(Credit:
T-shirt pictures from CafePress and main logo by Jarle Aasland)
The Leica M9 is possibly the most expensive 35mm full-frame camera on the market today with a hefty price tag of $8,183.39. But that hasn't stopped me from dreaming of owning one, though I'm pretty sure it'll remain just a dream for a long time to come.
Jarle Aasland really wants one of these.
(Credit: Leica)Photographer Jarle Aasland wants the M9, too, but he's not simply sitting down and thinking about it like me. This shutterbug's set up a Web site called Leicadream to explain his cause and sell T-shirts to fund his fantasy camera. Each casual top costs between $22.49 and $35.99, and is available in both men's and women's cuts.
Much as I would like to help Aasland get the M9, I think I'd rather save the money that would go toward buying a T-shirt and put it in my piggybank labeled "Future Leica."
(Source: Crave Asia via PDNPulse)
Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm F2.8 ASPH Mega O.I.S.
(Credit: Panasonic)The Micro Four Thirds universe gained two quality, fast-aperture, prime focal-length lenses Tuesday that go along with the new Lumix GF1 camera and its retro rangefinder styling cues: the Lumix G 20mm f1.7 ASPH and the Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8 ASPH Mega O.I.S. As with the GF1 itself, they are a reminder of times when compact rangefinders with fast prime lenses ruled--and they're lenses photo purists will love.
Being in the Micro Four Thirds format, the Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8 ASPH Mega O.I.S. is compact, at 2.46 inches in length and only 7.9 ounces.
It has a 35mm equivalent of 90mm, effectively making it a fast f2.8 90mm macro lens with full, life-size reproduction ability and a 6-inch closest focusing distance. There is a two-position focus limiter switch on the barrel for controlling the range of focus. The lens features a stepping motor in the auto focus drive system for smooth, silent AF operation while recording video.
... Read more
Ned Bunnell's D-Lux 4 and his Leica rangefinder.
(Credit: Ned Bunnell)Most imaging companies' employees probably wouldn't be caught dead using their competitors' products, but it seems Ned Bunnell, president of Pentax Imaging (USA), thinks otherwise.
On his personal blog, he wrote about how impressed he was with the Leica D-Lux 4 (equivalent to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3), and gave a short, positive review of this shooter. Bunnell commented that the "lens is sharp and distortion seems to be very well controlled."
His affection for a competitor's shooter garnered some pretty interesting comments from readers. Some people are baffled as to why the president of Pentax would be raving about Leica's products when he should be more focused on his company's direction. However, some Netizens think Bunnell is doing an excellent job by looking at the current market and trying to improve on it with future Pentax cameras.
... Read moreWi-Fi paint? Bust warmer? Face slimming mask? Bandai telling women how to understand men? Why, that's just crazy talk! The Gadgettes are back in the saddle again, and this time, they ain't going anywhere anytime soon.
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EPISODE 122 |
Made-in-Japan Wi-Fi blocking paint
British Airways to allow in-flight texting
Computer newbs kick QWERTY to the curb
Thanko’s new plug-in bust warmer… whatever next?
Bandai helps women understand men
Japanese face slimmer will definitely not work as advertised
... Read more
The Safari Leica M8 with matching case and 28mm F2.8 Summicron.
(Credit: foto-konijnenberg.nl)Leica has a reputation for making some of the world's finest cameras and lenses, as well as some of the most expensive shooters. Even now, its film-based rangefinder snapper, the M6, still costs approximately $1,500.
The German company's only digital rangefinder, the M8, has been given a makeover and a new price tag. The normal black or silver version of the M8 costs $6,500, but the luxury green iteration is going to set you back $10,000. With the ongoing recession, it's hard to see just who would splurge on such a premium camera.
However, collectors should rejoice at the package: It comes with a matching canvas/leather carrying case and 28mm F2.8 Summicron lens. But for most of us commoners, this shooter is way out of our league.
(Source: Crave Asia)
Leica didn't provide any pictures of the limited edition D-Lux 4, but it isn't hard to imagine the normal version in a silver-gray tone.
Famed camera and optics maker Leica has announced that it will launch a limited-edition version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 equivalent, the D-Lux 4, in January.
The collector's item will have a limited run of 10,000 and come in a silver-gray finish, instead of the usual black. But what makes it more exclusive would be its matching leather case, which its press release says will be in the same hue as the shooter.
