You May Have Been Fooled - At The New Leica M10 Launch

Last night at Camera Electronic's shop on Stirling Street he Leica company showed the newest of the M series cameras to an appreciative audience.

As is usual for these events, there was food and drink and cameras. Also industry representatives and a professional photographer who had been given a chance to use the new camera in the field. Several of he camera were in evidence...indeed one of the new M 10's has been in the shop for several weeks - you saw pictures of Saul unboxing it in this column a while ago.

There was a video presentation and I must commend the man from Leica for his use of the joys of mobile phone control - he commanded the whole procedure from his phone and it went flawlessly. It's a long long way from doing 35mm slides hows on the old hand-changg Pradovit that I own, and a lot better show.

But.

But if you were handling the new M10 during the evening - taking pictures and reviewing them on the rear LCD screen - you might have been fooled into thinking you were holding an old M2 or M3...Not that the M2 and M3 were all that good at taking digital photos. Oh, you could jump out of airplanes with them and go to Africa, Antartica, and 8000 weddings with them and they would never miss a beat - but they weren't good at digital photos...

So why would you think you were holding the older bodies? Because Leica has finally trimmed the front-to-back body dimension of the M10 to the same as the film cameras. And as a kindly little design exercise, they have put a neat lift-and-lock switch in the exact position that the old M2's and M3's had a rewind knob. It is almost like coming home to a familiar house.

It might be familar real estate, but prices have risen. As our professional photographer - and on-set stills shooter for major cinema productions - said, you are looking at about $ 10,000 for this model camera and lens. If you want the fancy Noctilux you can advance that price considerably. Of course, you will, as the gentleman pointed out, be advancing your low-light photography considerably too.  While you may not wish to rush into the 50,000 section of the ISO settings on a regular basis, his photos on the screen ceertainly proved that you can go to 6400 like strolling to the corner shop - free, easy, and with perfect confidence.

Apparently you can do it about 800 times on one battery charge, too, which is nice. Mind you, the old M2's and M3's never gave battery trouble either...

Note: the M10 has a camouflage cover available. You can just see it in this photo. The fact that it is only invisible in a Leica Boutique cabinet is neither here nor there. You might be photographing in the interior of a red-plush lined Victorian boudoir and it would disappear quite nicely. You have to be prepared for these things...

Get A Grip Week - Day Four - The Box Of Boxes - Leica

A note for Leica collectors: The colour of the cardboard box in the heading image has been artificially boosted toward the yellow end of the spectrum. There is no need to rush out and add another set of grey cardboard boxes to your current collection...it is not a new variant.

Well, inside the grey outer casing is a silver inner box:

And inside the silver inner box is a guarantee card, and instruction book, and a new address card - Leica have built a new factory:

And buried at the bottom of the box is a bottom of a Leica camera - a baseplate that has been designed with a grip attached - and a number of unique features:

Let's get the target sorted out first - this grip is intended for the Leica Typ 240 - The Leica M/MP.

It replaces the baseplate that normally covers the bottom of the camera - the big black wheel in the centre screws into the base of the camera body instead.

The grip has things not seen on lesser machines; a USB socket allows pictures to be transferred off to external storage devices and can allow camera control from a computer - there is a DC-in socket to draw power via an adapter - a synch socket allows external flash firing, and an SCA connection allows TTL interface with a suitable flash. It's a lockable socket too.

Good? Well, if the finish of the paint is any indication, perfect. Leica M's are a heavy camera and their metal-bodied lenses are also weighty. I should like the feeling of security that this grip would give with the high-speed lenses. But I'd still keep the neck strap on...despite the fashionable finger loop accessory that they also sell.

See the Leica M Handgrip Multifunction (Typ 240) on our online store here

M Magazine - Doesn't Melt In Your Hand

You may be forgiven for thinking that the M Magazine from Leica is just the old Leica Fotographie or Leica Fotographie International magazine in a larger size and with a black and white cover. It is similar, of course, but there are subtle differences inside. 

Fewer pictures of dark-skinned people on beaches in mid-day sun with the contrast turned up high so that they appear blacker. Fewer photos of Hong Kong streets with laundry strung between apartment buildings. Fewer dewy-eyed children around perfectly safe and non-military German Christmas trees.

You can still count on New York street pictures with either beggars or lunchtime crowds and there is generally a riot available somewhere that yields good value.

