Tim Ashley does it again. I’m pleased that one of the best camera gear hands-on reviewers (who’s a multi-system user!) reviews Leica’s latest digital M baby — and kindly allows THEME to republish it. If you know Tim, you know that you’re about to read some of the most balanced, thought-out, objective gear review written […]
By Chee Peng Yap Allow me to contribute my two cents worth on thoughts on M 240 after fiddling my M for two weeks since February 28, 2013*. Firstly, I gotten familar with it almost instantly after previous experiences of handling the M8 and M9. The first thing that impressed me is the much usable […]
Looks like February 22, 2013, is the day the Leica M Typ 240 embargo ended. We’re pampered with three excellent introductory reviews by versed photographers Sean Read, Jonathan Slack and Ming Thein. They’re all must read, and all three take different approaches. Reid’s review — subscription only — is very detailed, Jono’s written from a […]
Good things take time! Further and higher quality Leica M Typ 240 full resolution DNG and JPEG sample images are safely stored on a hard drive, but I’m not yet able to publish them. Appreciate your understanding. Rest assured, things are looking good — and meanwhile Jono Slack publishes the first official sample gallery! Enjoy. […]
The Leica M Typ 240 is in full production. Just a little more patience, Leica’s about to update the eagerly awaited hardware with the finalized firmware. Right now, Leica is still receiving feedback from beta testers. But not too long and this latest generation M with live view, video and many other bold features is […]
While the other traditional camera maker Hasselblad infuriates its last loyal customers with a luxurized NEX-7 hardly anyone understands, Leica seems to feel the pulse of what the market wants. After the highly successful M9, world’s smallest compact full-frame rangefinder camera, Leica achieves the feat to further develop the digital M line without renouncing what […]
Asian love for Leica gear continues unabated. A Hong Kong businessman paid the equivalent of nearly 667,000 US-dollars for a golden Leica special edition at a recent auction in Bangkok, Thailand. For another green version of the special edition combo the businessman forked out further 133’000 dollars, for the total sum of 30 million Thai […]
By JAAP VLEESKRUIJER A smaller camera is less luggage, but will it take lesser photographs? On the road with the Leica CL and Panasonic GX8. Originally I intended this article to be a somewhat technical one, with specifications, IQ comparisons, etc., but when I started processing and printing my images I started to realize that […]
Hipsters beware, you’ll soon be able to call a Leica smartphone your own. Or at least a Huawei smartphone fitted with Leica camera and optical technology. Or a Huawei phone with a red dot. The two are teaming up. It also didn’t escape Leica that smartphone sales eat into the boutique luxury segment the venerable […]
“Perfect understatement,” “perfectly understated” — do these marketing terms ring a bell? Leica M, right. The German boutique camera maker just announced the Leica M-A, a purely mechanical camera reduced to the essentials of photography with no monitor, no exposure meter, no battery. Alright, we have to bear with marketing phrases such as “the Leica […]
Specs aside — it’s a “typical” Leica with relatively noisy upper ISO levels and unsurprisingly moderate AF speed — the new Leica T is quite a stunner. Well the ISO and AF judgment I got from people who shot preproduction models, so it can only get better. But as with any Leica, you don’t buy […]
Interesting insights from the Washington Post: why Leica decided to leave its popular R series behind. R lenses could be used on almost any SLR camera. In the end, we learn, it was a strategic decision about capabilities, about a method of winning, about a system in markets… BTW, one of the best all-rounder lenses […]
Gathered own sources, industry chatter and added common sense. Leica isn’t in an enviable position. The competition gathers pace. Leica’s grand strength continues to be its brand recognition and, above all, the optics. The famed Leica advantage however diminishes as the quality of cameras becomes more similar. For instance, I know from personal talks with […]
By BRIAN SWEENEY The Nikon Df brings to SLR’s what the Leica M-E and M Monochrom bring to rangefinders: a 21st century incarnation of classic camera controls into a full-frame digital camera. The Leica allows use of manual focus lenses going back over 80 years, rangefinder-coupled and in the 24x36mm format that they were designed. […]
Leica CEO Alfred Schopf tells THEME in an interview he’s not giving away anything. So don’t expect any breaking news or secret product insights. Nevertheless, we’re assured that Leica’s strategic expansion with the soon-to-be-opened Wetzlar manufacture “will certainly make it easier for us to translate innovations into products.” Next key event Leica is “particularly looking […]
