37.5 megapixels is so much data that my beast of a computer (Intel Dual Xeon 1.86gz + 16Gb ram + 64 bit operating system) slows down while trying to process the files in bridge. I have NEVER had this type of slow down before – and it’s purely from the sheer size of the file. I went back to test my 60mb raw files from my Leaf Aptus 75s and it did not have the same lag.

I will be upgrading my computer soon – as I have the need for a more equipped video editing system – so we shall see how things operate on a clean install. My tech guy also suggested that it’s the speed of my hard drives. I have 5400’s and 7200’s and apparently they aren’t fast enough with the data – so the lag is actually windows twiddling it’s thumbs… Not sure how accurate that is… but we shall see what happens with the new hard drive… that thing is going to have a dual 10,000RPM mirrored raid setup (plus the drobo + the online storage).

No hard drive slowage after that…

…

I was shooting in my apartment over the past few days with my model friends Beck, Zerotia, and my girlfriend Emily. I used a Profoto Acute B2 power pack with either the Acute head or the Ring Flash. I find that kit is enough to keep in my house. I also have a 7B battery package with two heads and a ring flash – and that lives in my storage until I can get a new studio space here in new york.

Since I was working in close distance – I stuck with the 70mm lens. It proved to be a great focal length for me – as I had been shooting mostly with 50mm in the 35mm format. I shot wide open – even with the flash (low power as opposed to ND filters) and consistently my focus was sharp where I wanted it to be and the blurs were beautiful.

It doesn’t have the bokeh of the 180… but that is to be expected.

The 70mm is a really good compliment to the S2 since its weight is very minimal and the feeling of overriding the auto focus by hand is really … for lack of a better word… dreamy.

…

The images were edited in post. The vignette was done in post. Surprisingly – the lens wide open – has little to no vignetting. It was kind of a disappointment as I had grown comfortable with it as a component of my aesthetic from shooting at 1.0 for so long.

…

Due to the unique form of output for my thesis project, I edit my images within the profoto colorspace. This sometimes produces odd color shifts on certain browsers and certain screen s – especially laptops. I am sorry. I don’t care. I edit the photos for their ultimate output which in the case of my thesis – and the case of this particular series of images – are the brushed aluminum sheets.

Zerotia in the window seat.

Beck – fishnets and cigarettes.

Emily Therese – No fishnets but cigarettes.

This website is dedicated to my own personal fine art projects. I am not a professional photographer. I certainly could pursue photography commercially but I think it would lose the magic that has captured my attention this long. I enjoy photography for the art of it – and the fact that my images make some money, is a bonus.

In my own personal work – I do almost exclusively location based shooting. I don’t have (or enjoy) the benefits of having a controlled studio environment. In fact – quite the opposite, as I tend to enjoy shooting in long since abandoned locations.

There are a few factors I take into consideration when picking out primary camera gear for any of my projects. The first is size. I had been shooting mostly professional Canon cameras – as their portability and durability on location could not be matched.

However – their flexibility was a trade off for limited resolution and dynamic range. I moved to digital medium format in 2007, working exclusively with a Mamiya 645AFDII + Leaf Aptus 75s digital back. The size of the MF kit was quite large and bulky to be comfortable in the urbex environment. Not to mention – shooting in very low light levels was NOT its strong suit.

Example image from an exploration using the Mamiya and Leaf Aptus 75s Back

The Leica S2 seems to be quite the happy medium.

Considering the fact that the Leica S2 houses a sensor 56% larger than the Canon 5dmkii, I find it surprising that the size of the cameras with comparable lenses (180mm on the Leica, 24-70 2.8L on the Canon) was almost identical.

Furthermore, the S2 is fully weather sealed. Leica claims that it actually exceeds the standards set by the Canon 1ds line. In a previous issue of LFI magazine, it was exclaimed that the S series lenses underwent a cycle in the dishwasher – in order to reinforce the idea that this camera is meant for the cleanest – and not so cleanest – conditions.

