if i could make phenomenal 20x30s from my m8, i would not need another camera.....but from my m8 i can make really, really nice 11x14s.....i CAN make great 20x30s from my 5dII and could go a bit bigger with the P30...i don't need to go bigger, i need usable 800iso...for many reasons....smaller flash packs and faster recycle are some, being able to light a shot with my (yes) iphone is another......
I do routinely make 20x30s from my M8/M8.2 and they are excellent. In fact, all of my standard samples I show to customers are at this size. If I can't make a good 20x30, why should I bother shooting that camera? It helps to have good output, of course. This is another topic of discussion, though.
I will not stop using my M8.2 when I start shooting with the S2. They are entirely different systems for different types of photography and different applications.
we are all aware of leasing options, but i am really happy i did not lease my equipment 3 years ago....i bought it and sold it while i still got some money for it....i would really hate to see how much the S2 is worth in 3 years....
If the M8 is any indication of retained value, a used 3-year-old M8 currently sells for about $3100. Initially price was $4795, so it actually held 2/3rds of its value. Many Leica lenses are actually worth more used than their original purchaser paid 5-10 years ago. For various reasons, Leica equipment tends to retain value better than other brands.
i am sure canon/nikon will go to bigger chips....and along the way pick up a little from the RED concept...raw video, variable frame rates...all along with usable 30mpix files at 1600iso....maybe it won't all happen at once, maybe it will take 2 years, but it will happen....and it will cost less then 5000 for the body....and i really don't want to be writing 1000$/month checks for the S2 at that point....
Yes, the future is very interesting. I do doubt that Nikon and Canon will go larger than 35mm anytime soon.
The S2 will be just as fast and produce just as high quality files in 3 years as it will in 3 months from now. That is to say, for most applications, a MF camera that can shoot 1.5fps and give great 37.5MP output will be plenty for a long while. This is part of the reason behind the slowdown of MFDB. How many photographers need 60MP? At a certain point, these systems have to become more durable (not rugged, rather durable in the economic sense of lasting 3+ years). It is also very possible that the S2 will deliver good 37MP files at ISO 1600. Obviously, the proof will be in the actual results.
btw: the SSD option in your laptop is great and i am looking into that as well right now....but you are getting 5x the performance for 10x the price....not 25% better image quality (at base iso) with fewer features (slower, slower af, accessories, workflow,...unproven, no rental,....) at 10x the price (comparing a 5Dii with the S2).....and the SSDs you put in this month will be outdated and their faster, bigger follow up models will be a fraction of the price in 8 months.....
I agree. I did many hours of research before going in this direction. I chose the Samsung 256GB SSD because it reflects the latest technology. It is extremely fast for both read and write, and while not as fast at random 4K read/write as the Intel, it is way faster than the JMicron-based drives and standard HDDs. Also, it was half the price per GB and had a size that I though would be acceptable (80GB is just too small for my needs). I fully appreciate that in 12 months, I will be able to buy a drive with 2x as much capacity, 2x the performance (maybe), at half the price. But, I will be able to be more productive in those 12 months so my TCO will not be as high as it would seem. I will probably use the drives for 2 years, then change, but the performance will be the same as I get today (Samsung uses idle-time garbage collection as of July 1), which is to say still extremely fast. You can always wait for next year's model to come along, but at a certain point you have to commit, otherwise you'll wait forever and get no utility.
Interestingly, the SSD technology from just a year ago seems antiquated and overpriced compared to today's solutions. I certainly wouldn't have even considered one just a few months ago. In many ways I see parallels to MFD. Not that long ago, MFDBs didn't even have LCDs or CF card storage. At the same time, consumer P&S cameras had both for a fraction of the cost. The IQ was there, but not the ergonomics. Things are improving, but too slowly. I think that Leica is making a statement by putting technology and features many take for granted in 35mm and bringing them to MFD, where they have been lacking. Weather sealing, DNG+JPG, hi-res LCD screen, wi-fi tethering, real-time image zooming, etc.
As to 25% better IQ... who can really quantify right now? When comparisons are done in the coming months (as I'm sure they will be), we'll see. The truth is, SSDs are a rare exception to the rule of diminishing returns. Many say it is the upgrade with the single biggest impact on user experience and system performance. If you upgrade your CPU from a 2.66 to a 3.06, expect to pay double for an incremental increase in performance. If you buy a Lexus IS350 for $36K, you can go 0-60 in 5.6 secs. If you get a BMW M3 for $55K you go 0-60 in 4.6 secs. And, if you pay $135K for a Porsche 911 Turbo, you can save one more second at 3.5 sec. So, is 1 second "worth" $20K to go from Lexus to M3, or is 1 second "worth" $80K to go from M3 to 911? There are even companies that will tune a 911 Turbo to shave off 1/2 sec - it will only double the cost of the car. This is classic diminishing returns. Cameras and lenses are no different, just much less money.
David
