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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…
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Leica announces the M11-P with new editing protection feature
Leica has announced the long-expected mid-cycle ‘P’ (Professional) update to the popular Leica M11, the Leica M11-P. As expected, the new model features the Leica inscription on the top plate and shares the M11 Monochrom’s increase to 256GB internal memory, up from 64GB on the original M11. In an unexpected move, however, Leica has added a copyright protection feature, ‘Leica Content Credentials,’ not previously seen on a regular production camera. By adopting specialised hardware in the new camera, the Leica M11-P can encrypt the image metadata at the time of capture to provide “reliable provenance” that the image hasn’t been altered during post-processing. This new LCC feature allows photographers and…
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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,…
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Zeiss 35mm F1.4 ZM Distagon lens review
Intro Although marketed for the maker’s M-mount Zeiss Ikon rangefinder, the range of ZM lenses is rightly popular with Leica M users. All are accessibly priced compared with their Leica equivalents, and optical performance is often on a par, if not sometimes regarded as being technically superior. With the Zeiss Ikon camera now retired, this new high-speed 35mm model is aimed squarely at Leica’s core users. Compared to the latest iteration from Wetzlar, the Zeiss 35mm F1.4 ZM Distagon is priced somewhat modestly at around £1680 inc VAT. It’s supplied without a case or hood, but there’s no mistaking the quality. Build Externally, the design is reminiscent of previous models,…
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Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH Close Focus 2023 model: First impressions
The new Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH Close Focus 2023 (11728) model follows the recent update to the Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 ASPH CF last year and adopts the built-in rangefinder decoupling or “double-cam” feature for the focus ring. This enables focusing down to 0.45m from the usual 0.7m – the former is the typical minimum focus of DSLR/mirrorless lenses of this focal length (50mm). The double-cam feature was first introduced on the Leica Summilux 35mm F2.0 APO and was quite stiff on the model I tried. To disengage rangefinder focusing, you push the focus ring through some slight resistance at the minimum focus distance marked at 0.7m in orange-coloured paint…
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Zeiss 35mm F1.4 ZM Distagon lens review
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Leica SL2 silver version announced
Leica has released the Leica SL2 in a chrome version, or what Leica call a “silver” anodised finish. With a £280 increase over the black body, taking the price to £6,200 (body only), it’s quite a premium. Nevertheless, the consensus here is that it looks good. What’s more, like most chrome bodies the finish will likely be more durable over the long term than the black option. Curiously the US press release states that only 1000 silver chrome bodies will be made, making it a limited edition. If anything says the SL2 is about to be replaced with the SL3 this is it. I’ve been hugely tempted to buy into…
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Videos surface of the new Leica M11
Two new videos have surfaced showing some of the design elements on the forthcoming Leica M11. The rear screen is not flush, as I had hoped for but on the plus side the new battery looks large, which bodes well for capacity. Also shown is the rumoured new Visoflex. It is rather boxy looking but it is hinged for overhead viewing and it has built-in dioptric control. At present there are no details on the spec’s but the inferred low-light capabilities are encouraging. https://vimeo.com/661857936 https://vimeo.com/661857745
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Thoughts on the upcoming Leica M11 – Updated
Update, January 7th: two new videos feature the new Leica M11 have leaked, see here for more details. Nokishita Camera, the principal source of most camera leaks on the net today, published the first picture of the Leica M11 (shown above) last week, allegedly ’taken’ from Leica’s Japan-based site. As it has shown up there it’s genuine, and coming soon. Although the press get advanced warning of cameras I’ve not heard anything officially (or unofficially, either), so this is just what I would like to see featured. It’s been long rumoured that the M11 will differ greatly from the M10, however as the leaked photo reveals there are only some slight differences…
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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…
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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…
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