Previous
Newsletters |
|
Montreal. August 20th 2005 (Version Francaise) Dear Classic photographers and Leica enthusiasts, Thank you for allowing me to share news, upcoming events, and some of my own thoughts. First some news…. Unless you have been in complete isolation from recent developments in the photo world, you’ve probably heard rumors of the upcoming digital M (M8, MD?) body. I can confirm that these rumors are true. On September 27, I shall make my way through the crowds gathering around the Leica booth at Photokina in Cologne, Germany to claim my promised two hour test drive of this newest photographic marvel. As most of you know, I am not a fan of digital photography. Since the arrival of this medium, I did not hide my opinion that using a simple film camera with none of the digital frills and other “conveniences”, such as instant review, is the best way to explore and capture one’s vision. This was, of course, before there was talk of a digital M body. I truly believe that if this new M camera performs up to expectations, it will have the same impact on digital photography as the M3 had on film photography in 1955. Simply put, it will reintroduce the photographic character to the realm of digital photography. The creation of a simple, well-composed digital photograph has been made more difficult by ever-growing megapixel counts and very complicated function menus and selections. The terms “photography” and “imaging” (as it is called in the digital world) are not interchangeable, each having its own unique characteristics, advantages, and drawbacks. I believe that digital imaging will never completely replace traditional photography. However, I hope that the new digital M will reintroduce the feel of classic photography. September 15th seems to be the date on which Leica will release all the details about the new era of Digital M photography. Please stay tuned. Meanwhile in the wonderful world of silver halide… a promotion..!
The best crop yet… My sources are telling me that Leica will introduce its most advanced line up of high-end compact digicams this fall. The co-operation with Panasonic seems to be growing ever closer and the fruits of their labour seem to be getting better and better. One major coming development is the revolutionary DMC-L1, which is poised to usher in a new era in the high-end pro-sumer D-SLR. I had the pleasure of playing with this new camera and it’s new massive and impressive Leica Vario-Elmarit 14-50 F2.8 -3.5, and I was surprised with the smoothness and unique features that this camera system is bringing to the D-SLR arena. I believe that this camera will be available some time in the fall under Leica’s Digilux brand name.
The enchanted …. Museum
During a recent trip to the state of Maine, a friend with a keen
eye for beauty and design recommend a visit to the Ogunquit
Museum of American Art. Few buildings I have visited make better
use of the surrounding environments than this one does. It’s
a compact structure with three small, but beautiful, exhibition
halls and it makes great use of daylight and the surrounding environment.
The beautiful gardens surrounding the museum overlook the ocean
and double as a sculpture gallery. As an extra bonus, there was
one photographic exhibition when we were there, showing work by
photographer, Conrad Marvin. Britain in Black & White: Photographs by Conrad Marvin Such
perfection and attention to details is seldom seen in today’s
photography. No wonder -- the man uses 4x5 and 5x7 view cameras
and hand prints his own photographs on silver bromide paper. It
was enchanting, indeed, to see that such an old medium is still
alive and achieving great heights.
Plans for the next M-Vision workshop have hit a bump in the road. Technical difficulties, combined with the extra busy planning time generated by the expected arrival of the digital M, are preventing me from making the official announcement of the workshop. I’m working on rectifying matters and should have some exciting news on the next workshop in the coming weeks. One thing that I’m working on is to use the atelier to launch, and demonstrate the digital M, with the possibility of having a few of these new cameras available for all to try. FYI: LFI the magazine After
months of erratic and delayed delivery, things are back on track
and we should start receiving 20 copies of each issue very soon.
Looking forward to your comments, Photographically yours, Jean
Bardaji
|
