Leica

  • Leica Q3 43 with its distinctive yet subtle grey leather cover.
    Leica,  News,  Reviews

    Leica Q3 43 review

    Leica’s Q3 43 builds on the success of the Q-series, adding a new 43mm F2 Apo lens to the 60 MP CMOS of the regular Leica Q3. Kevin Carter takes a look. With Canon and Nikon concentrating on niche genres like sports and action or the ‘content creator’, it’s hardly surprising when something like the Leica Q3 arrives to fill the void. And now it has been joined by the Leica Q3 43. While expensive, with better resale prices than rival makes when the time comes to upgrade, it is perhaps the most economical way into the Leica system. Small, light and discreet, the Leica Q3 43 shares the ergonomics…

  • Leica Q3 front on
    Leica,  News,  Reviews

    Leica Q3 review: the quintessential Leica

    Leica’s Q series is the company’s best-selling digital camera to date and it’s not all that difficult to see why. Kevin Carter looks at the latest iteration, the Leica Q3 Small, light and unobtrusive the Leica Q embodies all that’s attractive of the Leica M with added the benefit of a Kabe-designed Leica autofocus 28mm F1.7 lens. This is the closest we have to an autofocus M series camera, and unless you’re adept at using one of those you’ll be more successful shooting at the initial aperture or close to it and far more discrete using a Leica Q. What’s more, the latest iteration the Leica Q3 is the fastest…

    Comments Off on Leica Q3 review: the quintessential Leica
  • Leica M11 Monochrom with the new redesigned Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 CF 2023 lens
    Cameras,  Leica,  News

    Leica M11 Monochrom Review

    Why Black & White? Photographing in Black & White or mono or greyscale or whatever you want to call it requires you to think differently than when photographing in colour. With a film camera, you can switch to B&W from colour and vice versa ad infinitum: the operation remains unchanged allowing you to become accustomed to the camera and ‘see’ either in light and shadows or in colour. In that respect, a modern digital colour camera echoes its predecessor, allowing you to choose between B&W and colour at will. However, a dedicated B&W camera like the Leica M11 Monochrom doesn’t; you’re forced to think in terms of light and shadows…

  • Leica M11 black with 35mm APO
    Leica,  News,  Reviews

    Leica M11 review

    Leica M11 – what came before? The Leica M11 is the successor to the Leica M10, indeed to the uninitiated it looks practically identical. This is just as well as the Leica M10 was in effect a refinement of the Leica M (Typ 240), particularly with the larger, more durable rangefinder, more logical button layout, and improved menu operation. However, while there were some slight gains in noise and DR the M10 sensor’s similar pixel count likely hindered sales. Still, it wasn’t until the introduction of the M10-R some 18 months or so ago that we saw the real successor to the Leica M (Typ 240) models. As good as…

  • Leica,  Reviews

    From the past: Leica M9 review

    [The following is a review I was commissioned to write for HotShoe magazine back in late 2009 when the Leica M9 had just been released. I’ve republished it here in its entirety, with thanks to Leica UK for the loan of the M9.] Hot Gear Review Leica M9 Photography is a nostalgic and evocative experience, and there are few cameras that encapsulate that as well as a Leica. And, none more so than a Leica M. The switch to digital from the all-electronic M7 wasn’t seamless, or without detractors. As well as a few minor shortcomings, the APS-H format, 10-megapixel M8 rangefinder was widely criticised for its sensitivity to UV…

  • Leica M/M-P 'Protector' half case front
    Leica,  News,  Reviews

    Leica M/M-P Protector half-case review

    Leica M/M-P ‘Protector’  half case review I’m not one for cases or half cases; working cameras are just that, they’re not pampered, and I’m not really one for straps either as they’re a problem when working with tripods. That said, I did once have a black ‘ever-ready’ type some thirty years ago for a black Nikon F2AS that was constantly with me (and one of my favourite cameras, ever*). I discarded the detachable front and used it as a half case, as it provided a secure grip and a lot of protection. And yes, that camera had a strap, one of the superb, thin Nikon black and yellow nylon woven…

    Comments Off on Leica M/M-P Protector half-case review
  • Leica camera on aa white background.
    Leica,  News

    Leica announces the Leica SL2-S

    Leica has announced the latest version of the Leica SL2, the SL2-S. The new model, which adopts the familiar body of the original SL2, launched late last year, features a newly developed 24 Mp BSI-CMOS sensor for improved low-light performance, and likely higher dynamic range – though we’ll have to wait to see. According to the specs provided by Leica, the SL2-S can capture both 4K DCI and UHD footage from the full width of the sensor, oversampled from 6K. Here’s a summary of the new features, from Leica: High-quality sensor The core element of the Leica SL2-S is the newly developed BSI-CMOS image sensor with a resolution of 24…

  • Leica Q2 Monochrom
    Leica,  News

    Leica Q2 Monochrom officially announced

    Leica has introduced a monochrome version of the popular Leica Q/Q2 compacts. Like those models, it features a 28mm f1.7 Summilux lens and full-frame sensor, only the new model sports a 47MP CMOS sans Bayer filter. The main benefit here over the 40MP Leica M Monochrom, besides the slightly higher pixel count, is the Q2 Monochrom’s autofocus and built-in EVF. The latter allows the user to not only view in B&W of course but more importantly to compose in B&W. While you can do that with the M Monochrom you would have to use the optional Visoflex or compose via the camera’s rear LCD. Both options are less compelling solutions to…

    Comments Off on Leica Q2 Monochrom officially announced
  • Leica M10-R with 50mm APO attached
    Camera Database,  Cameras,  Leica,  News

    Leica M10-R Specifications

    Leica Camera has announced a new, high-resolution version of the Leica M10 rangefinder, called the M10-R. The new model, which adopts the familiar body and layout of the original Leica M-10 adopts a new full-frame 40.89MP RGB CMOS sensor sans AA filter and a native ISO 100-50,000 sensitivity. Besides an increase in resolution, Leica also claims a wider dynamic range over the 24MP CMOS sensor in the original M10 series, said to be up to 13.5 stops. Another benefit of the new sensor is lower noise at high ISOs apparently, with even less colour noise at ISO6400 than the current M10. According to a Leica spokesperson, the ‘unique’ full-frame sensor…

  • Leica M10-R with 50mm APO attached
    Leica,  News

    Leica announces the Leica M10-R

      Leica Camera has announced a new, high-resolution version of the Leica M10 rangefinder, called the M10-R. The new higher-resolution sensor has been added to the range to accommodate the demands of professionals and ADs requiring the extra flexibility of larger image dimensions during post-production. The new M10-R model, which adopts the familiar body and layout of the original Leica M-10 adopts a new full-frame 40.89MP RGB CMOS sensor sans AA filter and a native ISO 100-50,000 sensitivity. Besides an increase in resolution, Leica also claims a wider dynamic range over the 24MP CMOS sensor in the original M10 series, said to be up to 13.5 stops. Another benefit of…