pics... :thumbsup:
PERFECTION has a name - LEICA S2 Review
- Thread starter Dream Merchant
- Start date
A quick post ... since I got the camera before Christmas (you could say Christmas came early for me!), there was no better subject to shoot than Christmas decorations, and even with the frenzied human chaos that was Orchard and Tanglin during that period, the S2 was very easy to use and I found it immensely fast from setting-up to the final exposure. Think of it as a very intuitive 'DSLR' - that's how easy it was!
Another view of the Christmas tree outside Paragon, and a 100% crop.
As you can see, even in wacked up medium-small re-sized jpegs, the S2 and the LEICA SUMMARIT-S 35 mm f/2.5 ASPH shows up an incredible amount of detail.
One thing that the S2 does incredibly well is to cope with artificial and mixed-light sources. Even on Auto WB, the S2 gets it correct straight off in the jpegs. If you look at the photos already displayed, they were not colour corrected. There will be more to come!
I'll post the rest of the Christmas photos later tonight, or tomorrow.
Another view of the Christmas tree outside Paragon, and a 100% crop.
One thing that the S2 does incredibly well is to cope with artificial and mixed-light sources. Even on Auto WB, the S2 gets it correct straight off in the jpegs. If you look at the photos already displayed, they were not colour corrected. There will be more to come!
I'll post the rest of the Christmas photos later tonight, or tomorrow.
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And some BTS shots ...
What you'll notice about all the S2 lenses is that while the charts read differently, in the real-world, the are nothing short of absolutely STUNNING performance!
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Time for some SERIOUS LEICA Lust!
Besides the really compact size (and weight) for a medium format digital, what immediately hits you the minute you pick it up, and put it to your eye is the really HUGE porthole-like viewfinder! Diopter adjustments is an extremely easy twist of a dial surrounding the viewfinder, and it's a secure, soft but distinct click setting. I found that I could move my eye away from the viewfinder and still be able to see the entire viewfinder field. That's a boon for spectacle users, and also because you don't have to press your face to the camera, the LCD hardly gets smeared by facial oil.
Honestly, I didn't want to use the Multifunction Handgrip S which Leica gave me. It looked like any battery grip which contained an additional battery but several days later, I tried it and wondered why in the world didn't I attach it earlier?
It made the S2 literally like an extension of my hand, and also made using longer lenses (physical dimensions) much more comfortable! While I crooked my hand to shoot in the portrait mode as if the Multifunction Handgrip S wasn't attached, using the second shutter button and rear of grip dials made for much faster usage.
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NazgulKing, schedules were crazy at the end of the year going into the New Year and the Chinese New Year.
I actually wanted to shoot the S2 along-side a Hasselblad and another friend has the 645D, but timing was, and is just too tight, so this might not happen at all unfortunately. Also, technical comparison is a very exact science if it's to be done properly.
While Leica hardly (if ever?) releases a lens, any lens without ensuring near perfect optical performance and virtually perfect physical attributes, what results is that the S2 system has a limited series of very select lenses which attain the extreme pinnacles of performance!
What I suspect is that Leica also has the practical photographer in mind, and the result is a series of extremely precise adapters which allow the use of Mamiya 645, Pentax 67 and Hasselblad manual focus lenses.
Looking at the bottom of the S2, two distinct images emerge.
One is the double tripod bushing which caters to both standard 1/4" BS Whitworth thread and the 3/8" thread.
The other is the very innovative battery chamber double-tap lock.
Upon moving a lever, the battery releases about 1/8" downwards, and stops there. Double tap it and the battery falls right out. Very ingenious for photographers who sometimes do not cradle one's hands under the battery and it go crashing to the floor, or over a canyon!
As for the Leica S2 battery itself, this thing had JUICE!
I did a Food Shoot which lasted over 5 hours, and because I focused everything manually, I chimped NON-STOP through out the 5 hours! At the end of the day, the battery only depleted 20% - 40%.
Since most of my shoots involve natural light, or multiple mono-blocs, I didn't ask for the very proficient, and efficient Leica flash units (made by Metz). I've had many experiences with Metz units to know what they're capable of.
For a reference of all the S2 accessories, please go here: LEICA Camera AG - Zubehör
What I suspect is that Leica also has the practical photographer in mind, and the result is a series of extremely precise adapters which allow the use of Mamiya 645, Pentax 67 and Hasselblad manual focus lenses.
Looking at the bottom of the S2, two distinct images emerge.
One is the double tripod bushing which caters to both standard 1/4" BS Whitworth thread and the 3/8" thread.
The other is the very innovative battery chamber double-tap lock.