…

The camera arrives…

It had been at least 4 months since I had sent off my digital medium format kits and two Leica bodies (an M7 and an MP – both ala carte demos) to my friend Duncan in the Netherlands…

I sent them to him in exchange for a store credit equal to the exact cost of the Leica S2-P, Two lenses, two batteries, the dual charger, and the grip.

After months of waiting… the day finally came.

On Christmas Eve, I get the following email:

OK it is not “on time” at your place BUT the complete kit with both the lenses did arrive here in my shop especially for you !!!! So in other words, I’ve got YOUR S2-P here with both the 70 and 180mm lens !!!

English may not be his first language, but Duncan at Foto Henny Hoogeveen in the Netherlands is one of the most amazing photographic resources I have ever known.

Between his own love of Leica – and his years working his shop – the man is a walking encyclopedia for the camera fanatic. Not to mention – he’s more than happy to make a deal – whether it’s cash, trade, or a combination of both.

I am not a sales rep for him. I don’t get a commission for the plug. I am just sharing my experience with those who may be interested. I have purchased from other dealers and other locations – but my experience was NEVER like it has been with Duncan…. And I’ve been a loyal customer since 2007 – and nearly $100,000 worth of equipment has exchanged hands since.

I was able to acquire the 4^th commercially available M9 – his first shipment – from him… and I even paid $200 less than it would have cost me due to the exchange rate into Euros.

And of course – he held my hand through the seemingly endless waiting process for the first ever Leica S2-P.

Yes. I am the owner of the worlds first ever commercially released Leica S2-P.

In his own words…”Indeed you got the very first one !!!”

That’s THREE (3) exclamation points. How can one possibly argue with that?

I had my girlfriend and her sister model for the video of the un-boxing.

Admittedly, for me – the stereotypical man fantasy of making porn – got lost in translation when stripping the Leica S2-P of it’s packaging. But perhaps you will enjoy it:

(There will be a link to a posting of the video unboxing)

Day 1: Shooting at Yonkers

With less than 2 months left until my thesis deadline, I needed to continue shooting at the abandoned greenhouse in Yonkers, NY.

Though I had chosen to use the Leica M9 and the .95 Noctilux lens specifically for this project – I decided to test out my new S2-P – in an actual shooting situation.

Sunrise at Yonkers was at 7:20. Dawn was 6:49. The temperature was hovering around 20 degrees… well below freezing and well below my comfort level, despite being dressed in layers.

Up until this point – I have never had a problem with a Leica or a professional level Canon camera not working properly due to cold weather. Though the S2’s biggest fan, I was not confident that it would operate properly in the cold. I was wrong.

Both the Leica M9 and the S2-P performed flawlessly at temperatures hovering less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

…

Instead of my usual one model, Emily Therese, I went with two: Emily and her sister Catherine.

Dennis, one of my thesis advisors, had been really on my back about expanding my model pool. Though I am not one to put all of my eggs in one basket – I have yet to find any additional model who can add something to this portfolio – and do so on a consistent basis.

Catherine had modeled for me previously:

Emily and I knew that she would be an excellent match for this project. Additionally, keeping the weather in mind – the models dressed in layers (unlike previous trips)… which led to the need for coats.

This led to us using a particular coat – which as it turns out – will be a cornerstone of the thesis. But I digress…

…

So there I was in Yonkers, NY at sunrise with two models at an abandoned greenhouse as the sun was rising.

I had been using the M9 and .95 noctilux for these shoots previously – with a setting of 1600 iso – while shooting wide open. It quickly became apparent that at f2.5 and a chip that maxes out at 1250 (and arguably isn’t usable past 800 – so says other reviews) would not work in the low light circumstances of sunrise without a tripod.

So I started the shoot with the M9 and the Noctilux… until it got bright enough to shoot comfortably hand held at 640iso (the highest I felt comfortable working with).