At least the price has been kept reasonable - $ 20 per issue. This one is the third in the current series and by the way the company is going there should be a lot more. 

I'm waiting for the issue with the ghost gum in the paddock, the white cockatoos, and the rusted 1937 Ford ute. Ya can't beat a classic...

Online Catalogue/magazine at cameraelectronic.com.au

Lighter Leica - M Lite?

I asked my colleagues this week to tell me things that I could turn into columns for this weblog. I don't think that I can necessarily use " Go Away " and " Stop Pestering Me " as inspirational material but I did come away with the thought that we should talk about the racing Leica. The stripped-down version. The PRU model that zips over the target, takes a picture, and is gone in a flash. Not seen, not heard.

Note for the newbies. PRU means Photo Reconnaissance Unit - the RAF used Spitfires and Mosquitos that had been specially prepared and painted - they went higher, faster, and farther than other fighter planes because they took out the guns and other heavy bits and polished and smoothed the external surfaces - they were painted a peculiar light blue to blend in with the sky. I shouldn't wonder if they didn't fly over Wetzlar at some stage of the game...

Well, Leica AG haven't painted their M-series camera light blue - or waxed the outside, for that matter -  but they have slimmed down the specification, reduced the weight, and quieted the camera body. All to make it one of the most discrete of Leicas. If you are in the business of discretion you may be interested. Discretely...

The next model up in the Leica range - the Typ 240 - has a certain level of shutter noise in single - shot mode. The Typ 262 has less noise.

The Type 240 features video and Live View mode - the Typ 262 eschews these. You just get to take pictures quietly.

The Typ 240 has a marvellous top cover milled from brass and chrome plated in silver or painted in black. The Typ 262 has a marvellous top cover milled from aluminium...less weight.

The Typ 262 concentrates the Leica experience into the essentials without adding complication - the menu is just two screen pages. Compare that to some of the electronic sagas dished out on the back screen of other maker's top cameras. Leica shooters will be pressing the button on the top of the camera a lot more than the buttons on the back - and this is really how it should be.

The end result will be more well-timed images with the Leica trademark of resolution and clarity. Some of them will be possible because it is a Leica and some of them will be possible because it is a quiet, discrete Leica...

Under Water With Leica

Thursday last was the nearest thing to a circus I can remember. It had the ringmaster, the clowns, the pretty girl in spangly tights, and the tightrope walker. There may have been elephants but I left before they passed out the brooms and buckets...

Never mind who the ringmaster was, or the pretty girl, or the elephants...the whole thing turned on the tightrope artist and his main trick; pouring water on a fully functional Leica camera. The tightrope part was doing it and having a job with Leica Australia next day We have been informed that he still has his lunch pail.

Obviously he knew that the trick was going to work - tipping a glass of water over a new Leica SL camera with a 24-90mm f2.8 lens - before he did it in front of the audience. I have seen evidence that he practised it earlier on...so it wasn't just a one-off stunt. This gives me a great deal of confidence in the weather sealing of the Leica SL camera but it does raise an interesting question...

Did he pour the water on it knowing that Leica had made a waterproof camera? Or did Leica make a waterproof camera knowing he was going to pour water on it? Is this man safe near other machinery?

Leaving this speculation aside, here's a marvellous thing that a visitor brought in on the night. It is also a waterproof Leica but a little more serious about it. it's a specialised housing made for an older screw-mount Leica. Pressure-cast aluminium, I should say, and looks to be a 50's or 60's job. There is a substantial O ring seal and dedicated gunsight.

I cannot tell you if the Photo Marine II has ever been used, but the owner has a lot of experience in marine work. We're also at a loss to explain the bottle green colour of the Leica inside the housing. It is very nearly attractive, though I doubt we will see it duplicated in the new SL range.

Note: the Leica SL we saw on Thursday is not a diving camera - it withstood a glass of water on the shop floor, but would not do so if put under water pressure. And we have no information as to whether it would withstand custard or soup.

The Lenses To Come...

The lenses to come have already come. You have a box of them stashed in your photographic locker right now...

The new Leica SL mirror less camera carries it's title from the German phrase "spiegel los" or "mirror-free". Which has caused me to puzzle about the naming of the old Leicaflex SL1 and 2 which definitely had mirrors in them. But be that as it may, there is still a connection - as there is with the Leica M and Leica S series of cameras - the lenses.