Upon moving a lever, the battery releases about 1/8" downwards, and stops there. Double tap it and the battery falls right out. Very ingenious for photographers who sometimes do not cradle one's hands under the battery and it go crashing to the floor, or over a canyon!
As for the Leica S2 battery itself, this thing had JUICE!
I did a Food Shoot which lasted over 5 hours, and because I focused everything manually, I chimped NON-STOP through out the 5 hours! At the end of the day, the battery only depleted 20% - 40%.
Since most of my shoots involve natural light, or multiple mono-blocs, I didn't ask for the very proficient, and efficient Leica flash units (made by Metz). I've had many experiences with Metz units to know what they're capable of.
For a reference of all the S2 accessories, please go here: LEICA Camera AG - Zubehör
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I had a wonderful opportunity to work with someone whose forays in the kitchen have left many viewers of her blog, erinnish and here in ClubSnap (http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/abstracts-still-life/931468-homefood.html) drooling over her delicious recipes, and wonderful photography!
Please do drop by her thread or blog.
We discussed several dishes, and I left it in her very capable hands to bake or prepare the dishes and style them.
What's more amazing is that she has only recently started cooking and taking photos!
Thanks so much for the lovely opportunity to work together Erin!
Note: Generally while I prefer to have a deeper DOF for food, I decided to go shallow this time both to impart a light, airy or dreamy feel to the food, and to test the LEICA APO MACRO SUMMARIT-S 120 mm f/2.5 when used at wider apertures. As such, you might see various planes of in and out of focus on one facet of food.
Ed9119, the S2 and it's lenses resolve and show texture beautifully!
BTS
Please do drop by her thread or blog.
We discussed several dishes, and I left it in her very capable hands to bake or prepare the dishes and style them.
What's more amazing is that she has only recently started cooking and taking photos!
Thanks so much for the lovely opportunity to work together Erin!
Note: Generally while I prefer to have a deeper DOF for food, I decided to go shallow this time both to impart a light, airy or dreamy feel to the food, and to test the LEICA APO MACRO SUMMARIT-S 120 mm f/2.5 when used at wider apertures. As such, you might see various planes of in and out of focus on one facet of food.
Ed9119, the S2 and it's lenses resolve and show texture beautifully!
BTS
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Going on to a series of Chocolate Chip Muffins, we see more evidence of the way the S2 renders food. Unfortunately, these were no longer edible once I went over them to even out the highlights. :sweatsm:
Left Muffin
Right Muffin
Also, PLEASE Remember the original medium-small jpegs, and the downsizing for the forum. The 8" x 12" 300ppi files sizes look SO CRISP without artifacts.
Left Muffin
Right Muffin
Also, PLEASE Remember the original medium-small jpegs, and the downsizing for the forum. The 8" x 12" 300ppi files sizes look SO CRISP without artifacts.
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Moving on to mains, a typically local dish of Fried-Rice.
It's said that Food Photography is all about shape, colour and Texture, and no where can you find it in droves that the files from the S2 and the 125mm Macro lens!
BTS
It's said that Food Photography is all about shape, colour and Texture, and no where can you find it in droves that the files from the S2 and the 125mm Macro lens!
BTS
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Some Pasta perhaps?
Spaghetti Aglio-Olio Pepperoncino with a hint of a fresh tomato sauce which I made from scratch.
Spaghetti Aglio-Olio Pepperoncino with a hint of a fresh tomato sauce which I made from scratch.
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Penne Funghi alla Panna - Penne with a Mushroom Cream Sauce. If you like your cream based sauces extra-potent, you could add anything from two, three or even four types of cheese. Anything more and the palette becomes confused. In this shot, I did the preparation and plating.
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The last shot in the series of Food Photography is a Soba and Shredded Chicken dish!
Light, refreshing and full of nutritional goodness, I can't decide if the dish or the photo looks better! I hope I don't end up eating the photo! :bsmilie:
BTW Ed9119, the food photographs are especially dedicated to you!
Light, refreshing and full of nutritional goodness, I can't decide if the dish or the photo looks better! I hope I don't end up eating the photo! :bsmilie:
BTW Ed9119, the food photographs are especially dedicated to you!
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thank God I did not see this in the middle of the night and now have a bowl of Mee Rebus in front of me lolz
wow, I can almost reach out to the screen and pick up one of those muffins
i know i asked you this privately, but given the large file sizes, do you see an issue with computing hardware processing speed when processing a RAW image out of this camera ?
wow, I can almost reach out to the screen and pick up one of those muffins
i know i asked you this privately, but given the large file sizes, do you see an issue with computing hardware processing speed when processing a RAW image out of this camera ?
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