I did later switch it to 320iso – so that I could minimize the noise. Though, surprisingly there wasn’t any there at either setting. This was kind of a disappointment and caused me to have to add texture to the images in post processing to get the feel that I had with the higher iso in previous photos.

…

Initial thoughts…

The camera is light but very solid. I would equate the experience to driving my father’s BMW 500 series car. It seems like you are going 30 when you are hitting the speed limit… and though it seems light and graceful, I wouldn’t want to be in between it and a wall upon impact.

It was a great feeling having it in my hands. It really felt as if it was built to match my grip. I find other cameras either too small or too large to grip comfortably. This – without the grip – was snug. I dug it.

…

Admittedly, I was worried that the 180 lens would make the camera front heavy. It did. Though, not nearly as much as I had expected – even best case scenario.

I have the Canon 200 1.8L IS lens. It’s a beast. You cannot hand hold that lens for very long – unless you got forearms of steel. It requires a monopod (at least) and even has the collar attachment to screw one on.

But this lens was not like that. It was more like the 70-200 2.8L IS. Big. Solid. But not heavy.

…

I purchased a Zero Halliburton case – that should be big enough to hold the camera, batteries, lenses, and grip

(when it comes). It should be small enough to be considered a second carry on (purse, laptop, backpack)… since my first carryon is a zero halliburton luggage piece that fits the overhead compartment of most planes perfectly.

I just love the case I have for my M9 kit.  The S2 had to match.

…

So lets talk lenses.

The lenses were the best I have ever used.

I thought Dave Farkas was drinking the kool-aid when he wrote that on his blog. How could these lenses be better than the already amazing lenses that they had previously developed… when these lenses need to be larger to cover the extra surface area… and in that amount of glass, there’s gotta be a lot of room for error.

I used the 70 2.5 and the 180 3.5…

The auto focus system snaps to the correct position almost instantly upon pressing the appropriate button.

But if you don’t trust it – or  you wanna dial it into a specific spot manually – you can grab it and tweak it – and it’s just the right tension.

Not to mention it’s sharp.

Wide open.

I did not even take it off wide open. I didn’t need to. The shutter speed range was more than adequate – and worst case, I would close it down a bit – but would rather use ND filters than close it too much.

The bokeh is pleasing.

It’s not the Noctilux. Either version. But it’s certainly something noticeably pretty. Especially the 70mm… for a 70mm.

It reminds me of the bokeh I get with old Zeiss lenses that I have converted to Canon mount from Contax or the like… Very pleasing… round… I can’t really explain it but to show you.

…

The 70mm lens is my perfect working distance. I generally shoot 50mm (both on my Leica M9 and on My Canon full frames) – and the angle of view for this lens is about equivalent to 56mm on a 35mm system (70 is the normal lens for this system).

The 180mm lens was a bit of a challenge for me. I like to be up in the action – not far away. And the 180mm lens kept me a few feet further from the scenes than I felt comfortable.

I thought about getting the 35mm but figured that for the commercial and portraiture work I do – a 180 may be the best bet. Plus, the 35 may not be out anytime soon.

The 180mm – though it doesn’t have the close focusing capacity of a macro – certainly has the bokeh and ability to capture sharp details wide open that is typical of most high end macros. It was the better choice for me – and probably the more mass appeal choice – since they decided to release both first.

…

I have been quoting Dave Farkas quite a bit. I have never met the guy – though recently bought a .95 Noctilux from his store – but I certainly respect and admire his knowledge and understanding of his craft.

He writes…

The S2 files are crisp and clean. There isn’t the faintest trace of murkiness in fine details. CA is almost non-existent. Edges are clearly defined with no softness or haziness. Diagonals are precise with no stair stepping. Gradients are smooth. There is a complete lack of noise at low ISO, even into the shadows, but the files have amazing texture and subtlety to them. Yes, details are razor sharp, but transitions are just so gentle and graceful. Skin is rendered beautifully. Leaves on trees in the distance are clear and defined. Textures are perfectly rendered. Out of focus areas are buttery smooth. (directly stolen from his blog – but correctly attributed – so that’s gotta count for something).