Last Thursday's showcase of the new Leica SL camera and the equally new 24-90mm f:2.8 zoom lens also featured the news that Leica will be making their own precision adaptors to allow older Leica lenses to work on the camera. M, series bayonets, R series lenses , SL series lenses, S series medium format lenses...all the way to the lenses currently fitted to the Leica T.

Essentially, if you own something that looks like glass and says Leica somewhere on it you can eventually clap it onto the SL. We're not guaranteeing that this will apply to binoculars and microscopes but by the same token they do stay up late in Wetzlar and who knows?

The glorious joy of this will be that lenses you may never have considered for closeup or other work - lenses that lived their lives on the front of rangefinders and had their raison d'etre in specialised fields can now join general purpose lenses...and you get to see the world on a magnificent EVF screen.

A case in point was seen on Thursday with Kristian Dowling and the new SL. He took the new 24-90 f:2.8 out into the street in the strange glare of the yellow street lights - and the red Leica sign on the side of the building - and took clean and clear portrait shots of the lovely model. Then he grabbed on of the 0.95 Noctilux lenses and adapted it to the camera - the night got brighter, the focus got easier, and the out of focus areas became soft and dreamy.

That new Leica SL is just waiting to meet your entire collection of Leica lenses. Do the polite thing and effect an introduction - there's a good fellow...

Wesentliche

Wesentliche.

Means the essential. The gist. To the point. The nitty gritty, if you will.

Leica as manufacturers have often had products that fitted this description. The first Leica A cameras - the Leica M cameras - and, dare we say it, the Leica reflex camera of the 1960's - the Leicaflex SL1. We might not have thought of it as wesentliche at the time but history has shown us different.

At the time of the SL1, Leica made magnificent rangefinder cameras and lenses - the M series system*. If you wanted the highest quality 35mm portable camera in the world, it was the Leica M. But the design of the M as a rangefinder meant that 135mm was about the limit in focal length that the camera body could swing in its basic form. You could add devices like a mirror box and pentaprism and end up with a film SLR - but you needed to operate a lot more things on it to get the best out of Leica 1800 and 240mm optics. This writer knows because he had just such a setup and taking pictures at an air show  with a pre-set lens and a manually cocked mirror meant my fingers were busier than Benny Goodman's...

Leica needed to help people who wanted to use long lenses and also those who wanted to work in the close-up sector - they introduced the Leicaflex - an SLR design that did in more precise form what other manufacturers were doing with their slrs. The advantage for the Leica user was the a performance of the lenses. the Leicaflex SL1 took on from the original Leicaflex and the whaole stage for the "R" series of cameras was set.

Some photo enthusiasts, Leica-loyal and otherwise, thought that the introduction of digital imaging would see a mirroring of the previous rangefinder/SLR production. Leica may have surprised them by stopping the SLR's for many years, and concentrating on their M series and the D-, V- and C- series cameras. A big SLR - medium format S came on the scene and became the goal of many high-end users.

Okay - where did the wesentliche go to? Was it still around? We think that it was, and Leica have waited until they can offer a camera that makes use of extremely sophisticated electronics and techniques to provide the essentials.

It looks like the development of the electronic viewfinder has now reached the point where it is actually preferable to the plain glass window. Score one for the new Leica SL. Then the business of auto focus has taken the place of purely manual and manual-assist systems. When it got really good - fast, accurate, and easily changeable - Leica felt they could incorporate it into their new camera. When the sensors got good the flapping mirror and the glass screen/prism idea could go - and it went. Less noise, less vibration, smaller housing, fewer places for insects to build a nest**.

Leica could finally build a camera into which the wesentliche could be poured - the Leica SL. Knowing them, they will also have their technicians and designers working to provide more of it in the new lenses that will be made for the camera...but more on the lenses in the next column.

* Note: They still do. Fancy a 35mm film Leica? Leica MP. You'll love it.

** The story of the infested Praktica does not belong in this column, but you'll eventually get to read about it...

A Tale Of Two Cities - And You're In One Of Them

This will be a far, far better thing than you have ever done before. And when you are done you can go to a far, far sweeter rest than you have ever known...

Actually, you are going to have a Dickens of a good time with one of the best Leica Photographers there is  - Thorsten Overgaard. Thorsten has selected Perth as one of only two Australian cities* for his next tour and seminar involving Leica photography.

