I just returned from Iceland where I shot "landscape", "intimate landscapes", macro, in both full daylight and in complete
darkness (northern lights), outside and in ice caves. The Leica S2 functioned flawlessly, but more importantly, the images
exude a three dimensionality, a tonal quality, a micro-contrast that exceeds what my fellow photographers were obtaining
with Canon and Nikons. I was shocked at the low light capability given that my highest ISO is 640 !! My northern lights images
were obtained with only 2 - 5 sec exposures and had little noise. The texture, sculpturing, reflectivity of the different forms
of ice within the ice cave were captured in exquisite detail, depth and tonal quality. Personally, comparing to the images from
my D800E, I was shocked by the DX0 findings-- the Leica S2 certainly does not function as having less DR.
Perhaps the CCD vs. CMOS has something to do with the different look of the images, I cannot know this for sure.
What I do know, is that you buy the Leica S for the LENSES, not the body (although the body is fantastic ergonomically). The
Leica lenses have a look that I cannot obtain with other brands.
I do not do studio photography, only "landscape", "nature", "abstract", "urban decay" and I can assure the person who stated above that the
leica is not for landscapes, that it is indeed excellent for this use.
The Leica is heavy. The lenses are heavy. I was carrying between 30 and 40 pounds. Climbing up a mountain side, I would wonder
if it was worthwhile. Should I switch back to my Nikon, or perhaps get the Sony A7R. Then, I would download the images,
and any doubt evaporated-- back to the gym to build more strength, because it is worth the effort.
What I will now question, is whether I could achieve the same image using Leica lenses on the Sony A7R. This remains to be
seen and proven. I do not tend to use wide angle lenses, so I may not have the issue with color cast and vignetting.
If you want to see some examples with the Leica, please visit my website, go to galleries, portfolios, and then choose
iceland, or carrie furnance, or old trucks, or old cars, etc.
www.rudlinfineart.comThanks
craig