S2 in the field: Jerusalem

[Shelby Lewis]

... we shot the S2 side-by-side against a Canon 1DsMKIII and L lenses, and the S2 held DR much better than the Canon did. In fact, my buddy with the Canon has since joined the ranks of MFD shooters because of that experience.

Tell me about it... after trying out an aptus and a p30+ yesterday for a scant few minutes, the obvious thing that stood out to me was the handling of highlights over any 35mm cam I've ever used. Lovely.

And I agree on the "look" of how the d3x handles highlights. I was hoping GREATLY some time back that the d3x could be a one-camera solution for me. I'm a minimalist at heart and enjoy using a single system as much as is possible. But looking at images, especially fashion and wedding images with it... the highlight rendering, to me, had a similar appearance to that of the over-zealous use of the highlight recovery slider in LR. They just didn't "sparkle".

But, man... my canon gear... talk about not happy after shooting the MF stuff yesterday. The highlights are sssooooo nice on the backs. The s2 highlight retention may be a bit less than some of the other backs (i guess?), but it still has a much nicer look than it's 35mm counterparts, IMO.

And I'll agree that LR, for wedding work, is unparalleled. I don't even dip into PS anymore for volume work unless there is something special that would call for it (perspective correction in post, or some "special effect" I've been asked to use). I still like PS better for fine editing for art-work, but nothing beats LR when it comes to great speed and great quality under one roof.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

C1 but you knew I would say that. I just did a gig with over 5 thousand shots made and processed all in C1 for a final of about 3200 on deadline each day for a show.

 

[markowich]

when you nail it.......S2, 70mm Summarit, f2.5, 1/750s.
no artistic value, just trying things out.
peter

 

[tjv]

And at f2.5, no less!

 

[Shelby Lewis]

C1 but you knew I would say that. I just did a gig with over 5 thousand shots made and processed all in C1 for a final of about 3200 on deadline each day for a show.

I can't wait to get into C1 some more, Guy... but man, they need to add adjustment brushed ala lightroom. If I could paint in some minor exposure, contrast, or clarity adjustments in C1, I'd be tickled pink. I love, on occasion, dropping the exposure of an entire file back about 1/3-2/3 and then painting it back in (a 1/3 exposure boost) on the subject to make them pop almost imperceptibly from the scene. I don't do it often, but in B/W journalistic work, it can really help the storytelling a bunch in situations where the light is a bit too flat.

Maybe in the next version?

OK... now I'm getting too OT.

 

[dfarkas]

I can't wait to get into C1 some more, Guy... but man, they need to add adjustment brushed ala lightroom. If I could paint in some minor exposure, contrast, or clarity adjustments in C1, I'd be tickled pink. I love, on occasion, dropping the exposure of an entire file back about 1/3-2/3 and then painting it back in (a 1/3 exposure boost) on the subject to make them pop almost imperceptibly from the scene. I don't do it often, but in B/W journalistic work, it can really help the storytelling a bunch in situations where the light is a bit too flat.

Maybe in the next version?

OK... now I'm getting too OT.

Shelby,

I'm right there with you. The Adjustment Brush and Gradient Tool in LR are awesome. I almost never go into PS anymore since so much localized, non-destructive editing can be done in LR (and quickly!). Aperture has similar tools as well.

Maybe, C1 will get these updates in V6. I don't rule anything out.

David

 

[fotografz]

Shelby,

I'm right there with you. The Adjustment Brush and Gradient Tool in LR are awesome. I almost never go into PS anymore since so much localized, non-destructive editing can be done in LR (and quickly!). Aperture has similar tools as well.

Maybe, C1 will get these updates in V6. I don't rule anything out.

David

Right there with you guys ... this is why LR is so darned fast.

I use the adjustment brushes all the time ... and what is very cool is that if you lift a specific area you can click on the color adjust box and bring the color back for just that area.

LR has cut my post time at least in half.

If Leica matures their LR interface with various profile choices like are available for some of the 35mm DSLRs, I think it'll get better for users.

-Marc

 

[Shelby Lewis]

If Leica matures their LR interface with various profile choices like are available for some of the 35mm DSLRs, I think it'll get better for users.

-Marc

I'm surprised someone already hasn't gotten an S2 and made their own profiles (colorchecker passport or DNG profile editor kinda stuff)... and then really worked sharpening presets and all... and then sold them.

Everyone's been screaming for a more mature S2/LR relationship.

Lightroom, at it's heart, is more configurable for color/sharpness than most people give it credit for... it took me a long time to realize this. I think the slider-based interface gives it a bit of a dumbed-down perception for many. It's not the "best" right out of the box, but man, can it be tinkered with.

I'm betting that it's only a matter of time before the S2 users have more compelling LR configurations.

Hey... how about some more pics from Jerusalem, Peter?

 

[dfarkas]

I'm surprised someone already hasn't gotten an S2 and made their own profiles (colorchecker passport or DNG profile editor kinda stuff)... and then really worked sharpening presets and all... and then sold them.

Everyone's been screaming for a more mature S2/LR relationship.

Lightroom, at it's heart, is more configurable for color/sharpness than most people give it credit for... it took me a long time to realize this. I think the slider-based interface gives it a bit of a dumbed-down perception for many. It's not the "best" right out of the box, but man, can it be tinkered with.

I'm betting that it's only a matter of time before the S2 users have more compelling LR configurations.

Hey... how about some more pics from Jerusalem, Peter?

Shelby,

I've made a LR3 preset for the S2 that I'm pretty happy with. It's slightly aggressive with regards to shadow contrast, color saturation and sharpness... which is my personal preference. Of course, anyone can easily dial back some of my tweaks and then save the modified results as their own preset. I don't sell it - I give it away for free to anyone who wants it. It is designed for lower ISO images (80, 160, 320). I'm currently testing and working on a high ISO preset.

David's S2 Preset (LR3).lrtemplate

I've also made a custom camera input ICC color profile for C1 for the S2. This doesn't address any quality of RAW conversion (obviously), just makes the colors much more accurate/pleasing. Also free for anyone that wants it.

LeicaR8-Leica S2 v2 (DF 1209).icc

I have a pretty strong feeling that we will be seeing some more specific profiles from Adobe for the S2 very soon.

David

 

[Mark Gowin]

...And I'll agree that LR, for wedding work, is unparalleled. I don't even dip into PS anymore for volume work unless there is something special that would call for it (perspective correction in post, or some "special effect" I've been asked to use). I still like PS better for fine editing for art-work, but nothing beats LR when it comes to great speed and great quality under one roof.

Pseudo perspective correction is now available in LR3 via the lens correction section.