Today, Leica announced the latest update to their point-and-shoot line of cameras with the D-LUX 5 and V-LUX 2. The former replaces the highly praised D-LUX 4 camera that we loved here on the blog.
Leica announced today that their S-system is getting its own Facebook page. I was able to get some hands-on time with the S2 and actually was really impressed with it. In addition to offering fans the opportunity to register for S-System demos, the page specifically highlights news, tips and features of the S-System, a completely new digital camera concept that meets supreme professional photography requirements.
This makes me wonder if we should be expecting a special edition of the S2 during Photokina.
The Fujifilm X100 is the rave of the photo world right now. It appears as if Fujifilm might have gotten it right the first time with loads of photographers. However, reports are saying that it will cost $1,500-$1,700; which many photographers will not be happy to pay.
Let us know your thoughts. We talked about mirrorless cameras yesterday, do you think this is a game changer? That viewfinder sure as hell is.
Edit: The camera will cost approximately $1,000 and be released in March 2011.
To test the close-up abilities of the Panasonic G2
The Samsung NX100 is the latest mirrorless camera in the line and it doesn’t seem to disappoint in some areas. For every photographer that has wanted a Leica-like body, this is perhaps the camera that you’d want to get your hands on. That said, it is also the largest mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses that I’ve ever held (the exception being Leica M bodies.) However, one can easily see themselves slinging it across their shoulder or body as well as being pleased with what it can do.
Continue reading…
If you’ve been paying attention to photo news for the past couple of days, you may have read about Leica’s special edition of the X1 featuring ostrich skin. The company is known to do very high-class and fashionable modifications to their cameras every so often and raise the price. Granted, they are collectors items, and in this case the rare X1 will go for $2,400. I contacted PETA to ask them about what they had to say about the cameras, here is their response.
Edit: Leica has since stated that they do not use Ostrich Leather in the manufacturing of the camera.
So for the next two weeks, I will be simultaneously reviewing, working on a personal project and shooting with:
The Leica M7
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Lens
Kodak BW 400 CN film
M Classics bag (Compact bag, not the M shown on the site)
All products except the film will be reviewed. I’m not going to say much about the personal project, just that it involves me as a Blind Photographer and that a couple of co-workers, Leica and the owner of M Classics Seth Levine know about it. Seth was kind enough to loan me this bag for the gig. It’s a really, really gorgeous bag that can even hold my Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM Lens
A friend linked me to an article that dating site OKCupid has on their blog about how photography can make you more or less attractive. According to them:
– Panasonic/Micro Four Thirds cameras make their users look the best. Second being Leica.
– Interchangeable lens cameras make users more attractive.
– iPhone users have more sex (which makes sense because of Facetime)
– Android users like me have the least sex (no comment)
The posting goes on to talk about things like Bokeh, flash, and the times of day to take your photo. Bokeh does tend to mesmerize people when they look at the photos and flash (well, lighting in general) needs to be used to the best effects.
What do you think makes people be perceived as attractive in photos? Admittedly, a pretty girl holding a Nikon DSLR, Micro Four Thirds and Leica is attractive to me. Those myspace shots and the duck lips, not so hot.
Recently, myself and Geek.com editor Sal Cangeloso were invited to the Leica Boutique opening at Willoughbee’s in NYC. There I got to have hands-on time with the S2, but this time with a flash and a 75mm lens attached to it. Additionally, the new 35mm F1.4 lens was fondled on the M9.
The Canon PowerShot G11
Remember that event I shot with the Leica M9 and 35mm F2.5 Summarit and then how I stated that it was easiest for me to just convert the files to black and white because of the high ISO? Well I was bored one night and felt like editing some photos in Lightroom 3 Beta to hone my editing skills. The files from that event were chosen and edited. Originally, I had stated that the M9 files are not as versatile as the Canon 5D Mk II‘s. While that statement still stands, the files are versatile enough to the point where some editing was able to save them to be published in color. The gallery and findings are after the jump.
There are a couple of cameras that the G11 is in very tight competition with. Two of those are the Panasonic LX-3/Leica D-LUX 4, the Olympus EPL-1. After spending large amounts of time with each of those cameras, certain conclusions can be drawn about which one is, “the best.”
The review of the Leica M9 and 35mm F2.5 Summarit are now complete. Overall, this camera is recommended and is really quite good. Leica’s years of working with the M series have really boiled down to what is essentially a near-perfect rangefinder. More after the jump.
Continue reading…
In celebration of 2D-x‘s one year anniversary, we partied with a couple of other journalists from other websites. The Leica M9 was there to capture what happened as was the Canon 5D Mk II. High ISO abilities were used and tested. In summary, while the images weren’t as great as the 5D Mk II’s, the M9 still did produce very usable images when converted to black and white.
Continue reading…
As a Blind Photographer, I’ve found that shooting with a Leica M9 rangefinder allows me to shoot without my glasses. Why is this amazing? Because I’m almost legally blind. The only other cameras that can really allow for these abilities are the Micro Four Thirds cameras, but because of this it is essential that readers understand how a rangefinder focuses and works.
As the field review of the Leica M9 continues, I’ve been running into a couple of more problems with the camera in terms of image capturing abilities. In contrast though, the camera has performed in a stellar fashion and for the first time in a while my neck and shoulders do not hurt me after a day of shooting.
Continue reading…
Shooting candid photos with a rangefinder can be very tough—especially if your subject is moving around a lot. Granted, they were meant to do this and using one teaches you to think out of the box in terms of composition and to get your shot in differnt ways. This posting was written on Mother’s Day and the photos in this posting were all shot on Mother’s Day as well when my mother was opening up her gift. While the Leica M9 still takes fantastic photos when coupled with the 35mm F2.5 Summarit, it still can be tedious.
I’ve run into some peaves while shooting with the M9. Some are minor, some are things that should have been in the camera in the first place. But overall, it is still holding on very strong. Some casual neighborhood shooting was done with the M9 and 35mm F2.5 Summarit recently. Here are some findings and analysis of both the camera and the images.
The Leica M9 field review continues with showing off some initial images from the camera along with some extra findings. All images were shot at ISO 400 and in total manual mode with the 35mm F2.5 Summarit. Findings are after the jump.
At long last, I finally have gotten my hands on the Leica M9 for review. In addition to this, the nice folks over at the company have loaned the 35mm F2.5 Summarit to me as well. Here are the initial reactions to the camera as well as first impressions.
Continue reading…
Upon a recent visit to the offices of Leica’s PR company in NYC, I was able to play with the Leica V-LUX 20 for a little while. Not long ago, a small review was completed based upon the Panasonic ZS-7, the camera that it is based off of. However, it also warned readers that at the time of writing it, I had not actually seen the V-LUX 20. So without further adieu, here is the preview.