Leica is updating the way that we transfer photos to our mobile devices. The new app is called the FOTOS app which will replace the Wlan app that has been available. Functionality is very similar to the previous version. You still connect by WiFi but now the password for your camera is saved in the app. Also Android users will be able to transfer photos. The program also works with more cameras, not a dedicated program for each camera as before. Now you can transfer from a S, SL, M, Q, Tl, CL, D-LUX, and V-LUX from one app and all photos are kept in one place in your Leica FOTOS app. Then you can work on the images in the Lightroom Mobile or your other app of choice. I love the way that the app connects with the camera via a QR code that is scanned in the FOTOS app. Very slick. You can set what quality the files are downloaded as, jpg or dng as well as jpg quality, white balance and metering setting. When in the file viewer you can select single or multiple images. The camera can be controlled remotely with the app and the ISO, shutter speed, and EV can be set from the app.
Leica Battery Case
My Leica Battery Case
You know you’re in too deep when you make a custom battery case. I adopted the Tenba case that I have been using for my batteries to show some Leica pride. Since I used the same cases for my Nikon D850, I needed a way to easily identify which case was for my Leicas and which for my Nikons.
My wife did the actual modifications. She is quite handy to have around. You should notice that she even removed the edge detailing and placed the logo piece underneath then replaced the edge piece. It looks like I bought it this way. She did a great job.
It case your wondering the logo is from the bag from a recent purchase at the Leica store.
Do you really use all of those Leica’s
Yup.
One of the more common questions I get is do I actually use my cameras. Pretty much every time I leave the house I take a camera. For most of my serious shooting I grab my M10. I like the look of the images but they are not that much different than the M 240 images. Actually they are the same. But the M10 is so much thinner that I feel more comfortable carrying it. The M10 feels so much like the M6 and I carried that for about 20 years so it has a familiar feel to it.
The M240 has been mostly regulated to backup duty but it sees its share of action. The 28mm Summaron is mounted on it and that turns it into a nice little point and shoot camera. The more I shoot with that little pancake lens the more that I like it. Really has a film look to it.
I have been shooting more and more film so my M6’s get the occasional exercise. Like to shoot tri-x and process it myself. I skip proof sheets and go straight to the scanner. I have shot so much film over the years that I can judge a negative without proofs. The Lightroom presets are nice but I still like the look of real grain. As long as they keep making film I will keep shooting tri-x. I should try to get a hold of the new Ektachrome, that would be a blast from the past. ( Funny, autocorrect doesn’t recognize the word Ektachrome ).
And now to the poor neglected M8. I never really bonded with this camera. Occasionally I use my M8 as a poor mans Monochrom. I just leave off the IR filter since I’m not shooting for color. The images do print well in black and white on my Epson P800. I see no reason to give up on it so I just keep the batteries charged for the once and a blue moon excursion.
As if I don’t have enough Leicas I still find myself looking at the CL. Not much reason for one but it would be a great carry all of the time camera. I like my iPhone 8 but I am not crazy about the 28mm field of view for all shots. I really am a 50mm guy. We’ll see.
Summer is almost over so I will start shooting again. Just don’t like the harsh light of June through September.
ICONS OF STYLE : A CENTURY OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY, 1911-2011
The Getty Museum in Los Angeles currently has on display ICONS OF STYLE : A CENTURY OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY, 1911-2011. The Getty has a history of curating some very good photography exhibitions and this one is up to the usual standards. I have not done much fashion work and I don’t follow the trends but I do appreciate good photography when I see it. I have books by Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier and Helmut Newton. I went to the show not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. The work was first rate and from about the 50’s to the present I recognized most of the images.
I try hard to expose myself to all kinds of photography. I have a niche that I subscribe to for my own work but understand that inspiration comes in many different forms. My abstract work has been influenced by a number of contemporary German artists. Looking at other forms of contemporary art, architecture, and even music can have a great influence on your work if you let it.
The show runs through October 21, so if your in the area go to the Getty to see the show. Also the Getty is a great place to shoot architecture and people.
J Paul Getty Museum
Icons of Style
Irving Penn, Nick Knight, Jean-Baptiste Mondino
Patrick Demarchelier
Tim Walker
Chris Von Wangenheim and Francisco Scavullo
Hiro and William Silano
Helmut Newton
Horst P Horst
Edward Steichen
Leica DC Charger
Charging A Leica On The Go
It's always wise to carry a spare battery while shooting. Batteries seem to die at the most inopportune moments. Remember when you bought your Leica M camera and there were those little bags of extra goodies that were looked at once and then thrown in the drawer? I use one of those extras all of the time. The DC cable for the battery charger is so often overlooked. It is a pro trick to charge your batteries while traveling between locations during the day. Never again do I have to stop shooting because I don't have a charged battery.
