The Leica Thambar-M 90mm F2.2 may make you fall in love with vintage optics all over again
Can any vintage or ‘legendary’ camera brands, products, or services of the past who are interested in being revived for modern photographers please raise their hands? We need to get a head count because it seems 2017 is the year of the revival in the photography world and that trend continues here today with Leica’s announcement of their ‘new’ Thambar-M 90mm F2.2. Continue reading…
For work I shoot commercial and fashion photography and really, it is so fucking boring. So in my own time I just love to photograph humanity. I want to turn the mundane into something beautiful. I think this helps me cope with life, making the ordinary extraordinary. I have a Leica Q and like to take my camera out when I walk my dog every day. At school I wanted to paint photos realistically but I was crap, so I figured I could just take photos instead. I really enjoyed it and got a rush from the results and I just never stopped.
We have previously reported on Russian camera maker Zenit and their return to the market, as well as their rumored mirrorless camera projects. The company made waves when it was revealed that they were working on a full frame mirrorless system, raising eyebrows because to this point Sony remains the only player in that game besides Leica. Well, now we are getting new reports that this upcoming Zenit D1 mirrorless camera could be nothing more than the repackaged and repurposed guts of a Leica M9. A move that would be very interesting considering the history of other attempted rebrands.
Screenshot taken from the Tamarkin Rare Camera Auction catalog
The Leica CL is arguably one of the most popular Leica cameras due to its affordability, so the film geeks in the audience are going to truly appreciate this Leica CL Dealer Poster available at the Tamarkin Rare Camera Auction coming this November. The auction is famous for finding and selling some of the coolest stuff to the highest bidders. I’ve seen some extremely rare Leica pieces auctioned off there and in November this year, they’re auctioning off this and a few other really cool pieces from Zeiss, Leitz, and so much more.
Compact film cameras are a great thing for any photographer to be able to throw in their bag. More often than not, they’re more durable than digital cameras and they use good old film–which is bound to give you great results you cannot get with digital if you’re doing it right. Believe it or not, there are professional photographers who today still use some film cameras in order to get a different look from what everyone else is doing out there. The results are often fantastic and even the likes of VICE have done projects where they’ve given disposable cameras to photographers for special situations. Indeed, these cameras are still very good and if a professional photographer can create great results with them, there is no reason why you can’t.
Feature Image Screengrab from Video. Credit to Fotodiox Pro
It is no secret that one of the best advantages of mirrorless over traditional DSLR systems is the ease of adapting various lenses to your camera. You can use really old vintages lenses for a unique look and feel with ease, but the one thing you always give up when you use these old lenses is Auto Focus – but Fotodiox Pro doesn’t want that to be the case anymore (at least on Sony mirrorless) thanks to their new PRONTO lens adapter. Continue reading…
All images “Photo (c) Lars Netopil Classic Cameras, Wetzlar“ Used with permission.
The story of the Leica H is a rather unfortunate one that in many ways, makes me question how it would have affected the camera manufacturing industry. Imagine being so committed to a creation of yours: treating it almost like a special part of you only to know that while the idea is pretty fantastic, it just won’t make it into the world because of problems that are completely out of your control. You’d be destroyed–and that’s exactly how Adam Wagner felt when he learned that Leica would essentially be crushing his dreams. Many photographers and resellers can speak with great detail about the history of the R series, the M series and even the company’s other cameras like their film point and shoots. But as I discovered in over two years of research, not much is really known about the Leica H.
All images and text by Emily Garthwaite. Used with permission.
I wanted to share with you a series from Yayu Wildforest in Ethiopia that I produced in collaboration with Union Roasted coffee, Kew Gardens and the Darwin Trust. As one of the last remaining mountain forest fragments of Arabica coffee (the origin for the world’s most popular coffee), the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere in Ethiopia is vital for its preservation and conservation. To prevent further damage to the forest or loss of coffee species, the local communities need to have other sustainable livelihood options.
