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Leica S2 Studio Shoot - Nov 20th

dfarkas

Workshop Member
If anyone in South Florida is looking to have some quality one-on-one time with a production Leica S2 in a full-blown studio environment with multiple models, wardrobe, hair & makeup, with tons of lighting options, Dale Photo & Digital is hosting an S2 Studio Shoot at TYE Studios this Friday (Nov 20th) from 2-6PM.

Full details can be found here.

Out-of-towners are welcome and there are about 10 hotels within a 1 mile radius for very reasonable rates. The studio is located 5 minutes from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) airport, and is much easier to get in and out of than MIA.

Email me at [email protected] with any questions.

Thanks,

David
 

David K

Workshop Member
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
I had a chance to shoot the Leica S2 again yesterday in a controlled Studio environment and compare the results from my Sinar e75LV/Hy6 with those from a Phase P65 (don't know if it was + or not) mounted on the Phase 645 DF, and a Hasselblad H3D31. All the kits were shot at base ISO with standard lenses except for mine which I shot with both the Schneider 80mm f/2 Xenotar and the Zeiss 110 f/2 Planar. The main light was a Broncolor Para FB 220 metered to f/11. The evening ran late so I did not get copies of the images from the other kits but I've attached mine so you can see what we were shooting (this is Zak, one of the studio interns, who volunteered to sit for us after the models left for the evening). The Phase images were processed in Capture One, the Sinar went from Exposure to LR 3 beta, S2 directly to LR 3 beta and can't recall how the Hassy files were processed. Hopefully, David from Dale Labs will fill in the blanks here. Anyway, after a half-dozen pair of eyes inspected the images ad nauseum, there was no clear winner. The consensus was that the images from the Hasselblad were a notch below the remaining three. In my opinion, the Phase, Sinar and Leica files were all terrific. Each had it's own signature (for lack of a better word) but I would attribute that more to camera profiles and processing than from the hardware. If they were giving away one of these kits as a door prize I would have chosen the Leica S2 but not because it produces better images. I just love the size of the camera, the weather sealing, and the feel of it. It's a camera that I can see taking with me when I would otherwise leave my MF kit behind, e.g. traveling. It's easier to shoot hand held than the competition, again, IMHO. Each kit has it's own strengths and weaknesses and it comes down to which feature set suits you as a shooter. I love the rotating back, WLF and ability to change platforms offered by the Sinar but for what I'm shooting and how I'm using my MF kit these days the Leica S2 would suit me better. I won't get into the issue of pricing because I think that horse has been beaten to death :)
 

David K

Workshop Member
Thanks, Jack. One thing I can say for sure is that it gave me a new appreciation for the folks who do this kind of in depth testing. The opportunity to compare several high end systems side by side is rare (at least for me) and I'd encourage anyone who's considering either getting into MF or making a switch to try to do it. It's one of the things that makes your workshops so valuable.
 

Terry

New member
Thanks David,
Sounds like a good experience (or bad experience if lust has taken over). Curious, were you specifically asked to shoot only at base ISO?
 

David K

Workshop Member
Thanks David,
Sounds like a good experience (or bad experience if lust has taken over). Curious, were you specifically asked to shoot only at base ISO?
Not at all, just seemed like the fairest thing to do. As for gear lust... it's always just below the surface, and sometimes not very deep :)
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Cannot wait to see the tests of Guy and Jack!

Also cannot wait to test this beast myself - which hopefully will happen in January.
 

Dale Allyn

New member
It's great to see info trickle out from different sources and multiple users. I'm glad to read the reports and see the images from these (and upcoming) showings.

That said, I'll be happier when we start seeing images which are not shot in studio using lights, seamless backdrops, etc. I'm looking forward to non-studio, "real world" shadows and the like. (Not that studio work isn't "real world", only that it's just one slice of it, and a controlled slice at that.) :)

Now that the cameras are making the rounds to different shooters and venues we should be seeing a variety of subject types.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
David nice report and somewhat expected your comments. Better start saving now. LOL
Looking forward to hearing more and obviously getting my hands on it soon.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Thanks, Jack. One thing I can say for sure is that it gave me a new appreciation for the folks who do this kind of in depth testing. The opportunity to compare several high end systems side by side is rare (at least for me) and I'd encourage anyone who's considering either getting into MF or making a switch to try to do it. It's one of the things that makes your workshops so valuable.
Thanks David folks don't realize how tough these tests can be comparing systems. The real trick is getting everything to a neutral sate on many levels. Looking forward to this next challenge. Jack and I have a lot planned to really break it all down to get accurate results from each system. I know myself either I am going to move up in back or switch. So this will get a workout in a big way. My money is on the line. LOL
 