NORRHASSEL COLLECTION - IKEA × Hasselblad®
IKEA has teamed up with Hasselblad to make Fine Art Photography available to the masses. The prints are mostly in the 20" X 30" size. They sell for from $20 - $25. I have seen them in the store and the are well done. Supposedly this is a test run to see if original artwork sells in their stores. I would like to see this catch on as it would allow photographers to get their artwork in the hands of a lot of people and make some money. The images were taken with Hasselblad cameras.
Norrhassel Collection at IKEA
Leica CL with M adapter © Kirsten Cita / Leica Store Miami
Leica CL Limited Time Offer
If you are thinking about buying a Leica CL or wanting a backup body for your Leica M10 there is a great offer you might want to jump on. If you buy a Leica Cl or a CL kit you instantly get a M-adapter for using your M lenses on the CL. It's such a good offer that I might pick-up a CL.
Purchase a Leica CL body or Leica CL Vario kit and receive a M-Adapter L (retailed at $395). With this adapter, you can mount 49 different M-Lenses, both contemporary and classic, to the Leica CL with ease. M-Lenses are compact and discreet, delivering the highest quality images even in low light.
Offer ends September 30, 2018. Use the Dealer Locator here to contact a Leica Store, Boutique or Dealer to learn more about this special offer.
Take full advantage of the legendary Leica S, R and Cine-Lenses. Various L-Adapters are made available to easily mount to the CL-system, providing you with unlimited access to an array of Leica lenses.
Leica Watch
Photo Gear
Leica is getting into the watch business. Today Leica announced that they are entering the watch business. My first reaction was shock and skepticism. I’m an Apple fan and have been following what they have been doing to the watch business with great interest. Apple is just steam rolling the industry with the Apple Watch. I have a long fascination with high-end Swiss watches. Specifically the Rolex. I own a Submariner and I just love it. Something about fine European craftsmanship that I’m attracted too. At the same time I appreciate why the Apple Watch has become so popular. It’s usefullness when combined with an iPhone is impressive. So much so that I recently purchased one for my wife. She loves it and wears it all of the time.
I can see why Leica is moving in this direction. The company is doing well and selling their products as fast as they can make them but there are only so many people that will by a Leica camera. With watches Leica can enter a market where they can exploit their strengths namely small items made with the utmost in mechanical precision. Looking at the big picture it is a sensible gamble. Most people that buy their cameras would be a logical customer for a Leica Watch.
The photos of their new watch so a blend of traditional and current design trends. This Watch is obliviously not a product that is being rushed to the market to capture some recent fad. Leica has been around for more than 100 years and is obviously planning for 100 more. I wish them luck.
Leica M10 with 28mm 5.6 Summaron
Leica 28mm 5.6 Summaron Review
Using the Leica 28mm 5.6 Summaron is like going back 60 years in time. It looks like a lens from the 50's. The feel of the lens is nothing like what is being produced today. And the images have kind of a film look to them that gives a retro vibe.
The original 28mm Summaron 5.6 was first manufactured from 1955 to 1963 and was available only as a screw mount lens. It did not appear in Leica catalogs until 1963. The 28mm Summaron was actually a good selling lens because in the short time frame that it was available 6,228 lenses were made. Even though it was screw mount only remember that adapters were used to allow the lens to work on bayonet mount cameras. The optical design was the same as today’s lens. A bayonet version of the lens was announced by the Leica Photography Magazine in the spring 1956 issue but was never produced. There is one prototype known to exist so the lens was close to production.
Leica 28mm Summaron in its Presentation Case
The 28mm Summaron 5.6 lens was introduced by Leica in the fall of 2016. It is generally hard to find at the dealers because Leica is simply not making many and most are being scooped up by collectors. Last year Leica released another retro lens, the Thambar. Hopefully we will see more of these speciality lenses.
Leica 28mm Summaron
Summaron focusing tab
Leica 28mm Summaron with Lens Hood
In use I find that the lens turns my M10 into a point and shoot camera. When focused at about 10 feet at f11 the hyper focal range is from about 4 feet to infinity. For most shooting there is no reason to focus. Although the 5.6 aperture seems like it would limit the usefulness the lens this is not the case. On bright days an aperture of 5.6 is very acceptable and when the light drops just raise the ISO as needed. On the M10 noise is well controlled to 1600. Also remember Leica lenses are designed to be shot wide open so the is no quality deduction for shooting wide open. There is some vignetting on the edges but nothing that can’t be easily fixed in Lightroom. I would describe the Summaron as a medium contrast lens. That is why earlier I described the lens as having a film look. Some early reviews of the lens complained that it was soft. I disagree, no it does not resolve detail like the 50mm apo, but it not supposed to. In actual use it is as sharp as other Leica lenses and I have the enlargements that will verify this. Pixel peepers are never happy.
