Cameras
-
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…
-
Is the Canon EOS R3 sensor really 24MP?
With the Olympics underway in Tokyo we’ve started to see some images taken with the upcoming Canon EOS R3 (prototype or more likely a pre-production model), which isn’t really surprising as the camera has been in the hands of a few select photojournalists for a few months now. Equally unsurprising is that a few images from one photographer have been found with the camera EXIF data intact. While they could have deleted it quite easily, even with the pressured environment of the games, it’s unlikely a working photographer is going to remove it. More importantly, Canon would know that and know that people would try looking for it. A few…
-
More details of Canon’s EOS R3 revealed: BSI ‘stacked’ sensor for high-speed AF
Canon has released more details on the Canon EOS R3. While Canon hasn’t revealed the sensor’s pixel count the Canon EOS R3 will feature a new Canon ‘developed’ back illuminated stacked CMOS, giving a hike in AF performance. Curiously the information released in the PR and on the Canon Japan site [auto-translated] talks of a ‘Canon in-house developed’ sensor rather than a ‘Canon-made’ sensor, which lends credibility to the working theory that they’ve outsourced the chip. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a derivative of the 30MP CMOS sensor found in the Canon EOS R. They are however being tight-lipped about it, much like they were about the Canon R5,…
-
Images leak of the Canon EOS R3 showing fold out screen
Images have leaked of the Canon EOS R3 showing the front and, more importantly, the rear of the camera. If these images are genuine, the EOS R3 has a fully-articulated screen, and possibly a touch-sensitive AF-On button that can be used for focus point selection, like the EOS-1DX Mark III. Although I can’t be sure from this, it also looks as if the memory card door isn’t lockable, like the EOS-1D series. Built-in LAN looks like a possibility and a voice memo feature also seems to be part of the feature set. One further feature that’s apparent, besides the sharing of the EOS-1 battery, is the enormous viewfinder. Let’s hope…
-
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 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…
-
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 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…
-
Canon EOS R6 Specifications
Definitely the more intriguing (as in left field) of the two cameras released, this appears to be targeting (some) EOS-1DX Mark III users to transition over to mirrorless. For starters, it uses the same 20.1MP sensor or at least a related sensor – it has Dual Pixel CMOS AF II instead and can shoot continuously at up to 20 fps with Servo AF, or up to 12 fps using the mechanical shutter. It also has oversampled 4K/60p video using almost the full width of the sensor and 120 fps Full HD. Canon says the EOS R6 uses the same or similar sensor to the Canon EOS-1DX Mark III, and…
-
Canon EOS R5 Specifications
The Canon EOS R5 takes over as the flagship in the mirrorless EOS R lineup, but the specification is curiously biased towards video rather than stills. An AA filter means the 45MP resolution the resolving power will be affected, but we’ll have to wait for tests to see by just how much. It’s also rather expensive, being quite a bit more than the 60MP Sony A7R IV. Nevertheless, it has a hi-res 5.76 million dot EVF, like that of the Panasonic S1 series and Leica SL2 plus it has the interesting Bluetooth v5.0 spec which should mean compatibility with wireless headphones. If this is the equivalent of the Canon EOS…
You must be logged in to post a comment.