Leica launches 100mm F2 Summicron for medium format S system

For many years, and even today, the greatest Ferraris come with neither.

And there be many "fools" waiting months for the $8300 50mm f/2.0 M.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

FujLiver

a medium format 100mm f2 lens
are you kidding
lets wait for the reviews but if it is like the other S lenses its probably the best of its type ever made

Sep 3, 2014*permalink

"Tis more the pity that we 'fools' may not speak wisely what 'wise' men do foolishly," or something.

@GPW

Take a look at the new Pentax 645Z ISO low ISO raws, shot outdoors, that Imaging Resource just posted (9/3/'14) and you'll see what not exciting optics can do: Turn potentially wonderful photos into drab dead images. (No examples shot with the Pentax MF 55mm.)

Yeah, there's a big reason for buying or renting this lens. Or say buying a Zeiss Otus for your D810.

Sep 4, 2014permalink

I wonder if it will out-class the Sigma 50mm f1.4 A on a Sigma SD1 Quattro (if that is indeed what they call the new Sigma DSLR, when it comes in a few months . . . maybe more than just a few).

Sep 1, 2014permalink

The likely Leica S3 will be capable of higher ISOs than a Sigma Quattro DSLR.

I think you have the right idea, but direct comparisons are hard, unless you want mount say a Leica R lens on a Sigma DSLR body.

Below ISO 400 the Quattro sure beats the new Pentax 645z for colour and image quality, not sure if the Quattro will better a Leica S2 at say ISO 200.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

Couscousdelight

The Quattro sure beats a 645Z ?
Thank you for the good morning laugh :)
BTW, i've put a look to your comments history. Have a Pentax rep sleep with your wife ?
And i'm still amazed by your photographic skills, your gallery is stunning, the work of a true photo genius.

Sep 3, 2014*permalink

Couscousdelight:

Do yourself some favors.

Quote accurately, next time; “the below ISO 400" you ignored is really important.

Next, get raws from both cameras and check the image quality of the Pentax 645z against the Quattro.

Now of course the Pentax does all sorts of things the Sigma doesn’t. And I think the image quality from the Pentax plenty good, just not up to the Sigma below ISO 400.

Indeed, I’ve not spent a lot time attacking Pentax–albeit I’ve said they have a ways to go with DSLR lenses–so you’ve confused me with someone else.

Try actually looking at raws next time, you’ll get more respect.

You don't appear to want to know much about cameras and digital photos in general.

Sep 3, 2014*permalink

Almeida

My samsung ex2 lens' is faster lol!

Sep 1, 2014permalink

. . . but does your Samsung have a gigantic sensor that captures a 37 MP medium format quality image? The Noktons are faster too, but I would never dream of putting a 4/3 size sensor up against the monster in the S2 . . . would you?

Sep 1, 2014permalink

Almeida

C'mon man!

Sep 2, 2014permalink

FujLiver

no it isn't
have you done the medium format conversion to your lens
duh!

Sep 3, 2014permalink

Almeida

What! Two takers? Dpreview's crowd is a neverending supply of fun...

Sep 5, 2014permalink

Brutal lens!
I will scout the internet for a better price I but I plan on putting this baby on my E-M5 with speedbooster for a true 142mm f1.4 goodness!

Sep 1, 2014permalink

? . . . I don't get it. How do you mean by f1.4? Are you talking about some sort of bokeh simulator or a higher ISO setting or something else?

Sep 1, 2014permalink

bluevellet

Speedbooster is a focal reducer. Typically, you take a FF lens with the SB and attach it to a cropped sensor camera like aps-c or m43, you limit the crop factor while gaining something like a full stop of extra light so a FF 50mm at f2 would become something like 75mm equivalent at f1.4 on m43 cameras.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

Ah wait I already have a better combination:
85mm f1.4 Samyang 300$ and a great reducer 100$ = Total 400$ for 121mm f1.0 goodnes

Sep 2, 2014permalink

Nezhin

@Janus Thanks for this great inspiration on how to spend my GAS money!

PS: Can it autofocus?

Sep 3, 2014*permalink

It cannot... :-)/:-(
But is balanced with portrait grip, a sharp even wide open upclose and at infinity.
A good match for RJ lens turbo.
It didnt suit me on 58mm f.12 FL, swirled up the bokeh IMO, and it became less contrasty and more hazy. To much PP to bring it all back and look nice.