The main reason that I chose this lens over the 2.0 or 2.8 28mm lenses was its size. I have enough speed lenses so having a small lens that could fit in the corner of my bag was appealing. I tend to carry 2 Leica bodies with me so a lighter lens made the choice easier. And I must admit it is one cool looking lens. The retro vibe was hard to resist.
Leica M10 and 28mm Summaron
Leica Summaron
Comparing the 28mm Summaron to a 35mm Summicron you get a sense of just how small this lens is. It is easy to get photos of your fingers if you don’t adjust your grip on the camera after focusing. A M10 and a 28mm Summaron could easy pass as a point and shoot camera when you are in a crowd. It is so small most people are used to seeing Nikons and Canons so a M10 with this lens is a lot less intimidating.
Leica 28mm Summaron vs Leica 35mm Summicron
A 28 mm lens is not my first choice for a lens on a Leica, that would be a 50mm. It is not even my second choice, that belongs to a 35mm lens. But I find that when shooting busy street scenes I am liking more around my subject so that I can tell a more complete story. I guess that Garry Winogrand was right after all.
28mm Summaron 5.6
28mm Summaron 5.6
28mm Summaron 5.6
28mm Summaron 5.6
Leica M10 with Visoflex (typ 020) attachment
Leica Visoflex Review - M10 Viewfinder
Being a diehard Leica rangefinder fan I was at first skeptical on the need for an accessory viewfinder for my Leica M10. I have been using a rangefinder for so many years that focusing is second nature for me. But I understand that it takes awhile for some to become proficient with a rangefinder and other people just like electronic viewfinders better but they like the size and quality of a Leica M camera. Another reason to choose the accessory viewfinder is that on a Leica there are no frame lines for lenses wider than 28mm so an external viewfinder is necessary. With film cameras optical viewfinders are available but they are not an ideal solution. The image is small and there is no exposure information. You have to focus and set the exposure though the cameras viewfinder then use the external viewfinder for framining. Less than ideal but that was the way it was done for decades.
My reason for trying the Visoflex was because of one particular lens. The Noctilux. I have a 1.0 Noctilux that I enjoy the images that it produces but it is a notoriously difficult lens to focus. The newer 0.95 Noctilux is noticeably sharper but doesn’t have the glow that the 1.0 has. I just like the images that it creates. But I have been disappointed in my percentage of keepers with this lens. I have sent my Leica’s in to have the rangefinders matched to the lens in the past but I was still not satisfied with the results.
On a recent visit to the Leica store I tried the 1.25 optical magnifier and the Visoflex to see if I could improve my focusing. The optical viewfinder was ok but not what I wanted. The Visoflex was a revelation. The viewfinder was much sharper than the previous model for the Leica M240. It also had a faster refresh rate.
Notice the built in diopter on the side. I wish that Leica could add one to the rangefinders.
The image that is shown in the Visoflex is the same image that is shown on the back of the camera when Live View is being used. To use the camera Live View is turned on and you look through the Visoflex. A sensor detects that you are looking through the Visoflex and it turns off the back screen and turns on the image in the Visoflex. It is a nice sharp image. When the lens is focused the image comes into focus. Also the default settings zoom the center of the image and turns on focus peaking. As long as there is enough contrast in the scene the little “ red ants “ really help achieving correct focus. After an exposure the results appear on the screen for about a second and then it reverts back to the Live View.
How the camera and the Visoflex behave is customizable. You can decide when and where the image is viewed be changing the settings in the camera menu.
The Visoflex has a built in GPS unit so you can geotag your images. If you travel that can be a very handy feature.
Closeup view of the Visoflex in use.
The Visoflex was very well designed. It is small but not to small. It looks good on the M10.
The Visoflex can be tilted to accommodate shooting at different angles.
It can also be tilted 90 degrees to make shooting like a Rolleiflex possible. I find people really don’t pay attention when shooting in this manner. It appears that you are shooting straight down.
The image through the Visoflex is the same as seen on the back of the camera when Live View is activated. As shown above you can see that it provides a very high quality image. No it’s not as good as seen in a Leica SL or a Leica Q but it not far behind.
I am very happy that I have decided to give the Leica Visoflex a try. My keeper rate has gone from 20 - 30 percent to better than 80 percent. I now have more confidence when shooting with my Noctilux and I will probably carry it with me a lot more often.