Or virgin Leica? This one-of-a-kind variant of the M Typ 240 is a clinically clean design by and true to the style of Apple’s chief designer Jonathan Ive. Designed by Ive and Marc Newson, this purist Leica M will be given to the highest bidder this November in New York at Sotheby‘s “Jony and Marc’s […]
By DIERK TOPP My topic is sort of special and probably not for many readers, but it may be worth to think about using tilt-shift lenses on your Leica when shooting architecture. We’re not talking the miniaturization tilt-shift, but the serious architectural photography. Now, what are tilt-shift lenses? Wikipedia does a better job explaining it […]
Agnostic Lloyd Chambers — a respected authority on Leica and quality photography — might have hit the nail on the head the other day with his thoughts on Leica gear becoming neck jewelry. Well those are not his words in the short editorial Hit Rate and Image Quality and Reliability and Price, the Camera World […]
Over at Leica forums the article is named and shamed — mainly because Ken Rockwell (who at least has made a name for himself) is interviewed as a Leica authority. But leaving personal grudges aside, the New York Times article Leica Cameras Have Eye-Popping Prices, With Photos to Match is a good read — and […]
A Leica Mini M full-frame EVIL that is. As we know now, thanks to the Leica cock up teaser suggesting that a miniaturized Leica M will see the light of the day on June 11, 2013, Leica calls all its cameras an “M.” The M is a Leica M, the X2 is a Micro M, […]
The cat’s out of the bag and Leica really must put on a very special show on June 11, 2013, if they want their latest baby to succeed, the Mini M a.k.a Leica X Vario Typ 107. They better make it a low-key event. If you scroll through the various online sites and orums the […]
By BRIAN SWEENEY The revival of rangefinder photography in the 21st century has been guaranteed by the availability of the new generation of Leica digital cameras. The Epson RD-1 and Leica M8 opened the digital world to rangefinder enthusiasts. The M9 allowed use of 80 years of rangefinder lenses in the mode that they were […]
As pointed out by Leica Rumors, the Leica M Typ 240 image quality scores tested by DxOMark provide a welcome boost for the Leica M. The improvements over the retired M9 model are significant, but strictly technically speaking the M is still not playing in Nikon’s full-frame or the Sony RX1 league, says DxOMark’s Leica […]
These results have been around for a while, but maybe Leica photographers preferred to look the other way and DxOMark labs, commonly known for reliable sensor and lens tests, did not want to open a can of worms. In essence a repackaged DxOMark report on the Leica M9 sensor says Leica enthusiasts better be exited […]
I’m getting reports from readers and trusted sources in various parts of the world that the Leica M Typ 240 arrives in stores worldwide. That’s ahead of expected schedule! Well done Leica. Looks like February 28, 2013, is the official Leica M D-Day with Leica boutiques, stores and dealers around the globe receiving first batches […]
The 1/2013 issue of LFI (Leica Fotografie International) offers insights by the creators of the Leica M’s Max sensor and Maestro processor. The leading brains in the matter share their knowledge on how it all came about. Here are some excerpts from LFI 1/2013. For the full article order the magazine’s print issue. Leica developed […]
Lots has been written on THEME already about the upcoming Leica M Typ 240. Just a few weeks and first deliveries start. Time to secure your package. You can now preorder the Leica M from Amazon (black/silver), B&H (black/silver) or Adorama (black/silver). BTW, ordering the camera from Amazon qualifies for qualifies for 2% back in […]
This is the shortest post ever on THEME, but a great many of you are eagerly awaiting the first true real official Leica M (M240) JPEG and DNG sample images. Still too early and the few maverick samples available on the Net are of rather poor quality — which probably has more to do with […]
Got a chance the other day to play with a prototype Leica M. Yes, it’s not that difficult to be sold instantly. The M Typ 240 is just a different league, a whole new beast compared to its predecessors, albeit without breaking the strong past and tradition of the brand. Period. The M is snappier, […]
By MICHAEL EVANS Over the past couple of years there has been enormous interest in using manual focus lenses on the new technically advanced mirrorless cameras such as the Sony NEX–7 and Fujifilm X-Pro1. So when Fujifilm announced the new X-E1 at Photokina I was keen to see how it would handle with Leica glass. […]
