£20k of Camera Equipment
Posted: Mon 28 Sep 2015, 10:44
The workshop I recently attended in Scotland was ostensibly about using Leica equipment, although my purpose was rather different as I wanted to take the opportunity of reviewing my approach to photography under the tutelage of Eddie Ephraums and Joe Cornish. Nevertheless, various items of Leica equipment was provided for use by the participants, a facility of which I took advantage and for a few days I was wandering around with a Billingham bag stuffed with more than £20k's worth of gear.
So what does that much money buy you? Well, it is Leica so less than you might think unless you opt for one of the lower end compacts which are basically rebadged Panasonics. How about a body and two lenses? Yes, that's what I had. I reasoned that I would be unlikely to have another opportunity to shoot extensively on digital medium format, so I was using a Leica S (006) mainly with either 45 or 180 lenses. The latter was the CS version, which has a built in leaf shutter for flash synchronisation at any shutter speed. That's a useful option given that the Leica S sync speed is a relatively slow 1/125 and one of the camera's natural habitats will be in the studio. With the body retailing at £10k, the lenses made up the rest. There is a new version of the S coming out shortly, the Typ 007 which has a CMOS rather than CCS sensor, although resolution remains the same at 37.5 MP. Going for that boosts the body price to £13k.
The Leica S sensor is larger than 35 mm full frame, so it has a negative crop factor of 0.8, thus the 45 became the equivalent of 36 mm and the 180 a slightly odd 144. As a combo, it worked surprisingly well and generally I was able to get the shots I wanted. On one occasion, I needed to get in closer to the subject than the 180's minimum focussing distance, when with astonishingly good timing Joe Cornish appeared and lent me a macro lens out of his Tardis like camera bag. That's another £5k. I do not know if it was that particular copy or a more general trait, but the AF did not work at short focussing distances.
The results, as you would imagine and/or hope, were superb. As to whether they justify the high cost compared to more ordinary gear is really a subjective opinion. It can be argued, as Luminous Landscape did recently, that the Pentax 645Z offers better value if you want medium format and there are full frame cameras which offer similar resolution or better at even lower cost. The Leica S, like the Pentax 645Z, is essentially a large DSLR, but it has no image stabilisation and the high resolution magnifies any camera movement. With practice and by adopting almost meditation like techniques, it is possible to handhold at lower shutter speeds, but unless you a Zen master really it demands a tripod for best results. I found as well that the 180 needs to be stopped well down or hyperfocal focussing employed to increase DOF even at comparatively long lens to subject distances.
https://luminous-landscape.com/leica-s0 ... ns-review/
The viewfinder on the S is very bright, which makes it relatively easy to focus the lenses. There are interchangeable screens and my camera had one with microprism and split screen aids, but even the ground glass option was useable. While the S has a single point AF, frankly it is a camera which demands considered use, which includes setting focus manually.
Overall, it was fun for a few days, but the Leica S does not suit my style of photography and I tend to prefer more compact cameras. I am not in a situation where I need the high resolution and even at A3 print sizes there will be little, if any, discernible difference. There is some satisfaction to be had in knowing that a shot was taken with the best equipment available, but I can think of better uses for the money.
So what does that much money buy you? Well, it is Leica so less than you might think unless you opt for one of the lower end compacts which are basically rebadged Panasonics. How about a body and two lenses? Yes, that's what I had. I reasoned that I would be unlikely to have another opportunity to shoot extensively on digital medium format, so I was using a Leica S (006) mainly with either 45 or 180 lenses. The latter was the CS version, which has a built in leaf shutter for flash synchronisation at any shutter speed. That's a useful option given that the Leica S sync speed is a relatively slow 1/125 and one of the camera's natural habitats will be in the studio. With the body retailing at £10k, the lenses made up the rest. There is a new version of the S coming out shortly, the Typ 007 which has a CMOS rather than CCS sensor, although resolution remains the same at 37.5 MP. Going for that boosts the body price to £13k.
The Leica S sensor is larger than 35 mm full frame, so it has a negative crop factor of 0.8, thus the 45 became the equivalent of 36 mm and the 180 a slightly odd 144. As a combo, it worked surprisingly well and generally I was able to get the shots I wanted. On one occasion, I needed to get in closer to the subject than the 180's minimum focussing distance, when with astonishingly good timing Joe Cornish appeared and lent me a macro lens out of his Tardis like camera bag. That's another £5k. I do not know if it was that particular copy or a more general trait, but the AF did not work at short focussing distances.
The results, as you would imagine and/or hope, were superb. As to whether they justify the high cost compared to more ordinary gear is really a subjective opinion. It can be argued, as Luminous Landscape did recently, that the Pentax 645Z offers better value if you want medium format and there are full frame cameras which offer similar resolution or better at even lower cost. The Leica S, like the Pentax 645Z, is essentially a large DSLR, but it has no image stabilisation and the high resolution magnifies any camera movement. With practice and by adopting almost meditation like techniques, it is possible to handhold at lower shutter speeds, but unless you a Zen master really it demands a tripod for best results. I found as well that the 180 needs to be stopped well down or hyperfocal focussing employed to increase DOF even at comparatively long lens to subject distances.
https://luminous-landscape.com/leica-s0 ... ns-review/
The viewfinder on the S is very bright, which makes it relatively easy to focus the lenses. There are interchangeable screens and my camera had one with microprism and split screen aids, but even the ground glass option was useable. While the S has a single point AF, frankly it is a camera which demands considered use, which includes setting focus manually.
Overall, it was fun for a few days, but the Leica S does not suit my style of photography and I tend to prefer more compact cameras. I am not in a situation where I need the high resolution and even at A3 print sizes there will be little, if any, discernible difference. There is some satisfaction to be had in knowing that a shot was taken with the best equipment available, but I can think of better uses for the money.
