Photokina 2012: Leica Stand Report
Leica used this year's Photokina to make some of its biggest announcements yet. Three years on from the launch of its first digital full-frame M-series camera, the M-9, Leica has announced its first CMOS-sensor rangefinder. It has also said that many of its future cameras will be known only by their series name. This is intended to stress the enduring nature of its products, but will make it a touch confusing next time it launches a Leica M.
The latest M also becomes the first to feature live view, offering a very different way of using the camera. As well as magnified live view and focus peaking, to allow more precise focusing than the rangefinder mechanism can achieve with the company's brightest lenses, the addition of live view also allows the use of an external, electronic viewfinder.
In addition to the M, Leica has also announced the M-E, a less expensive model that includes much of the M-9's technology. The S has also been updated, and the X2 receives a colourful special-edition, courtesy of British designer Paul Smith. Unsurpriyingly, despite the price, it's the M that's getting all the attention.
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| Leica has a huge gallery space attached to its stand |
And enormous letters, representing the major product lines, tell you where to go to learn about the new cameras. |
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| Underneath the giant 'M' we found the new Leica M, which features a 24MP full-frame CMOS sensor... |
...helping make it the first Leica rangefinder to offer live view (and video mode!) |
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| Seen here with the additional electronic viewfinder... |
...it offers a whole new way of shooting with an M-series camera. |
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| There's also an R-mount adapter, for using Leica DSLR lenses on the M |
And the port next to the hotshoe can accomodate a specially developed stero microphone (not shown) |
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| The X2 gets a makeover from British designer Paul Smith |
We're not wildly keen on it, but some people might enjoy the orange/green/yellow combination... |
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| The M-E, in its understated anthracite finish, offers a lot of the M-9's features in a more basic model. |
And basically the same ergonomics, too. Including the underwhelming 460k-dot LCD screen. |
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| There's more to see than just cameras at the Leica stand... |
Maybe you'd like to browse through some sumptuous photo books? |
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| Ladies love the orange X2, maybe we should pretend to like it.... |
A superb place for a paper aeroplane competition, but maybe that's a bit too silly for Leica. |
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May 26, 2014
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Aug 12, 2013
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Sep 17, 2014
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Owners of Leica M cameras that suffer from peeling CCDs will be able to claim a free repair in the future so long as the camera was purchased within five years of the fault becoming apparent, the company has announced.
Jony Ive, design mastermind at Apple, and Marc Newson, the creative force behind the thoroughly unconventional Pentax K-01, have collaborated with Leica to design a special edition Leica M for a good cause. The unique M will be sold at auction, at an event raising money for The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The one-of-a-kind camera is the product of 85 days' work and nearly 1000 prototype parts. Click through for the full details.
Leica has placed a teaser on its Facebook page for a new 'Mini M' camera to be launched on June 11th, that apparently will slot into its range between the M rangefinder and the X2 fixed-lens compact. It's given no other details, but we think it could make sense for the company to produce a full-time live view version of the M Typ 240, using the same sensor but with the expensive rangefinder assembly removed. This would result in a 24MP full frame mirrorless camera that would be able to use almost any manual focus SLR or rangefinder lens ever made, without a field-of-view crop.
Leica has announced the Oskar Barnack Award 2013 international photo competition will open for entries from January 15th, with a first prize worth €15,000 (~ $19,400). The 2013 winner will receive a Leica M digital rangefinder and lens in addition to a €5000 (~ $6500) cash prize. To enter, participants need to submit a portfolio of up to twelve images expressing 'the interaction between man and the environment.' In addition, the Newcomer award, open to photographers under 25 years of age, offers a Leica rangefinder camera and lens as the prize. Submissions are open until 1st March 2013.
Just Posted: Our real world samples gallery from the Leica X2. Following the Sigma DP series, Leica was one of the first companies to offer a large sensor in a compact-bodied camera with its X1. The X2 retains its predecessor's 36mm equivalent F2.8 lens but adds a 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor. We've been shooting the X2 in a variety of lighting situations and at a range of apertures to give a taste for what the camera can do. The 49-image gallery includes a selection of Adobe Camera Raw conversions as well as out-of-camera JPEGs.
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