The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Leica S - first impressions

xpixel

New member
I have actually the opportunity to test a real new Leica S. So what have changed since the S2? Well if you see the camera body there is a black knob on the left with no function if you press on it. But inside it has the GPS receiver.
The thump wheel has now a red AUTO instead of just a white A and a red flash sign. The hotshot is now black marked with Leica S, the S2 is silver with no mark. And there is now a little joystick on the top right.
The menu appearance has completely changed. And there are new menu items like a level. But just this level function is splited.That means it has a completely other function in the menu than in the viewfinder. Thats careful expressed some sort of "joke" for me. But later more...

The ISO has changed from 100 to 1600. And i have ISO 1600 pictures. You can download one to see the quality here:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5866272/LeicaS.zip

More to come tomorrow...
 
Gonna try it out in both Capture One 7 and LR4.2. It would be nice to see how the sensor handles lots of dynamic range at ISO100 too.

Edit: CO7 is quite a bit worse than LR for S files, just as it was with the S2, I do wish Phase would support these cameras in a future version. In any case, it does look worse at ISO1600 compared to a 5D2, but the end result would probably be around the same in print.
 
Last edited:
Looking at the histogram the image seems to be underexposed by up to 2 stops..
Considering the camera's limitations, I suppose an extra stop could have been gained if shot wide open, but the shutter/ISO was about as far as I'd have taken them as well.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Here's a tip:

Consider setting the MANUAL WHITE BALANCE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT TEST SHOT

With the S2/S camera, MWB can be assigned to one of the quick buttons, and can be done in seconds and then left that way until you move to another lighting situation.

Heavily Tungsten washed scenes can fool you into thinking the image is properly exposed when it is not ... especially if doing a quick evaluation on the LCD during the heat of shooting.

This is even more important when shooting at higher ISOs.

Then if you want to warm up the shot, do it to the mid-tones in post after getting everything else right.

Just a thought.

-Marc
 

xpixel

New member
The horizon (level) function: It has two different views of the horizon functionality. One in the setup menu and one in the viewfinder's display on the bottom left. The setup menu horizon is only to align the camera from a tripod :(. The viewfinder horizon on the bottom left is unfortunately really very small. In my opinion not very pro. The display accuracy is not fully precise.
I have also checked some GPS data. They are sometimes imprecise. GPS can be set on or off.
LR 4.3 works with tethered shooting with the new S. There is also a new version 2.05 of the Leica Image Shuttle software in the owners area, but the link is actually not working properly... :(.

I will post later today an ISO 100 file for downloading.
 

John Black

Active member
Thank you sharing the DNGs. If you have the chance, I'd like to see an outdoor picture with a blue sky. I want to see how the gradients hold up in post. Thanks.
 

RVB

Member
Here's a tip:

Consider setting the MANUAL WHITE BALANCE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT TEST SHOT

With the S2/S camera, MWB can be assigned to one of the quick buttons, and can be done in seconds and then left that way until you move to another lighting situation.

Heavily Tungsten washed scenes can fool you into thinking the image is properly exposed when it is not ... especially if doing a quick evaluation on the LCD during the heat of shooting.

This is even more important when shooting at higher ISOs.

Then if you want to warm up the shot, do it to the mid-tones in post after getting everything else right.

Just a thought.

-Marc
I was surprised at the effect WB can have on the histogram....
 
N

NewbieMF

Guest
Pretty nice, I like the bird sticking it's head up over the hillside in L1007197 :)
 
Top