Sep 3, 2014permalink

AV Janus:

And I like that Samyang 85mm, but how did you manage to get it to fully illuminate a medium format sensor? That must have been some some speed booster, which brand was it again? And there was no vignetting?

Oh, wait, never mind.

Sep 4, 2014permalink

LOL! :-P

Sep 4, 2014permalink

Valen305

Bargain! My cat photos will look so detailed...

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Only if you don't down sample.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

There you go…!

I knew someone would step up and take a whack.

The most humorous aspect of course is that I don't know a single Leica user who actually thinks that way. But you have to hate something because otherwise you'd be stuck with the one you hate the most...

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Oh don't be so coy. You wrote what you wrote. A typical cheap shot at Leica users and now you say you don't assume to know?

Well, you're right the second time, you don't know. You just write whatever comes to mind in those gray, soggy moments.

cheers, I'm done. You've made my point

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Another knowledgable photographer. You must be a Real Pro, huh?

Aug 31, 2014permalink

If you use a Space shuttle to put a satellite into orbit, is it in orbit any better than if you use a SpaceX Falcon 1? No.

But is there a solution which allows photographers to capture such amazing image quality as they could capture with a Leica S2 and this new 100mm f2 lens? I wonder.

People buy a Bugatti Veyron not just because it costs $2 million (or whatever absurd price it costs), but because it is the best . . . right? (I guess that's debatable . . . there are street cars out there that can do the 1/4 mile in under 9 seconds.)

Anyway, my point is that this new 100mm f2 Leica lens is surely spectacular QUALITY . . . as all the Leica S2 lenses are, right? It will serve Leica S2 owners who buy it quite well, I'm sure. I don't need one . . . but I would buy one if I won the lottery . . . or somehow got more than a few grand extra that I just HAD to spend on camera equipment. Why not? It's not like I want to die with $50,000 more in the bank. What would be the point of that?

Sep 1, 2014permalink

Valen305

...and after I'm done pixel peeping, I'll post them to Instagram. Prints you say? Mmmmeh.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

Geez, you guys are slipping. Only a few comments on cost and how Brand XXXXX is "just as good" and "costs a fraction of" or, "well padded Leica Collectors"

Though an Honorable Mention for the "no one here owns a Leica "S" System"

C'mon guys, keep those sour grapes comments coming. Don't know what I'd do if the Leica-phobes didn't contribute the same tired old comments.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

RStyga

The Pentax 90mm f/2.8 D FA 645 Macro ED AW SR Lens costs less than half of this lens and offers weather sealing, shake reduction, and macro focusing in a comparable -not identical- focal length and maximum aperture.

In my opinion, for non-professional use, it makes no sense to choose the S system over the 645. In many case, even for professional use.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

And the Pentax 645z body is much bigger. The S2 is smaller than a Nikon D4S.

Also f/2.0 is good bit faster than f/2.8. So why are you bringing up a lens that if Leica made for the S system would also be less expensive?

Aug 30, 2014permalink

sneakyracer

The Pentax 90mm f/2.8 D FA 645 Macro ED AW SR Lens has pretty unattractive Bokeh, specially at typical portrait focus distances. It is not all about sharpness and specs...

Aug 30, 2014permalink

km25

Leica is also an APO len, the Pentax is doubt a fine lens. Do not compare. Lots of pro shoot with the Leica and Hassi, also Mamiya.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

The Pentax is primarily a Macro lens. It has ED glass elements, so chromatic aberrations are very well controlled. For Portraits Pentax has the 150mm 2.8, which is great and only $1,396.95

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Scorpius1

Who cares what the Pentax lense offers? The S system is excellent with a full range of excellent and most of them have leaf shutter options which is unavailable for the Pentax system and for quite a few pro's this rules out the pentax.

The pentax Glass is not bad,the 90mm is the best of the bunch but in no way is it better than S glass except in price of course!

Sep 1, 2014permalink

So you can buy a system and a car, instead of just a system.

