Leica S2: the new paradigm for post-modern photography?

[johnastovall]

Erwin Puts on the Leica S2.

"The absolute clean body shell is the first thing you notice when you hold the S2. The second surprise when you look through the finder is the uncluttered, bright and large focusing screen..."

[msk2193]

What baffled me on the S2 is the dynamic range and incredible sharpness across the entire image. Well worth the investment if you have the resources or the clientele to recoup the investment!

[JohnT]

Thanks for the link. More information to quench my thirst.

[jeffkohn]

I don't doubt the S2 is a nice camera, but that review is so full of pretentious nonsense I had to stop reading. This paragraph made me laugh:

"The S2 has been designed for the pre-visualization approach. The creative process starts already before the picture is taken. The selection of ISO speed, exposure measuring method, exposure compensation, exposure mode is made based to match and support this process. You select these settings before the shooting and when the photographer is engaged in the creative process the camera is a full extension of his intentions. "

[Murph]

Yeah reads like some artsy-fartsy Yale or Harvard professor attempting to impress the hoi polloi with his erudition. So in other words, you put it in Aperture priorty, and just go shoot? Or perhaps the Ken Rockwell "P" for Perfect mode? ALso why is everything Post Modern? Post Modernism was developed by French intellectuals in an effort to explain away why they actively and enthusiastically colaborated with the Nazi's in WWII, and why France is no longer a world power, but instead a 2nd or 3rd rate power. So a Post Modern camera would be one that is not as good as other cameras, but attempts to baffle you with Jargon in order to make you think it is 1st rate and capable of being taken seriously a la Derrida, Foucault, etc, so that impressionable American "elites" and academics can make themselves feel good by bashing the cause de jour.

This fits 100% here with this verbage:

Originally Posted by jeffkohn

I don't doubt the S2 is a nice camera, but that review is so full of pretentious nonsense I had to stop reading. This paragraph made me laugh:

"The S2 has been designed for the pre-visualization approach. The creative process starts already before the picture is taken. The selection of ISO speed, exposure measuring method, exposure compensation, exposure mode is made based to match and support this process. You select these settings before the shooting and when the photographer is engaged in the creative process the camera is a full extension of his intentions. "

[johnastovall]

It's strange world when people are more concerned with how something is said rather than what is said.

[Dobick]

well from what I read, it's a big slow heavy camera that makes very large images

[tml]

IMO, it is a Ferrari 458 Italia... Beautiful, wickedly fast, expensive, mystical... a fantasy for me... However, if I were to win the lotto jackpot , I would custom order one of my own choice of color! Tri.

[PeteQ]

A friend of mine got one for a day of some hands on in NYC and I had a chance to play with it. Wasn't overly impressed when compared with others in the the high megapixel/medium format arena. Very high priced for what it delivers. To me it's a niche accoutrement for those who want to show they have a wad of dough. It doesn't outshine the H3 series nor the Phase/Mamiya offerings and it's not as versatile as those since you can't change backs to suit your needs and for the medium format commercial crowd around here, that's important.

IMO it's really caught in between the D3/1Ds series and the Hassy H3D/Mamiya's with P40/45/65 backs. The S2 is too slow and iso limited to compete with the 35mm DSLRs and not flexible enough nor large enough file size to compete with most medium formats offerings.

[brewercm]

Baffle them with BS, I believe that is the term.

Originally Posted by Murph

Yeah reads like some artsy-fartsy Yale or Harvard professor attempting to impress the hoi polloi with his erudition. So in other words, you put it in Aperture priorty, and just go shoot? Or perhaps the Ken Rockwell "P" for Perfect mode? ALso why is everything Post Modern? Post Modernism was developed by French intellectuals in an effort to explain away why they actively and enthusiastically colaborated with the Nazi's in WWII, and why France is no longer a world power, but instead a 2nd or 3rd rate power. So a Post Modern camera would be one that is not as good as other cameras, but attempts to baffle you with Jargon in order to make you think it is 1st rate and capable of being taken seriously a la Derrida, Foucault, etc, so that impressionable American "elites" and academics can make themselves feel good by bashing the cause de jour.

This fits 100% here with this verbage:

[tml]

I hate to chime in again, but the reason most people who buy Leica cameras because they like to use Leica lenses which have a "unique" way of rendering a subject. There is not a best camera, or a best sensor... Ultimately, it is the photographer/artist who makes the photo, not the camera. I have taken good shots and a lot more bad shots with "expensive" canon gear as well as Leica gear. People should not feel ashamed of having paid a lot of money for what they want. This applies to everything else in life, not just camera equipments! Besides, not all Leica users are "rich". I know that I have a good income because I work very hard, but I am by no means loaded! Tri.

[wclavey]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

It's strange world when people are more concerned with how something is said rather than what is said.

Unfortunately, at least in the paragraph Jeff quoted, there really wasn't anything said... at least, nothing of any content value...

[PeteQ]

Originally Posted by tml

People should not feel ashamed of having paid a lot of money for what they want. This applies to everything else in life, not just camera equipments! Besides, not all Leica users are "rich". I know that I have a good income because I work very hard, but I am by no means loaded! Tri.

I agree, but then they should just say they want a Leica because they want a Leica and be done with it and not try to justify the expense of the equipment with the bombastic puff piece writings. No shame in saying that it's my money and I will spend it any damn way I want! Well, there didn't used to be... But regardless, I can still look at the camera and call it as I see it. A niche piece of gear aimed at a niche market of Leica affectionados. Great, enjoy, but don't be surprised when it's compared to others in it's price/class and see that it comes up short.

And I am sorry but I don't buy the "unique" qualities of a Leica lens. I would bet my last dollar that you or anyone here would be unable to consistently select the images that had been shot with a Leica lens from a larger set of images. It's like when the 5D's first hit the scene and everyone was swooning of the images posted citing the incredible "look". Truth be told you could have swapped the metadata and no one would have know the difference. All you have to do is look through some threads here to see examples of this. A person says "I shot this with such and such a lens/camera/etc." and some folks fall all over themselves to praise the image no matter that the image itself is lacking. Not to mention it's a 900 pixel wide image on the web.

For the most part a picture lives or dies through composition and lighting and I will grant you that the Leica lenses are incredible but the difference they impart IMO are very small and certainly a lot less important that the vision of the photographer.

[tml]

For your information, my M9 is cheaper than a Nikon D3x and cheaper than what I paid for my Canon D1s MkII a few years ago. I still shoot macro with my Canon gear because it is the best tool for me, but the Leica goes with me everywhere I go. Something I could not do with my DSLR because of the bulk! Finally, I do not "despise" Bentley owners because I cannot afford one. I 'd rather be their friend so that I can hopefully learn how they have created their wealth; Besides, they pay more tax which benefit all of us! Tri.

[d2creative]

Originally Posted by tml

For your information, my M9 is cheaper than a Nikon D3x...

....the Leica goes with me everywhere I go. Something I could not do with my DSLR because of the bulk!

Ya, on my Europe trip... sooooo glad I had the brand spanking new M9 with me. All i had (and still have) for it was one 35mm f/2 summicron lens, but it was pretty much all I used the whole trip. It was just the perfect camera for the job due to the size/portability combined with the outstanding image quality. Performed flawlessly in the cold temps and rain too. Could most people tell which shots from that trip were from the m9 vs which were from the D700? Nope. But man was the M9 the right tool for that job. And all this and it was the very first time I even held a rangefinder let alone used one. If I go back I'd consider leaving the nikon home all together. It's also the only camera I take with me now when just casually heading out for the day.