markowich

New member
I had a chance to shoot the Leica S2 again yesterday in a controlled Studio environment and compare the results from my Sinar e75LV/Hy6 with those from a Phase P65 (don't know if it was + or not) mounted on the Phase 645 DF, and a Hasselblad H3D31. All the kits were shot at base ISO with standard lenses except for mine which I shot with both the Schneider 80mm f/2 Xenotar and the Zeiss 110 f/2 Planar. The main light was a Broncolor Para FB 220 metered to f/11. The evening ran late so I did not get copies of the images from the other kits but I've attached mine so you can see what we were shooting (this is Zak, one of the studio interns, who volunteered to sit for us after the models left for the evening). The Phase images were processed in Capture One, the Sinar went from Exposure to LR 3 beta, S2 directly to LR 3 beta and can't recall how the Hassy files were processed. Hopefully, David from Dale Labs will fill in the blanks here. Anyway, after a half-dozen pair of eyes inspected the images ad nauseum, there was no clear winner. The consensus was that the images from the Hasselblad were a notch below the remaining three. In my opinion, the Phase, Sinar and Leica files were all terrific. Each had it's own signature (for lack of a better word) but I would attribute that more to camera profiles and processing than from the hardware. If they were giving away one of these kits as a door prize I would have chosen the Leica S2 but not because it produces better images. I just love the size of the camera, the weather sealing, and the feel of it. It's a camera that I can see taking with me when I would otherwise leave my MF kit behind, e.g. traveling. It's easier to shoot hand held than the competition, again, IMHO. Each kit has it's own strengths and weaknesses and it comes down to which feature set suits you as a shooter. I love the rotating back, WLF and ability to change platforms offered by the Sinar but for what I'm shooting and how I'm using my MF kit these days the Leica S2 would suit me better. I won't get into the issue of pricing because I think that horse has been beaten to death :)
david,
are you suggesting that the S2 gets close to the P65 resolutionwise?
peter
 

David K

Workshop Member
david,
are you suggesting that the S2 gets close to the P65 resolutionwise?
peter
Peter, I didn't mean to suggest that. I think it clearly doesn't and if we had shot, for example, some landscape I would expect the P65 results to exceed those of the S2 (and my Sinar kit). What I tried to say was that in the test shots we did the P65 did not show any more detail in the skin, hair, etc. It simply wasn't better than my Sinar or the S2 which, arguably, is what you might expect from this type of test. When David F gets around to posting the comparisons (and I'll encourage him to do that in this thread) I think you'll be able to see what I'm saying. If I'm shooting landscape I typically shoot multiple images on a pano head for stitching and have as much resolution as I can handle. I'm making an effort to tread lightly here as I know that many have strong feelings about their gear. My conclusion from the test was that there were no losers and that each system has strengths which are superior to it's competitors. If I were choosing a system today I'd try to shoot them all, including the latest and greatest from Hassy before deciding.
 

markowich

New member
Peter, I didn't mean to suggest that. I think it clearly doesn't and if we had shot, for example, some landscape I would expect the P65 results to exceed those of the S2 (and my Sinar kit). What I tried to say was that in the test shots we did the P65 did not show any more detail in the skin, hair, etc. It simply wasn't better than my Sinar or the S2 which, arguably, is what you might expect from this type of test. When David F gets around to posting the comparisons (and I'll encourage him to do that in this thread) I think you'll be able to see what I'm saying. If I'm shooting landscape I typically shoot multiple images on a pano head for stitching and have as much resolution as I can handle. I'm making an effort to tread lightly here as I know that many have strong feelings about their gear. My conclusion from the test was that there were no losers and that each system has strengths which are superior to it's competitors. If I were choosing a system today I'd try to shoot them all, including the latest and greatest from Hassy before deciding.
david,
thanks for clarifying. actually, i do not feel strongly ybout gear, i feel strongly about images.
anyway, i am totally with you on landscape shooting, there MP are needed and they are never enough. as far as comparisms go, i prefer to see them from other peope than from a leica dealer, just for fairness' sake.
peter
 

carstenw

Active member
The Phase images were processed in Capture One, the Sinar went from Exposure to LR 3 beta, S2 directly to LR 3 beta and can't recall how the Hassy files were processed. Hopefully, David from Dale Labs will fill in the blanks here. Anyway, after a half-dozen pair of eyes inspected the images ad nauseum, there was no clear winner. The consensus was that the images from the Hasselblad were a notch below the remaining three.
David, this surprised me. Why would the Hasselblad images leave a less good impression? I would love it if you could find out how the images were prepared, and talk about the way in which they were less appealing.
 

Christopher

Active member
Well I think it sounds quite nice so far. For Fashion and people you certainly don't need a P65, you can use it, but I think it is overkill. Normally a 30Mp image is already MORE than enough for every type of magazine. For me the real interesting part will be how a S2 goes against other backs for landscape stuff. I know now, that I probably will be able to shoot the S2 against a P40 and P65 when I am back home again around January. Even if I am sure by now that the S2 is the wrong camera for me, I will want to see what it can do.
 
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