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S Is For Show Us Your S2 Shots

Stuart Richardson

Active member
10,000 euro? That's all? I would have thought 15-20,000 euro for that lens...the big APO modul system was 15-20000 dollars for one lens back during the R system, wasn't it? Not saying I would buy one, but 10K Euros for 4kg of Leica glass seems like they would be pricing it pretty aggressively...
Given how good the Leica lenses and designs are, I think they would be better off designing a very good tele-converter to go with the 180mm (in fact, my guess is that they are already working on it...it seems like a no-brainer). I used the 2x APO converter with the 180mm on the R system, and while it made the lens a little dark, it was still incredibly sharp wide open. You did lose a bit of quality, but when it is so high to start it is barely noticeable, and certainly preferable to spending tens of thousands of euros on a lens that you might use only occasionally. If you are a nature photographer and always use a 350, it's a shame, but for everyone else it would probably be a better option.

P.S. A few years ago I found a great deal on a 350mm f/4 FE lens, which I purchased. It has an interesting look, especially when used on medium distance subjects, but I have not found it to be all that useful on the S2. Sure, it covers the focal length, but the performance on 40mp is not that good until you stop it down to f/8 or higher, and at that point the shutter speeds are usually quite low which makes it more useful for landscape and static objects than for fast moving ones like wildlife. I think if you want a truly bang-on lens for this focal length for the S2, your best bet is probably the pricey Superachromat, 300 f/2.8 FE monster, or the H series version.
 

baudolino

Active member
Or the amazing 350/4 Zeiss lens for Contax 645, used with the recently announced S-C adapter. With autofocus, autoaperture etc. That lens can be purchased for around Eur3000 second hand. It is very big an heavy though. But possibly better than the 300 mm lens for the H system.
 

Petster

Member
The other comment that he made was that the 350 mm project is apparently dead. He said Leica had done a calculation for the lens, and it would have cost about 10k EUR and the weight would have been about 4kg. So it seems that for long glass, the Hassy lenses plus adapter is the way to go--at least for the foreseeable future.
If thats true, it would be really sad. But I do not understand the logic of the arguments. Prices was never an issue with Leica products. Stuart is right, just take a look at the prices of the Leica R 1:4/400 mm Apo-Telyt-R. The argument regarding the weight is also quite strange, long glass has is weight. Here as well the weight of the 400 mm Apo-Telyt-R is 3850g. So whats the big deal? I hope the Leica guy you meet is a salesman and does not have all the infos.
 

pesto

Active member
Georgs beautiful images have added to my interest in the S Zoom. I am curious about its mechanics; does the lens barrell extend during zooming and/or focusing and if so, does the hood move with it or is its mount fixed as is that of the 120?
 

Petster

Member
Having loads of undeveloped S2 pictures, coming from a discussion with my wife about MM, M9-P, M240 and the S, I thought this is a good time to post a S shot. The S is still one of the most amazing cameras I have ever used.

Kunene River, Namibian border to Angola. S2 + 30mm; stitch out of 5 pictures

 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Well, I have not really been posting many photos to web forums lately, but I feel inspired by the thread! Here are a few photos taken with the S2, all in Iceland, where I live. I have been working on a series with the working title of Neopolitans...basically, the idea is to have an interplay between the sky, horizon and earth. We often get interesting weather conditions here where the sky, horizon and foreground are all in fairly different states. So these are all roughly composed that way. Most of these are from East Iceland, one of the most beautiful places I have seen.




















 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Thank you both! I have more in the series, from the M9 as well (it actually started it), but I still have not arranged them in an internally consistent way. It needs more work, in any case. I just wish we would get some summer here...almost July and it is still cold and rainy! We might not even have summer this year I guess...that said, most of these were taken in autumn, so I guess it doesn´t really matter after all!
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Thank you both! I have more in the series, from the M9 as well (it actually started it), but I still have not arranged them in an internally consistent way. It needs more work, in any case. I just wish we would get some summer here...almost July and it is still cold and rainy! We might not even have summer this year I guess...that said, most of these were taken in autumn, so I guess it doesn´t really matter after all!
You want summer ill trade you 118 today for whatever you got. The snakes are hiding.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
9.7C/49F and Cloudy. Hasn't really been out of the 50s this summer. Generally we get up to the 60s, at least on nice days...been cloudy or rainy most of June though. Usually I am fine with the weather here, but it has been a really cold spring and summer...just a bit too cool this year. You can keep your 118 though!
 

craigrudlin

New member
After waiting nearly 18 months, I finally got a Lee Big Stopper.
Anxious to experiment, I went to the Virginia Museum where there
is a staircase alongside of which is a stepped waterfall, and at the
top of which is a terrace with small falls.

Attached are the first two images with the Big Stopper. It
certainly encourages "creativity", but there is a large element
of "trial and error" for each image to achieve the desired amount
of "creaminess" or just the right amount of suggestive movement.
(e.g. the light swirls in the horizontal image are pollen pods
moving through the swirling water.)

Noteworthy, the S2 had no issues with the longer (up to 35 seconds)
exposures. There was slight magenta toning on the vertical image
perhaps from the viewfinder which I forgot to cover. But, this was not
an issue when converted to B&W (Nik Silver Effex).

The S2's "long exposure correction" really works to eliminate any
"noise", although it does test your patience in the field waiting for
it to count down from say 35 seconds!
 

craigrudlin

New member
That said (see above), the S2 does well with just a ND gradient (4x5)
held in front of the 70mm lens. Again, it is trial and error as to how
long to expose to create the effect.
 

Lloyd

Active member
9.7C/49F and Cloudy. Hasn't really been out of the 50s this summer. Generally we get up to the 60s, at least on nice days...been cloudy or rainy most of June though. Usually I am fine with the weather here, but it has been a really cold spring and summer...just a bit too cool this year. You can keep your 118 though!
Perhaps it's a make up call for the double summer last year. Fabulous, and unusually warm weather, as I recall. ;)
 
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