Sep 1, 2014permalink

RStyga

No, you can buy a system and a car, or you can swap your brain for a system. Since when price does not matter in the retail world? I don't want to hear about the pro BS and superior IQ BS... Yes, there might be a difference, and probably it makes sense when the cost difference is so large, but, as a product, the 645 digital system is the king of medium format.

Sep 1, 2014permalink

RStyga:

Price matters, but both the Pentax and Leica S systems are geared toward specialized applications, especially studio work. Though now with the CMOS sensor in the 645z that Pentax is sort of a field camera. And the likely S3 will also be more usable outside of studios.

Anyhow the point remains that studios pay for much higher quality results that one can achieve with better systems. I just saw an outdoor advert shoot, big budget with a catering van for the crew, shot with a Hasselblad.

Then for many instances, Hasselblads and Leica Ses are a rented for the application.

645 is a term used by several medium format makers; there was a Contax 645.

The Pentax 645 is only the king of things like medium format shooting at weddings, so not real serious photography. (And yeah I get that I just insulted wedding photographers.)

Sep 1, 2014permalink

o yeah because it's the camera that makes the pictures, as we can see with the selfie monkey :p.

Sep 1, 2014permalink

D1N0:

You're assuming the monkey didn't know how to use the camera and check at least some of the results.

Sep 1, 2014permalink

Let's give it a Leica then...

Sep 1, 2014permalink

D1N0:

Why not?

Sep 1, 2014permalink

http://robroy.dyndns.info/lawrence/Images/mammoth-camera.jpg

Shall we compare film size too? Get a 16x20! No, get a 20x24! No, get a 40x50! No, get a . . . MAMMOTH CAMERA! Yeeeaaaahhhhh!

Sep 1, 2014permalink

pfzt

So far i'm not disappointed with the typical dpreview discussion about a new lens for a camera system that nobody here actually owns. It's like discussing a Bugatti Veyron: it's a car and everybody has a car, so he assumes he could say anything about it.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

love_them_all

Only the fanboys and the trolls usually frequent the forums on gears they do not own. Once in while you see a real owner who end up being a fanboy or troll anyway...

Aug 31, 2014permalink

sneakyracer

Wow, this lens really makes the Leica S system even more enticing. Its performance should be stunning.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

mcshan

Not another rebadged Panasonic !

Aug 29, 2014*permalink

Panasonic makes a medium format digital camera body?

I suggest you look up the Leica S2 camera body. (Likely to be replaced this fall.)

So entirely wrong, hope you were just being uninformed for ironical trolling reasons.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Waimak Stud

Haha, I get ya, and I know the difference between having a chuckle, and being a troll.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

mcshan

Thank you Waimak for having a sense of humor and being smart enough to get the joke.

The just kidding (jk) is right there! Geez.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

mcshan:

So initials in the place where some commenters leave a first name have to have an ironical meaning?

I'll have to remember that next time I see "philip" or JC, or etc.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Rooru S

I didn't see the jk and I got the joke.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Rooru S:

And if you read my first comment, which you didn't, you'll note that I allowed for the post being a joke.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

(unknown member)

This can be a sad and humorless forum. :(

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Waimak Stud

You might see "Phillip", but JC stopped posting a while ago. Circa 33 C.E. I never figured out why.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Waimak Stud:

But I spoke to Juan Carlos just last week.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Waimak Stud

Haha! You're getting the hang of this. (Nudge)

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Scorpius1

LoL....

Sep 1, 2014permalink

(unknown member)

since FF is only a 1.25 crop, I would think this lens would be wonderful on the likes of an A7R if there was an adapter for it.

Anyone know if there is an adapter for Leica S lens to Sony E mount?

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Zeisschen

8000$ lens for use with adapter? no thanks :D

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Rooru S

@Zeisschen, you clearly missed last week post about a company using an expensive Nikkor 600mm f/4 lens on the a7S via adapters...

Edit: my point is, no matter what size, price or brand, adapt it to your needs.

Aug 30, 2014*permalink

Zeisschen

No I didn't miss that post ;) That company however probably owned that lens before the A7s even came out or they just rented it.

