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Quentin,
Great points, Quentin. I was thinking the same thing, but figured my comments at this point would just piss folks offBit early to cancel, even assuming they are all aware (as David suggests they are) of the price announcement. Let's see where they are at when the cash has to hit the counter
Hmm that reads like an appeal to snob value and exclusivity, where price becomes a reason in itself to buy something others cannot afford.
I would not even consider putting my name on a waiting list until I saw some real output and had some real prices to think about. We got the prices, and are still waiting for the output. If folks really think the Leica prices are competitive and in line, good wishes to you all. Seriously. Regardless of exchange rates, etc., to me they still seem over the top, and anybody that gets conned into buying through the "snob appeal".....well.....I better stop now or wind up getting banned or something foolish on my part :shocked: I am curious about their field tests where they proofed the unique performance and the usability.
I'm in the market for a new camera system and have been leaning in the direction of a tech camera setup like Alpa or possibly the new Swiss Arca RM3D. According to my fuzzy math, the cost of a tech camera setup that meets my individual needs is in the same general ballpark as the cost of an S2 system. Yes, the Leica is a lot of money but it just doesn't seem that unreasonable to me
Plus, I'm coming from the perspective of having bought one of the first professional level publicly available DSLRs (this was over 10 years ago and it cost me over $20,000 for just the 2 megapixel body that seemed to make a sport out of moire) At the time, I was pretty excited because the entire monthly payment was a tax writeoff and still only cost a fraction of what my film + polaroid costs were for the month (and no more trips to the lab) Fast forward just a decade later and now it's possible to get an exotic sports car like the S2 for about the same price as my old digital clunker? From my perspective, this is just a mind-blowing advance in available tools for photographers. Sorry if that's a funky explanation, but maybe some people will understand where I'm going with this comparison. I don't have any suggestions for Leica to do things differently, I'm just pointing out that might be some reason for the hostility.
My Phase/Mamiya is the same way two switches and two differing batteries. But honestly, it takes me all of one second to press the back's on button, and it makes no nevermind to mind how many spare batteries I carry. I frankly do not see how these two issues combined constitute a DSLR being "hugely more convenient" to use...
Probably a number of folks would agree with you here. However, nobody has really explained just what new R&D or innovation has gone into the S2. Nothing in there has not already been out and used by nearly every other manufacturer. So maybe it is "new" and "innovative" for Leica, but surely not the rest of the industry. They may have designed and built the S2 from the ground up, but somebody else is making the sensor, somebody else is providing the Maestro chips and programming, etc. The weather seals, though really nice and needed, are pretty standard on top end DSLRs and have been for some time. The AF, which Leica "invented" still only handles one point, not something like the 45 that DSLRs can manage. The list goes on. My point being that there is nothing really "new" in the S2. The design is more 35mm DSLR, but falls short of those capabilities. That is fine, as one does gain a bigger sensor and some other features not available on any 35mm DSLR, and maybe a bit better than some deliveries on other MF systems, but I fail to see the innovation. If the innovation is lens design and manufacture, bravo, but why are we not seeing the benefits of that passed down in cheaper lens prices?
Deafening silence ...
David - Many thanks for your reply. I take you at your word and it made interesting, though surprising reading. I live in a totally different photography economy to your waiting list S2 customers and I would have expected them to be backing away from their orders. I hope the camera's files excel and the camera sells - but boy oh boy; in my world of diminishing work, and shrinking rates, photography is barely a Trade and the S2 is utterly unreachable with earnings. Best wishes to you.
oh well, of course. But these are shutter speeds I virtually never use. With ISO 50 (and at f8, 11 or 16) I use something from 1'' to 1/125''. And 1/250'' or on a very good day maybe 1/125'' is the limit for handheld shooting with the P45 (at least for me). At 1/60'' on tripod you start to see a difference with or without mirror lock on the P45 (either way which lens). This is on the Contax645 that has actually quite a smooth mirror slap.
:clap::clap:
It always makes me laugh when you see someone struggling with a tripod outside with the wind blowing the vegetation around
And if the S2 shutter really does have that much less slap . . . and if the ISO 800 really is okay . . . .
Of course, it still all boils down to whether it delivers or not.
