The camera was released in November, and crowned by the photographic media as the digital manifestation of perfection! The coronation had barely been completed, when some loyal subjects observed that while this emperor had clothes, the zipper on the fly was wide open.

Many experts deservedly ended up with egg on their face. My take is simple. Unquestionably, the M8 is an outstanding achievement and, like many new products, it needs fine-tuning. Should the problems have been caught prior to its release? Absolutely! Will they be ironed-out to everyone’s satisfaction? Unquestionably! Does the snafu speak volumes about Leica AG’s attitude toward their public? Unfortunately, yes!

(Leica worshippers: skip this paragraph if critical opinion runs contrary to your beliefs.) What level of understanding is there among the Teutonic brain trust? Why didn’t they come straight out, admit to the problem, and offer a simple, workable solution? (Have they not heard how Coca-cola turned the new-Coke debacle into a manageable marketing error?) Where’s the mea culpa and while we’re at it, how about a sincere apology? Forget the spin. Remember, you are talking to dedicated photographers and fans that want you to succeed!

All M8s sold are traveling back to the Fatherland for a modification to the hardware. This upgrade will eliminate ghosting that occurs when a bright light source is in the photograph. The other issue with the M8, in my opinion, is the one that really should have been addressed prior to shipping the first camera, especially that the solution is so simple and effective. The CCD (Like All CCD’s) is hypersensitive to hi infrared rays. The Leica-Kodak consortium, in order to maintain a more natural and uniform image, opted against the use of a thick glass filter in-front of the M8 CCD. This results in a strong magenta cast visible in black, synthetic fabrics. The Solution has been known and available for years. A filter screwed in front of the lens called UV/IR Cut would block the hi-infrared rays from penetrating the lens and reaching the CCD. The results are astonishing both in color and black and white. Leica AG decided to offer free, two of those UV/IR Cut filters with every M8. (Additional filters will be made available.)

Mismatched socks? Nope Hi-IR ! M8 / Summilux 50 at f1.4 without and with the B+W 486 filter

As both Leicaphile and Leica dealer, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of beautiful, precise, high-quality products. It is unfortunate that the adjective ‘flawed’ must sneak in amongst these superlatives. Invariably, the company addresses the issue, but they never admit to any error! The M8 is just another case in which ‘we made the best product ever. There is nothing wrong with it. Nevertheless, to contribute to your pursuit of happiness, we will perform an upgrade.’

As we wade back into the murky waters around Solms, through the murkiness and blur we can discern a promise to offer a 30% discount on an M-mount lens. What a nice gesture to the brave-hearted souls who took delivery of the M8 or in some cases, prepaid for one! Well…I have been unable to establish just how my customers can benefit from this offer. Here’s one rumor: Leica AG will handle the sales directly, requesting payment in advance, then shipping the lens from Germany. This could result in a nightmarish scenario involving delivery, duty, GST and PST.

Another rumor involves a discount on the Suggested Retail Price, and not the actual price. I need not tell you that such a discount from an inflated price would not amount to much. I guess that Leica AG assumes that their clients have never visited a car dealership before! My advice to clients who have either taken delivery of an M8 or have made a bona fide order—with full or partial payment—is to register their camera at the Leica website at this link:

http://m8registration.leica-camera.com/start_en.php

Delivery of M8’s should resume shortly. All cameras will have been upgraded.

Enough talk of banding, IR, UV, and assorted techno-babble. The M8 has not sucked all life out of other Leica rangefinder cameras. Since my first deliveries of the M8, I have gotten and sold several second-hand M6’s and M7’s. Some customers have opted for a brand-new silver-halide fueled M and taken advantage of the U.S.$500.00 rebate offer. These masterpieces function on 2 small batteries that seemingly last forever, have no LCD screen, and a sensor that could actually reach an equivalent of 25-million pixels! Go out, have fun taking great pictures, and don’t count film out just yet!

Myopia: a valuable tool for the Leica marketer

If you are amongst those who have been seduced by the beauty, efficiency and quality of the latest Leica compact digital camera—the D-Lux 3—you are aware that this little gem is as hard to locate as an ivory-billed woodpecker. I felt compelled to send the following email to all customers who ordered and have been patiently waiting for their D-Lux 3 to show up.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It seems that Leica Camera USA has completely underestimated the potential sales of the Leica D-Lux 3. This unfortunate miscalculation has resulted in the D-Lux 3 being in extremely short supply. I will be receiving no more than 2-3 cameras in December, with the rest to follow in January.