At an earlier press event, Leica told us the retail price for the normal D-Lux 4 is $635.75, which is approximately $133.84 more than the Lumix DMC-LX3. It wasn't stated how much the limited-edition D-Lux 4 will set you back, but we are sure it won't be cheap. There are rumblings on the Web saying this premium version will sell for $1,400, which is pretty steep for a point-and-shoot.
Would you pay that much for a collector's item? Share your thoughts with us below.
Leica has released a firmware update to its M8 digital rangefinder camera. The firmware update, version 2.002, for both the M8 and M8.2, adds several improvements and corrections. New profiles have been added for the 6-bit coding for several new lenses, the 21mm f1.4, the 24mm f1.4, and the 24mm f3.8. It fixes the display of image numbering, the display of the fastest sync speed in the menu, and eliminated black frames that may have occurred in the Discreet mode. Also when Auto-ISO is used along with lens dependent setting of the slowest shutter speed, the camera will switch to the higher ISO when the shutter speed corresponding to 1/focal length is reached. For more details see Leica's support page.
We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the manufacturer's Web site. Before installing any firmware upgrade, always take the time to read through all of the documentation and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
(Credit:
Leica)
(Credit:
Leica)
Leica has announced a new medium-format DSLR camera and lens system, the Leica S2. The S2 uses Kodak's 37.5MP CCD sensor with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The sensor measures 30x45mm--56 percent larger than a 35mm full-frame sensor, which measures 27x36mm, and smaller than the 36x48mm sensor found in some other medium-format digital backs.
The S2's body is dust and moisture sealed, with Leica's new S-system bayonet lens mount, for the new line of S series lenses. The new line of lenses will feature metal construction and weatherproofing. The S2 body will have a focal-plane shutter and certain lenses will have integrated leaf shutters to allow for the faster flash-sync speeds.
Leica has not announced pricing or availability at this time, although it has been suggested that it will sell for around $30,000.
(Credit:
Leica)
In collaboration with Leica, auction house WestLicht Photographica is looking to fetch $46,600 for a first-series production Leica M8 digital rangefinder. While it is not clear if this camera was the very first unit assembled in its maiden year of 2006, it has the serial number 3100000.
Hardcore fans of the German company are going to have a field day trying to outbid each other in a furious war on June 7 in Vienna to lay their hands on this ultra-exclusive camera. The prize will come in the original M8 box with a certificate of authenticity signed by Leica's CEO, Andreas Kaufmann.
The proceeds from the auction of this shooter will help fund the journalists organization, Reporters Without Borders. The funding will help journalists craft their stories and, where needed, support their families.
Not that we aren't supportive of press freedom (after all, we're on the same side), but we think the money could be put to better use elsewhere, such as quake-torn Sichuan, China, or cyclone-struck Myanmar where natural disasters have already claimed thousands of lives.
(Source: Crave Asia)
The Leica M8, the company's first digital rangefinder camera, costs $5,500 without a lens.
(Credit: Leica)Leica Camera, the German manufacturer of high-prestige but high-price photography equipment, has replaced its top executive, Steven Lee.
"The supervisory board of Leica Camera AG today removed Steven K. Lee as member and chairman of the board of management of Leica Camera AG with immediate effect," the company said in a brief statement Friday.
The board also named Andreas Kaufmann to be chairman of Leica Camera's board of management until February 28, 2009. He and Andreas Lobejaeger will lead the company jointly, the company said.
Leica was an influential brand in the 20th century, pioneering the use of 35mm film and supplying cameras to notable figures such as Henri Cartier-Bresson. However, the company has had some missteps making the transition from film to digital photography.
Leica has a cultlike following for its equipment, and the company sets prices accordingly. The M8, its first digital member of its decades-old M family, costs about $5,500 with no lens. And though its core components are upgradable, the price tag for a new shutter and LCD cover upgrade announced recently is $1,775--about the price of an entire Nikon D300 SLR.
According to a Leica representative quoted in Amateur Photographer, one of Kaufmann's first priorities will be to "review all options for the M system's future."
In an interview earlier this month with Amateur Photographer, Lee hinted that Leica is working on an M8 upgrade that would give it a full-frame image sensor, which is the size of a 35mm film image. Leica's M8 today, as well as most entry-level and midrange SLRs, use sensors about two thirds that size.
(Via 1001 Noisy Cameras.)