…

Like buttah.

Seriously.

If I knew a thing about optics and engineering – I would go for the look that the folks at Leica have achieved with this system.

…

Battery life…

I spent an hour shooting with the S2 – pretty much continuously – in cold temperatures – and the battery icon only showed one click of use.

That was amazing.

I have been using the Canon 5dmkii’s lately for their HD video capacity (when not using the Red One) and I had gotten use to changing batteries constantly.

I had not used my 1ds in a long time – and forgot the amazing power of those 8 hour batteries… and how awesome it was not having to worry about having enough spares.

The Leica S2 – will not have these worries either.

Starting with focal length:

A lens with a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal size of the film or sensor format is known as a normal lens; its angle of view is similar to the angle subtended by a large-enough print viewed at a typical viewing distance of the print diagonal, which therefore yields a normal perspective when viewing the print. If the frame size is 24mm x 36mm, the diagonal is 43.267mm.

Most manufacturers market the 50mm lens as the normal lens (despite being a few mm larger) as it is the optimum focal length that has zero distortion. The problem is that a 50mm lens only affords a 46-degree field of view that is significantly less than the human field of vision – which would be closer to a 24mm lens. However, if we were to use such a wide-angle lens our images would suffer significant distortion that does not appear when using a normal lens. Our brains have the ability to compensate for this distortion – however the camera does not. Therefore the 50mm lens is considered to be optimal, due to lack of distortion.

Aperture:

Computing the f-number of the human eye involves computing the physical aperture and focal length of the eye. The pupil can be as large as 6-7mm wide open, which translates into the maximum physical aperture. However, the entrance pupil is typically about 4 mm in diameter, although it can range from 2 mm ( f/ 8.3) in a brightly lit place to 8 mm ( f/ 2.1) in the dark.

There are many 50mm lenses that are f/2.1 or faster. The race for the optimum optic started in Japan in 1953 with the introduction of the Zunow 1.1/50mm lens, followed in 1954 with the Fujinon 1.2/50mm. These lenses were offered in both Canon and Leica screw thread mounts. Comparably, the 1.1 and 1.2 were a significant difference from a previous standad of 1.5. Canon and Nikon responded in 1956 with a 1.2/50mm lens with seven elements (canon) and a 1.1/50mm lens with nine elements (Nikon). Though Nikon and Canon were focusing on SLR development, Canon did introduce the .95/50mm lens for the Canon 7 in 1961.

Canon then introduced a 1.2/58mm lens that utilized aspherical surfaces in 1971. The first series used aspherical surfaces that were grinded by machines that were manually operated. Only later (but long before Leica) did Canon switch to a fully automatic grinding process.

An aspheric lens or asphere is a lens whose surfaces have a profile that is neither a portion of a sphere nor of a circular cylinder. The asphere’s more complex surface profile can reduce or eliminate spherical aberration and also reduce other optical aberrations compared to a simple lens. A single aspheric lens can often replace a much more complex multi-lens system. The resulting device is smaller and lighter, and possibly cheaper than the multi-lens design. Aspheric elements are used in the design of multi-element wide-angle and fast normal lenses to reduce aberrations.

According to Canon’s original advertisement for the .95 lens “holds razor sharpness even at full aperture” In fact the Canon lens wide open is a good practical example of the working of spherical aberration. Spherical aberration is an optical effect in lenses that occurs due to the increased refraction of light rays when they strike a lens or a reflection of light rays when they strike a mirror near its edge, in comparison with those that strike nearer the centre. It signifies a deviation of the device from the norm, and results in an imperfection of the produced image.

Spherical aberration should not be confused with barrel distortion; whereas barrel distortion affects the shape of the image, spherical aberration affects its sharpness.

A high-speed lens with optimum optical sharpness is the desired pinnacle for any camera system. The marketing argument has been focused on the use in low ambient/natural light or even the absence of illumination where the just hand-holdable shutter speed could be the dividing line between a good and a lost picture.