I have no problem whatsoever with adapting lenses in general, it's great that it's possible! My point is that buying and adapting a lens for a larger format which is 5 times more expensive than a FF 100mm F2 doesn't make any sense unless you also have one of those larger format cameras. But if someone has the money to throw away...it's none of my business :)

Aug 31, 2014*permalink

That would be a good combo. The lens is the key in the capture of an image, and I would spend $10,000 on this new 100mm f2 lens and a Sony A7r WAY before I would spend $20,000 on that Leica S2.

I couldn't find an adapter for you.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

Krich13

Wait a minute. A 100 mm MF lens whose angle of view is equivalent to that of 80 mm on FF? That means the "crop factor" is only 0.8?
Then the equivalent aperture of this f/2 lens is just f/1.6, how is it a "similar proposition" to 85/1.2 lens?

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Photomonkey

Like the 85 1.2 most will never own one.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Damien Demolder

That's why I said 'similar proposition' and not 'exactly like'. If you are a Leica S user, this is as close as you are going to get to that combination of angle of view and shallow depth of field.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

MDNL35

But it's closer to a 85/1.4 then isn't it, though technically F1.8 is even closer. But nobody likes rounding up unless it suits them. ^.^

Aug 30, 2014permalink

I confirm, Damien should correct the mistake in his article.

100/2 is equivalent to exactly 80/1.6 and as 85mm, has the same 50mm aperture as 85/1.7. That's much more 85/1.8 rather than 85/1.4, let alone 85/1.2.

However, wrt optical quality it should perform like the Zeiss Otus which only is 39mm aperture.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Kinematic Digit

Expect a 2 or more year wait for this. Most of my associates that shoot with the S2 have been so frustrated by the timelines for their lenses.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Scorpius1

The only one thats been hard to buy is the Zoom... and maybe the 24mm

Sep 1, 2014permalink

Paul Guba

Be nice if Leica would build lens with other MF mounts. Love the line about exclusive look; will be great for all those well padded Leica collectors.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

caravan

Looks like an excellent prime at a fair price.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

RStyga

Yes, it is a very fair price. I think it would still be fair if Leica raised it to $25,000. No, wait, $45,000, what the hell, make it $50 grand to be right.

The Pentax 90mm f/2.8 D FA 645 Macro ED AW SR Lens costs less than half and offers weather sealing, shake reduction, and macro focusing. It must be really inferior, pretty worthless....

What is wrong with you, people??

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Infared

But it is a measly f/2.8 and I have no need to refinance my house to buy it...

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Photomonkey

Bet its sharp.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

BobYIL

Smallest of the MF format; only 30 x 45mm, a little larger than the FF... Only 37.5MP, a little more than the D800 series 36MP... A phased out CCD sensor to turn obsolete in couple of years in the world of MF-CMOS. Hopefully they can sell this "only 100 units" of limited edition. (BTW, would it differ much if the new lens was offered for $4K?)

Aug 29, 2014permalink

RichRMA

But, it's a medium format camera not much bigger (if at all) than a Nikon D4.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

ogl

New Leica S3 will be 44*33 mm with 50 MP SONY sensor.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Alec

I wonder if SONY will go into medium format with their own sensor.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Alec:

Oh great, not, another Sony lens system.

Sony already supplies medium format sensors for Pentax and Hasselblad bodies–probably PhaseOne too.

I just hope you’re joking.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

ogl:

The Leica S3 is unlikely to use a Sony sensor, but well likely can find out in about 3 weeks.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

abortabort

"Obsolete" will depend on how much you like CCD vs CMOS.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Alec

HowaboutRAW : while I agree fragmented mounts don't serve anyone well, it's also fair to say the Sony mirrorless mount had encouraged significant lens reuse (through adapters) and experimentation.

Medium format mirrorless, coupled with LV, video, can take that a step further. Including, in particular, ability to optimally utilize the entire imaging circles of 35mm full frame lenses across a variety of frame aspects ranging from 1:1 to 21:9.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

ogl

No any sense for Sony to go the new market. Rather special and narrow. It's simplier to sell sensors to leaders of MF.
Medium format mirrorless - too big sensor. Need very powerfull battery. No mirror = it effects to IQ. And it's no good for work.

Pentax 645Z has video mode already and LV.

