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, with thanks to Leica UK for the loan of the M9.] Hot Gear Review Leica M9 Photography has taken a nostalgic twist as Leica has announced the first full-frame digital model, the Leica M9. However, the switch to digital from the all-electronic M7 film model 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 light, producing ruddy skin tones and purple tints to black…
Hidden Features of Capture One Pro: Save Filters for Searching Metadata
Filters are an often over-looked feature in Capture One and they’re really very powerful for searching for images. You might already use them to find starred or colour tagged images but they can be set-up to search for any metadata that’s listed in the Metadata tool. As a camera and lens reviewer (formerly for numerous press titles in the UK), I often want to find photographs taken on certain cameras or lenses and so I have theses filters saved for just that purpose. I can also search by ISO, aperture value and even shutter speed if want to (the latter not so much, if I’m being honest). While those particular…
Is the Canon EOS R3 sensor really only 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…
Hidden Features of Capture One: Save your Workspace
Capture One Pro is a highly customisable app, and there’s nothing worse than getting it all set up only to find the workspace has changed for whatever reason. I often find it different to how I left it (or thought I had), whether that’s due to a bug, an update, the yearly upgrade, or simply user error (such as removing tools or complete tool tabs) it’s difficult to say. Fortunately, Capture One has an option to save the current workspace. Once saved it’s easy to restore and it’s easy to set up several customised workspaces for different tasks. You might for instance never use the tethering option, so you can…
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 two Nikon Nikkor Z MC lenses: 105mm F2.8 VR S and 50mm F2.8
Images have leaked of two, as yet un-announced, Nikkor “MC” lenses; the full-frame Nikkor MC 105mm F2.8 VR S, and what’s now confirmed as another full-frame model, the Nikkor MC 50mm F2.8. The “MC” designation has not been used by Nikon previously, but speculatively, it’s most likely a true macro (1:1) and without any de-focus image control DC function, like the Canon version or as per the older AF-Nikkor DC 105mm F2.0 D and 135mm F2.0 D models. Neither of those were macro lenses but it’s common for the 100mm macro lenses to double for portraiture due to their close focus capabilities. At least, that’s the current view based on…
Capture One promises performance enhancements with native support for Apple M1 chip
Capture One has added native support for the new Apple M1 chip. Besides being a chance to rewrite the code entirely, there should also be some real performance enhancements. According to Capture One, adopters running an M1-powered Mac should see the following benefits: Importing photos with the new Advanced Importer up to 2x faster Managing assets in Catalogs and Albums is now 50% quicker Brushing edits on with Style Brushes is smoother than ever Edit with key tools like Crop and Rotate at twice the speed. Importing, generating previews, editing and processing will be up to 100% faster If you have yet to experience the benefits of Capture One Pro for…
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 M/M-P Protector review
Leica M/M-P ‘Protector’ review While I typically prefer to use cameras without cases or half cases, believing that a camera should be unencumbered, the sleek profile of the Leica M camera does require a bit more to hold onto securely. The grips appeal, but the half case also offers a lot of protection to the body. The black half case or ‘Protector’, as Leica calls it, appears to be no longer available, leaving only the brown in some stores. It’s described as ‘cognac’ coloured – a little too light for my liking (and a little lighter than pictured, I would say). It’s not as discreet, but, in fairness, out on…
Hidden Features of Capture One Pro: Redeploy as a Fast Browser
Why use Capture One Pro as a fast browser? In theory, Capture One can’t be used to browse until images are imported into either a Catalog or a Session. And, in my opinion, it’s this design that makes Capture One Pro a little daunting for new users, as you’re immediately asked to make a choice between them before you can use it. However, in practice, there is an (unofficial and therefore unsupported) “third” way to use it, and that is as a fast browser. One of the downsides of RAW converters like this is that you have to import images through a “gatekeeper” (the import, or ‘importer’) app. Once files…