Thorsten does this a lot and does it very well - he will be taking this tour of instruction to many countries in the world and to many large cities. Perth - and Camera Electronic - is darned lucky to have him here.

The day to set in your mind for Perth is Thursday the 10th of December 2015... but bear in mind this is not just a few hours - this is a four-day event. It'll be involving you totally until Sunday the 13th of December. And the involvement will make you a better and more visually aware photographer.

The first evening concentrates on Leica gear - and you'll be asked to bring your own cameras and lenses so that you and Thorsten can figure out which combination of equipment will give you the best chance of success.

 The second day is action - a photo walkabout with interactive help and advice about the coverage you are getting. We note that Thorsten's webpage with the details advises a good pair of comfortable shoes, so the walking may indeed be about...

Day three brings the images shot into the computer and details workflow and editing. You'll need to make sure your computer will work with Aperture or Lightroom to get full benefit.

And day four fills in the holes - gaps in your knowledge and vision that have become evident - and chance to know better and to make it better - and then have a final analysis of your results.

This level of commitment to you and dedication to your learning - remember the seminar is limited to 8-10 people so you very definitely are getting personal instruction - doesn't come cheap. No true learning does. The whole affair costs $ 2500 but if you go to Thorsten's website and make an Earlybird booking it comes down to $ 2000. In Leica terms that is not a surprise...

Here's the link

We're not suggesting that you should lose your head over this, but really these sort of things are quite revolutionary...

* Sydney is the other place - you'll like Perth better...

From Those Wonderful People...

Who brought you the M3 Leica.

They haven't stopped. Well, they haven't stopped making the M-series Leica cameras because there are a number of models of them in the shop right now, and an equally wonderful cabinet of lenses to go on them. Come down and buy a round dozen for the weekend...No, we're not talking about the M-series Leica rangefinder camera system.

We're talking about the new Typ 601 Leica SL camera - and the start of a new series of lenses for it. And also, surprisingly enough, the start of a lot of old series of lenses for it.

Okay - haven't seen one yet but here's a précis of 10 attractive points:

1. Its a mirror-less design with touch screen LCD and a very high-resolution eye-level finder built in.

2. Full frame sensor - 24 MP-CMOS.

3. No low-pass filter.

4. ISO 50-50,000.

5. Enough buffer to juggle 33 DNGs or 30 JPEGs and DNGs.

6. 4K video works inside plus smaller resolutions at a myriad for frame rates.

7. 2 card slots  for SD - one very fast indeed and one standard speed.

8. 4, 7, or 11 FPS on the continuos shooting mode.

9. Top LCD display with relevant shooting information.

10. Solid milled aluminium body.

As you are already at your computer reading this, you can rush over to D P Review and look at the images of the Typ 601 in their preview. There are also images of two of the lenses that will be made especially for this mount.

And here's the kicker. Leica realise that they have made a lot of other lenses in the past. Leica S, M, R, and T lenses come to mind, as well as the older screw-mounters. The T lenses will go onto the Leica SL straight away - Leica will make adapters to allow their other optics to be mounted on it. SO you are Leica all the way from early on to the future - you can participate in the current craze for a Hollywood movie series...

Leica have announced that the Typ 601 body will be on sale from the 19th of November 2015 together with the Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 f:2.8-4 ASPH.

Looks as thought there will also be a big 'ol 90-280 lens and a 50 1.4 prime coming in 2016. - so save up your pop bottles and cans for the recycling works and make sure that you put a little away in the piggy bank in anticipation. This will be a hot camera.

The Drones Club - Not Just For The Egg And Bean

If you are a reader of P.G. Wodehouse you'll recognise the reference. If it is all a mystery but you would like to know more about the art and business of using the UAV for photography - and the results that one expert has achieved - then we have a night for you.

A free night, as it happens. At Shoot Photography Workshops premises  - 232 Stirling Street, Perth. It will be held between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM on June 16th. Thats a week from today - next Tuesday.

You'll be seeing the photographer - Christopher Fulham and his talk will be entitled " The Edge Of Photography. It deals with the real frontiers of digital photo practice.

Cinema drones - the UAV - and iPhones - the HHN - will be topics of discussion. But more than that - Christopher will be speaking on a broad range of subjects all concerned with working and surviving in harsh natural and business climates. Art from the air with the video drone and how to put money in your pocket from any number of related sources.