Sep 2, 2014permalink

JonPB

My understanding is that anomalous partial dispersion glass is a useful tool for color correction, but that it is neither necessary nor sufficient to create an apochromat. I believe the article would be more accurate if it simply said that the lens has "chromatic corrections," but then that's rather superfluous as just about every lens released today is corrected, to some degree, for color accuracy. So perhaps it would be sufficient just to say that it has two APD elements and leave it at that?

Aug 29, 2014permalink

Cool! First S-system f2.0? I'm guessing a new Otus 85mm will blow this away though (for less $).

Aug 29, 2014*permalink

Ron A 19:

Why would a new Otus 85mm f/1.4 for say the Nikon F mount blow this Leica away? Also the 55mm Otus is not exactly cheap.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

It's half the price and can be mounted onto a camera 1/50th the price. Also, it's got 1 extra stop, so while they might have the same DOF, the extra light adds versatility and the 3rd party compatibility adds accessibility. I also don't like the fact that Leica keeps upping the price for quality. Zeiss brings the best within reach of the masses. I support that model.

Aug 30, 2014permalink

Ron A 19:

A D4s or D810, or Canon 1DS, 5DIII are not $400 bodies, and those are the bodies with which people use things like the Otus.

So technically 1/50 is correct, but in reality it's a wrong.

Then the price for a rumored 85mm Otus has not been announced. Nor do you know the speed of the lens, could be F 2.0, to keep the price down, say below $5500.

Also the Leica is an AF lens, while these Zeisses aren't.

Aug 30, 2014*permalink

An 85/1.4 Otus would likely be just as expensive and not AF.

Look at the price difference between conventional 50/1.4 and 85/1.4 ...

Aug 30, 2014permalink

falconeyes:

Indeed.

However Zeiss may feel the need to make this still hypothetical Otus 85mm f/1.4, since there's already a very good normal Zeiss 85 1.4.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Disagree. The Zeiss Zeiss Compact Prime CP.2 50 / T2.1 and 85 / T2.1 are the same price. I'm guessing +/- $500 for otuses of different complexities/focal lengths. Basically this is a ridiculous discussion. The current Otus is THE reference lens out there and coupled to a 5DIII or D810, costs less the same as an S lens without a the camera body. I'm just rooting for Otus to succeed and I'm sure it'll be optically superior, since it's a medium format image circle on a 35mm sensor.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

Ron A 19:

And the Zeiss f/1.4 50mm costs a good bit less than the 85mm f/1.4 Zeiss.

That Zeiss f/2.0 50 is a macro lens, probably a bit sharper than the f/1.4 50 too.

The point:

Any Zeiss 85-90 Otus, if it be f/1.4, is not going to cost just $4500, and it remains manual focus and big and heavy.

The new Leica M f/2.0 50mm ($8300 in 2014) is optically better than the 55mm Otus. Just saying that's the reference, if you're going to go comparing across systems.

I'm sure that if Zeiss releases an 85mm Otus the results will be optically excellent. Just as I'm sure that the results from this 90mm S lens will be excellent.

Remember: The Leica S2 body is smaller than a D4 or 1DX.

Aug 31, 2014permalink

woot!
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-new-zeiss-otus-85mm-pcis-and-design-info-its-going-to-be-the-best-ff-lens-of-the-world/#disqus_thread

Sep 6, 2014permalink

Ron A 19:

Well, I looked at the link and didn't see anything about price, and just assertions about "best".

I generally think it's not a good idea to say something is the "best" based on designs, that are in fact only rumors. (And that best claim is only in the comments.)

I'm sure it's very good, if it exists, just as I'm sure that this Leica is excellent. I'm also sure that the Leica is built for a bigger sensor than the Otus and that the Leica S lens has AF.

The fact remains that the Leica S body is smaller than a D4S. And we still don't even know the rumored price of the Zeiss Otus 85 1.4.

Sep 6, 2014permalink

Bazaam! Called it:
http://diglloyd.com/blog/2014/20140908_1032-ZeissOtus85f1_4APOPlanar-portraits.html

"the Otus 85/1.4 delivers a transparency that rivals or beats everything I’ve tried and not in any single way—every way. Including medium format Leica S, and the best Pentax medium format lens, the 90/2.8 macro."

Sep 9, 2014permalink

Ron A 19:

So? Diglloyd isn't commenting on the S 100mm f/2.0.

