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Dear classic photographers and Leica enthusiasts,
Thank you for allowing me to share some news and random thoughts with you. Before revisiting Photokina and its mega-announcements, I’m sorry to report the cancellation of Leica Days on October 31 and November 1. New products, new objectives and a massive dose of corporate adrenalin led to a scheduling conflict at Leica USA. We’re trying to reschedule the event and, to our many clients and friends who reserved their places for the much-anticipated evening with Wendell Phillips, I promise to have Wendell in the near future. Stay tuned!
While the TSE, Dow Jones and our loonie continue to roller coaster, please remain confident that I will do my best to absorb a portion of our devalued currency’s buying power. We buy in American dollars. If you were to convert our pricing to the greenback, you will see that we are more than just competitive. I would never jeopardize the relationship of trust that we have with our loyal clientele, and will continue to pass on savings wherever possible.
Something special is coming!
I confess. While boarding the flight to Cologne, I was leery that Leica’s big announcements at Photokina would prove little more than notifications of collectors’ editions of this and commemorative issues of that. Boy, was I wrong! Dr. Kaufmann and his colleagues in Solms turned the photography world on its head with products that will reshape how we capture images. Oscar Barnack would be proud and, may I add, a tad jealous.
The evening of Monday, September 22 began much like any other pre-show event. In attendance were members of Germany’s cultural elite. Moviemaker and photographer Wim Wenders presented a short film about his work with the M8, followed by a look at Leica history. Then, the photographic world’s tectonic plates shifted: Dr. Kauffmann unveiled the S2!
At first, I wondered why Leica was muddying the waters by introducing a new, larger-than-24 x 36-sensor that has been the Holy Grail of digital imaging. Then again, with filmless capture, why not? Dr. Kauffmann soothed this skeptic when he reiterated Leica’s commitment to the R system, promising that the next major event would be reserved for the myriad of R fans awaiting the arrival of the R10.
Tuesday morning I had the opportunity to handle the S2. Despite its prodigious specs with a sensor 50% larger than conventional 24 x 36 cameras, the camera feels smaller and a lot more ergonomic than many professional D-SLRS. Leica did not just stop at the camera body. They rewrote the book on lens design. The auto focus is rapier quick and, when used manually, lenses have the silky precision of manual-focus optics.
The lenses are hefty, made necessary by the larger sensor size. As they should, engineering efforts are being concentrated on speed and optical performance. Some lenses will have an integrated leaf shutter for high-speed flash synchronization. S2 lenses available at launch will include the 35mm f2.5, 70mm f2.5, 120mm f2.5 Macro and 180mm f3.5. Lenses in the pipeline include the 24mm, 30mm tilt + shift, 30-90mm zoom, 100mm and 350mm. (Dividing a focal length by 1.25 gives the 35mm equivalent.)
I don’t believe this is too bold a statement: Leica’s all-in move with the unveiling of the S2 is a major event in the history of photography. If successful, it will position the company as a significant player in the professional market, a claim that could not be made since the introduction of the M3 back in 1954. Professionals and anyone pursuing the finest in image quality anxiously await its spring launch.
M-azing
optics.
Meanwhile, in the wonderful world of M…The nouveau classique is now a little more chic, tweaked by hardware upgrades along the way. The M8.2 has started to trickle in. When dressed in black, it appears unusually sleek and elegant. Three of the major improvements, the quieter shutter, the sapphire LCD cover and the new rangefinder masks, are also available to M8 owners.
In an era when Canon and Nikon play leapfrog with higher ISO ratings, some photographers believe there is little need for large aperture lenses. Don’t count me in that crowd. Grain is grain and noise is noise. Sure, it can be controlled, but nothing beats a well-exposed image captured at a modest ISO. Leica introduced three outstanding lenses that can find a photon in a black hole. But the Noctilux-M 50mm f0.95 ASPH, Summilux-M 21mm fl.4 ASPH and Summilux-M 24mm f1.4 all have premium price tags. In these troubled times, rangefinder fans will have to carefully check their wallets for more than loose change if they want to own any of these exceptional lenses.
I was most excited by the introduction of the Elmar-M 24mm f3.8 ASPH. While never a popular focal length with analog M users,with the M8’s 1.3x crop factor, the 24mm is the wide angle of choice. The compact dimensions and reasonable price promise to make this lens a top seller!
These
finders are keepers!
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My wife Rita is quick to remind me of my shortcomings. Before she edits this paragraph, can you permit me to take some credit for a happy development? Leica is reintroducing their bright line finders. Over the past couple of years, I never passed up the opportunity to nag and cajole Leica executives about their decision to stop production of single finders for both the 21mm and 24mm. Well…They are back and improved! Clear and with ample contrast, they incorporate two bright lines, one for analog and one to compensate for the M8’s 1.33x crop factor. Their build quality is significantly better than the old finders, and they come in both black and chrome. |
Updating
the Lux line.