I will understand completely should you choose to cancel your order or decide to opt for another camera. If, however, you choose to wait until I am able to fill your order—which I will do in the order in which they were received—I will include at no charge a 1 GIG memory card as my gift to you.

This gem is in a league of its own. Never have I seen such clear and rich digital images produced by such a small and easy-to-use camera. I hope that the production shortfall will soon be resolved.

Postcards from the Pearl of the Mediterranean? Not quite!

I am very happy to report that my friend Liam Maloney made it back to Montreal safe and sound from a recent trip to Beirut.
Liam is a talented, passionate, honest photojournalist, and a helluva nice guy! A selection of his insightful and haunting images can be viewed at:

http://www.lightstalkers.org/liam-maloney

Liam is also putting together an exhibition of some his photographs. The show will be at The Nota Bene Stationary store on Park Avenue, north of Sherbrooke.

Something new... to view

There are new additions to the Gallery section;
Thierry Cerpolet’s breathtaking Photographs of the migrating white geese.
Timeless New york city in black & white of Eric Lajeunesse. And infrared cityscapes of our very own Laura Carron.

Leica World Magazine: a mysterious world unto itself

As most of you already know, this beautiful, luxurious biannual magazine is either too hard to find or too expensive to buy. During my visit to Photokina, I struck a deal with its Dutch distributor. I will be receiving 15 copies of each issue to sell @ $24.95. I already have some. Also available in limited numbers are the 2007 Leica wall calendar ($35.00) and a fabulous desk agenda ($30.00). Both contain a tremendous selection of photographs.

A Fresh Crop

As mentioned above, the secondhand trade of Leica R and M products has been brisk. Please take a look at the pre-owned section. You just might find the accessory that you’ve been searching for.

M Vision 2005 Book: Not too late!

A photographer and creative graphic artist, Steve Pellerin was a valued participant in the last M Vision Atelier. He recently put together a book from Blurb.com. We were both impressed with the speed, quality and reasonable price of the book. If Atelier participants could agree on the particulars and put their trust in the creative ability of Steve, a book could be a fantastic creative tool and memento of that weekend. Please contact Steve to get the printing presses rolling.

Hear ye, hear ye

I would like to announce that a date has been set for the next M Vision Atelier.
Mark your calendars, key in your Blackberries, program your cellphones for the weekend of April 27th through 29th. Is there a better way to thaw the creative juices and welcome spring?

For this edition of the Atelier, I am honored and humbled to welcome Michel Gravel and Jean-Francois Gratton. These two photographers have each followed quite different professional paths. What unites them is a common unbridled passion for rangefinder photography in general and Leica in particular. (Short biographies and information will be included in the upcoming official invitation.)

The Atelier is open to participants who most use rangefinder cameras. Silver halide and silicon are equally welcome.

• Date: Friday, April 27th through Sunday, April 29th.
• Number of attendees: 15 to 20.
• Fee: C$325.00
• A detailed, complete schedule will be e-mailed in the next months.

I’d like to express my gratitude to all who called and wrote with enthusiastic comments for the last M Vision, My Vision workshop. Once more I am confident we will hold an inspiring and creative gathering.

Please contact me before March 1, 2007 to reserve a place.

What is M Vision?

I believe that it is 50% of what makes an M camera great. Its uniqueness lies in elegant simplicity: look through the viewfinder and see an undisturbed image of life! Nothing is dramatized nor distorted. Unlike an SLR, there is no compression and no skewed wide-angle view. Your vision and your purpose are paramount.
The Atelier is a nonprofit endeavor. Fees cover film, photofinishing, equipment rental, meals, and our instructors’ remuneration. It is meant to be a gathering of photo enthusiasts and rangefinder photography aficionados. Our purpose is to explore different ways, styles, and applications to capture our unique way of seeing. (It’s also a lot of fun!)

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and joyful holiday season.

Always looking forward to your comments.

Photographically yours,

Jean Bardaji
Leicaboutique.com & Camtec Photo