I'm not at all surprised this new Zeiss is better than a Pentax MF, unlike Leica, Pentax doesn't have access to some of the secrets that Leica, and Zeiss, do. (Clearly Samsung/Optron know some of these secrets too.) And Pentax MF lenses are plenty good, just not extraordinary.

I'll be real impressed if this Zeiss 85mm Otus optically bests the Leica M 50mm f/2.0 APO, since the 55mm Otus doesn't.

Sep 9, 2014*permalink

Who says the Leica M 50/2 beats the Zeiss Otus 55/1.4?

That would be a stupid comment as the Zeiss real strong point is it is tac-sharp at f/1.4 already, something the Leica obviously cannot claim. Moreover at f/2 and f/2.8 and with D800E, the Zeiss is pretty much sharper than anything measured to date. Nice bokeh too.

So again, what are you referring to?

Sep 9, 2014permalink

falconeyes,

Sharpness is far from the only way to judge the optical quality of a lens, and anyone who jumps immediately to sharpness as "the quality" definer of a lens really isn't engaging a lens.

As for who says, I do since I've tried both.

Right, I'd guess the Zeiss is indeed sharper wide open, the Zeiss is also a good bit less expensive and a much heavier.

To what am I referring, colour and light.

I've never been clear what "tac-sharp" means.

Sep 9, 2014permalink

That Leica Apo also is super susceptible to flare unlike the otus. Not so sure it's better at f2, and, as said above, no 1.4.

Sep 9, 2014permalink

Ron A 19:

When I tried the Leica I didn't see flare trouble, and I tried for that kind of thing.

I can try again in a couple of months.

Right the Leica is not as fast as the 55mm Otus. But the Noctilux is faster and has better colour than the 55 Otus, though the f/0.95 isn't as sharp wide open.

Sep 9, 2014permalink

http://blog.mingthein.com/2014/09/09/lens-review-zeiss-zf-2-1-4-85-otus-apo-planar/

Ming just posted a review of the 85mm - seems unparalleled.

Sep 9, 2014permalink

Ron,

Looks impressive, but that's never something I disputed about the 55 Otus.

Sep 9, 2014permalink

@HowaboutRAW, I believe Matt Granger recently said something about the Leica (in his 85 Otus youtube video?) and he seemed to like the Otus better.

Sep 10, 2014permalink

falconeyes:

Okay, that the Otus 55mm is more to someone's taste is certainly possible, and it takes some work to mount them on same body for direct comparison.

Sep 10, 2014permalink

pulsar123

It is not really equivalent to 85mm f1.2 on FF: the crop factor ratio between this "medium format" and FF is only 1.25, so 100mm f2.0 on a medium format is equivalent to 80mm f1.6. So it is not even f1.4.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

For purposes of light gathering, not depth of field, it is an f/2.0 FF equivalent lens.

Check the Leica sensor dimensions before stating that it must be 80mm in FF terms not 85mm. Leica does not use a Sony sensor in the S2. Same point about equivalent DoF claims. Nor is the very likely new S3 going to use a Sony sensor.

You may be correct, but then why would the announcement be so far off?

Aug 29, 2014permalink

NAwlins Contrarian

Pulsar123, exactly right. And anyone who thinks f/1.2 and f/1.6 are not that far apart doesn't know apertures--that's 5/6 of a stop. Personally I don't like those ultra-thin depth-of-field portraits (I usually stop down to about f/4 on APS-C!), but for those that do, this is no replacement for an 85mm f/1.2.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

duartix

Here we go... :O

Aug 29, 2014permalink

mosc

" light gathering" implies more than one pixel to me, don't know about you. Because of that, you might want to actually consider the sized bucket you have to gather those raindrops falling at f2.0 intensity. It's a pretty big bucket too being MF... except for the fact that f2.0 isn't really that fast by FF standards and 1.25 size ratio isn't that much larger than FF standards.

Or else go shoot f2.0 on your cell phone and leave photography to those with basic understanding of physics.

Aug 29, 2014permalink

mosc,

Right bigger pixels gather more light, but pixels size depends on things like pixel density. Then right now the S2 has a CCD sensor, so once you start talking about the sensor, other issues come into play.

So the light gathering point stands.

Aug 29, 2014permalink