There will be refreshments and warm drinks - to match a cold night. Places will be limited, so give us an RSVP through the Camera Electronic website's " Workshops " page.

Wide And Shallow - A New Leica Lens Is Announced

Leica Camera Australia Pty have just sent us news of a new Leica lens.

It is the Leica Summilux-M 28mm f:1.4 ASPH. Their press release says that it is the first Leica M lens to combine the f:1.4 aperture and 28mm focal length.

Their PDF goes on further to point out that this wide aperture will mean that the shallow depth of filed and softened background images that are generally seen in longer focal lengths will now be available for a wider view.

Indeed - the ten elements in this lens - including one group that floats behind he the diaphragm - should deliver a horizontal angle of view of 65º on the full frame Leica M and 51º on the M8 and M9. This is more than enough for architecture, interiors, or the safari landscape. 700mm close focusing distance - f:1.4-f:16.

It is to be supplied with an all-metal lens hood. We would also recommend that users invest in a Leica E49 filter to protect the front element.

The lens is, of course, made in Germany. We'll likely see them in June though the press release does not set an exact time or date.

Leica - Read It In Black And White

No, literally - read it - or at least look at the pictures. Leicas are good for pictures...

Humour aside, Leica have always produced a very interesting in-house magazine. LEICA FOTOGRAFIE magazine was the staple read of the Leica fan for decades - a dinky little small magazine that featured new Leitz products as advertisements from lots of ancillary suppliers that could be turned to service with the Leica system.

It was a little Teutonic in the language, but nowhere near as much as GROSSBILD - the in-house magazine of Linhof. There was a wealth of information buried in the presentations so it was worth reading well and then saving on the bookshelf.

Eventually it got physically bigger and turned into LFI magazine. More colour, different advertisers, newer photographers. The shooters still did much the same things - chase trouble around the world, go on holiday to Rügen, visit Hong Kong - but there were more artistic abstract photos added. Sometimes these drew a crusty response from Leica photographers of an earlier era - and LFI printed the complaints with what must have been an impish editorial grin...

Well, we are now well within the era of the new Leica M digital cameras of various types. And we have a new Leica in-house publication started to go with the new aesthetic of digital photography. The thing is big and thick, but fortunately costs only $ 16 per issue.
 M MAGAZINE is what you look for - we stock it here at the Leica Boutique Store - and you can get in on the ground floor as we have issue 1 right now.

Don't be put off by the fact that it is sealed in plastic,. I don't think there are rude pictures in there. Unlike dear old GROSSBILD...

New Leica Camera Announced - Monochrom Typ 246 - Read It In Black And White

 

Shoot it in black and white as well - the new camera from Leica is a Monochrome model. The new Leica Monochrom Typ 246 is coming, and quite soon.

Leica enthusiasts will remember some of the past evocations of the black and white camera - the Ur Leica, the Leica "0", and the previous digital M Monochrom amongst them. The world seen in black, white, and innumerable shades of grey - and seen very sharply.

The new Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 will have a number of improved features:

* 24 megapixel monochrome CMOS sensor
* 2 GB buffer memory and Leica Maestro processor
* Sapphire Crystal Glass as cover plate for the LCD screen
* Low noise p to ISO 25,000
* Live View and Focus Peaking
* 3" LCD monitor screen with 921,600 pixels
* High-quality full HD video function
* New filters ( yellow, green, and orange ) available in July

Of course you'll realise that the monochrome approach means that Leica have been able to remove the coloured filter that normally overlays the sensor surface - and as a result there are very much sharper images with detail contrast that far exceeds what can be done with colour photography.

The processor means that the camera captures sequences far faster than its predecessor.

There is a low-vibration shutter release to help with he pictures taken at extremes of ISO - again sharper shots.

The focus peaking circuit for the live view is particularly effective as it draws the edges of subjects as colour on the lcd set against the black and white. You can see precisely what your Leica lenses see and there is no sharper view of the world.

Happily, all the superb leather and other accessories that serve on the Leica M ( Typ 240 ) are also compatible so you can carry this camera in style.

Monochrome thinking and seeing is often said to be the purest form of photography. Perhaps you should let this colour your plans for your next Leica experience...

Full specs and purchase options here

See our friend Thorsten's post click here