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Building on the success of the D-Lux 3, the Leica and Panasonic cooperative has launched the D-Lux 4. Its DNA hints strongly at its Leica heritage, as the D-Lux 4 incorporates a Leica image engine, replete with proprietary jpeg markings and Raw mode. The camera is delivered with Capture 4 software, a $150 value. The design is streamlined and minimalist. It also comes with a lineup of exclusive, high-quality accessories. |
| The C-Lux 3 is at home in a small purse or shirt pocket. The ultra-thin profile does not limit the excellence of its 25mm-125mm zoom lens. The line is rounded out by a collection of fashionable cases. |
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A Leica schmooze fest.
Here’s
some fodder
for tittle-tattle from Cologne and Photokina.
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Two
Berliners in the morning, you should make it to lunchtime
of the following day! |
Guten tag, fräulein! |
With kegs full of Kölsch, they wait for the lunch crowds to arrive. |
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Dr. Kaufmann’s Monday night speech. |
Hanging on every utterance from moviemaker Wim Wenders. |
The S-series lenses. |
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‘M.
M, Think M! ’ Stefan Daniel and Dr. Andreas Kaufmann. |
My
S2 close encounter, with Roger Horn and Christan Erhartdt. |
Architectural plan for Leitz Park in Wetzlar, coming in 2009. |
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The busiest spot at Photokina, the AFRica room. |
One
of my true Heros, Hirofumi Kobayashi |
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A
company is reborn.
More important than the technological marvel that will be the 37-megapixel Leica S2 replete with auto-focus lenses, the remarkable Noctilux-M 50mm f0.95 ASPH, Summilux-M 21mm f1.4 ASPH, Summilux-M 24mm f1.4 ASPH andthe full-frame Leica R10, is the inspired thinking that gave rise to these seminal products. Years of corporate banality and shortsightedness have been swept aside by far-reaching, profound ideas that have rejuvenated a product line and recommitted Leica to improving photography. Dr. Kauffman is, indeed, a miracle worker.
Batting
cleanup, Carl Zeiss.
While
there is no joy in Mudville, there is an undeniable swagger
in Oberkochen and Nakano. In photography’s September
Classic, Zeiss hit one clear outta the park, or at
least Cologne’s endless convention grounds.
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Zeiss is fully committed to growing its M system presence. For those on a budget who pine for the oh-so-rare Sonnar T* 2/85 ZM, we can now capture the legendary Zeiss sharpness and tonal range, albeit with a 2 f-stop loss, with the newly announced Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM. Its diminutive size makes it ideal for travel, while its outstanding
build will let you capture images from here to infinity (pun intended). |
The big news is the rapidly expanding Carl Zeiss reflex lens lineup. I welcome Canon users to the Carl Zeiss fold. The legendary optics are available in EF mount! While the Zeiss Planar T* 1.4/50 and Zeiss Planar T* 1.4/85 were first off the mark, the complete lineup will be available for Canon cameras as soon as possible.
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Hot on the heels of the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3.5/18, comes the Distagon T* 2.8/21. I don’t doubt the claims that it has outstanding correction for chromatic aberration and “even at full aperture, the floating element design ensures optimum edge-to-edge image quality over the entire focusing range. I look forward to putting this lens through its paces.
Zeiss is routinely delivering superior optics at reasonable prices. This is a winning formula that benefits both photographer and manufacturer alike. |
The
Fuji-Cosina collaboration.
Fuji
has a long history of producing outstanding medium-format
rangefinder cameras. Their latest proves that everything old
is new again! Among all the digital hyperbole, the introduction
of a combination 6x7 and 6x6 rangefinder-coupled, folding-bellows
camera seems somewhat anachronistic.
| Look closely at its capabilities before dismissing this camera as another photographic gimmick. Available in spring 2009, it promises to be a portable, extremely lightweight, optical tour de force. In Japan it will be sold under the Fuji nameplate. Elsewhere, it will be known as the Voigtlander Bessa III. Mr. Kobayashi continues to find projects that are far from mainstream, but of great importance to photographers seeking excellence and value. This may be a niche product, but I suspect that Fuji and Cosina will have a winner on their hands. |
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A
show that exceeded expectations.
This Photokina promised to be the best one ever,
then delivered on that boast. Leica and Carl
Zeiss introduced important new products into the rangefinder
world, and followed those announcements by renewing their
presence in the SLR market. The range and quality of products
shown spoke volumes about the future of these firms. Neither
Carl Zeiss nor Leica seems prepared to continue
in the role of small, eminent player, trading in exclusivity
and reputation. Both have laid the groundwork that will assure
them prominent places as boldly innovative, quality-oriented,
top-tier manufacturers.
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Always
looking forward to your comments.
Photographically yours,
Jean Bardaji
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