Almost every design relied on spherical lens surfaces and the designer needed additional lens elements and more exotic properties and/or daring shapes to get a decent quality at the widest apertures. The pictures that could be made with these lenses could be described as acceptable only with a benevolent approach. Canon went over the top with its 0.95/50mm lens for its rangefinder camera.

Around 1965, several manufacturers abandoned the rangefinder format, leaving Leitz as the sole survivor. Leitz took this opportunity to produce a lens to rival the Canon .95 lens – the last viable lens of that type on the market.

Their research into the design options indicated that the only solution for a lens that combined a compact mount with good performance was to use aspherical surfaces. The aperture of the original Noctilux was set to f/1.2. A wider aperture required a bigger mount and it might also be assumed that the size of the lens elements was too large for the aspherical grinding process.

The successor of the original Noctilux widened the maximum aperture to f/1 and used only spherical surfaces. The performance wide open was better than what the Canon .95 offered., perhaps due to the new glass types available to the Leica Designers.

The Noctilux 1/50mm stayed in production from 1976 until 2008 when a new version was produced. The designers opted for the .95 aperture – an 11% increase in pupil diameter – providing significant need for chromatic correction. The new Noctilux .95 has a more rigorous correction of aberrations over the entire field. Wide open the differences are less pronounced with the previous version, but interesting enough to analyze. The design of the lens is state of the art with a floating element, aspherical surfaces and a selection of new glass types specifically selected for this design.

Wide open the lens shows a certain softness of major subject outlines. The lower contrast of the high frequencies (fine textural details) softens the edges of the low frequencies (outlines of major subject shapes). Stopping down to 1.2 does improve the overall contrast; even more so at 1.4. Though, contrast is also modified in post processing.

At F/.95, it should be clear that this lens outperforms the human eye in terms of allowing more light to expose our frame. However, the Noctilux is special for two other reasons beyond its speed. The first is its freedom from flare. Even with light shining almost directly into the lens, flare is minimal. Considering the conditions for usage of such a lens – this is a remarkable quality.

Secondly, is the extremely narrow depth of field when shooting wide open. Depth of field is measured in inches – as opposed to feet – and consequently the background will be that much more out of focus. The Noctilux, by design, renders out of focus areas very smoothly, rendering an almost impressionistic quality to those areas.

This impressionistic quality allows the artist to compose the elements of the photograph accordingly. The gaze of the viewer will then tend to linger over these points of interest. Elements are arranged with consideration of several factors (known variously as the principles of organization, principles of art, or principles of design) into a harmonious whole that works together to produce the desired statement — a phenomenon commonly referred to as unity.

Some principles of organization affecting the composition of a picture are:

* Shape and proportion
* Balance among the elements
* Harmony, or consistency among the elements
* The orientation of elements
* The area within the field of view used for the picture (“cropping”)
* The path or direction followed by the viewer’s eye when they observe the image.
* Negative space
* Color
* Contrast: the value, or degree of lightness and darkness, used within the picture.
* Geometry: for example, use of the golden mean
* Rhythm
* Illumination or lighting
* Repetition (Sometimes building into pattern; rhythm also comes into play, as does geometry)
* Perspective
* Breaking the rules can create tension or unease

The position of the viewer can strongly influence the aesthetics of an image, even if the subject is entirely imaginary and viewed “within the mind’s eye”. Not only does it influence the elements within the picture, but it also influences the viewer’s interpretation of the subject.

A subject can be rendered more dramatic when it fills the frame. There exists a tendency to perceive things as larger than they actually are, and filling the frame fulfills this psychological mechanism. This can be used to eliminate distractions from the background.

In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.” Differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause some lens designs to blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce blurring that is unpleasant or distracting— “good” or “bad” bokeh, respectively. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular reflections and light sources, which is why it often associated with such areas. However, bokeh is not limited to highlights, as blur occurs in all out-of-focus regions of the image.