Leica Leather strap - Brandy

My daughter, bless her, picked up a leather carry strap from Leica for me. I have not been thrilled with the strap that comes with the camera because it slides off of my shoulder all of the time because it is so narrow. I’ve been switching between my collection of straps trying to find one that I liked better. I keep going back to the strap that came with my Leica M6. The shoulder pad is grippy but it has the split rings and the friction clasp on the ends that I have never liked. 

This new strap is model 14 658 and is part of the al a Carte series of build your own “M” camera system. It is a matte leather strap with a shoulder pad and the color is Brandy. It also comes in Boyseberry, Cement Gray, Coffee Bean, Dark Blue, Red, and Khaki Green. With the pressed Leica logo on the shoulder pad, the inside of the pad has a non-slip lining that helps the strap stay on the shoulder. The strap can be adjusted to three different lengths: 45 inches, 42 inches, or 39 inches. It is one of the few leather straps that has an adjustable length. 

Like all new leather straps it is a bit slick and stiff. I’m sure in a month or so it will soften up. I like to wrap straps around my wrist when shooting so they usually break in pretty fast. For me the best part is the shoulder pad. It helps to keep the strap from sliding of the shoulder. I have been known to put small pieces of double sided tape on camera shoulder pads to help them stay in place. I just replace the strips every couple of months. A little bit goes a long way.  

Camera straps are like camera bags. You can collect quite a few while search for the Holy Grail. This strap checks the boxes for my needs, only time will tell how long it stays on my camera.  

Jürgen Schadeberg Leica Hall of Fame

Leica has announced that Jürgen Schadeberg is the newest member of the Leica Hall of Fame. He is know mostly for his work in South Africa during the apartheid era. His most famous photo is of Nelson Mandela in his former prison cell in 1994. Here is the beginning of his biography from his web site:

Jurgen Schadeberg was born in Berlin in 1931 and, while still in his teens, worked as an apprentice photographer for a German Press Agency in Hamburg. In 1950 he emigrated to South Africa and became Chief Photographer, Picture Editor and Art Director on Drum Magazine.

It was during this time that Jurgen photographed pivotal moments in the lives of South Africans in the fifties. These photographs represent the life and struggle of South Africans during Apartheid and include important figures in South Africa’s history such as Nelson Mandela, Moroka, Walter Sisulu, Yusuf Dadoo, Huddleston and many others who have been documented at key moments such as during The Defiance Campaign of 1952, The Treason Trial of 1958, The Sophiatown Removals and the Sharpeville Funeral in 1960.

The life that this man has lived is difficult for most of us to relate to. He was not just a photographer he was a social activist that put his life on the line for others many times in his career. This award is for a man that the term “Photographer” just doesn’t do justice for. He stood up and made a difference.  

We live in an age when people are given the title “ A Great Photographer” because they have X number of Instagram followers. Jürgen Schadeberg is not just a great Leica Photographer, he is a great man. Congratulations for a well deserved lifetime award.  

Leica Q2 is coming

Spy photo of the Leica Q2.  

Come on, have a sense of humor.  

What has to be the worst kept secret in the Leica world these days is the pending introduction of the Leica Q2. Although there is not much that needs to be changed cameras are updated from time to time because that is how the companies make money. A friend of mine that has owned a camera store in Los Angeles for close to forty years told me that most of the sales of a new model are in the first 90 days of a camera’s release. It is in a companies interest to get some hype around the release of a new model.  

The Leica Q has been a very successful model for Leica. Salesmen and the manufacturer representative have both told me how the “Q” has been a big surprise for the company. When it was introduced many pundits were down on the camera because of the choice of a 28mm lens. Turns out that was a good decision on the part of the company. When purchasing the “Q” you are buying a high quality 28mm f 1.7 lens and getting the body as an added bonus. The camera appeals to both first time Leica users and to current users that would like to have an autofocus second body. 

The Leica Q2 looks to be the same as the current camera with the addition of a higher megapixel sensor and waterproofing. Talk is that the sensor fill be in the 45-50 MB range. The crop settings for the camera will be at 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm in addition to the native 28mm lens. 75mm is a nice addition but not a desperate need to the camera. My concern is that a lot bigger files will need a lot more hard drive space for storage. Those will be big files for the occasional 75mm crop factor. 

I have gone to the Leica Store twice with the intention of buying the Leica Q. Both times I changed my mind because of the fixed 28mm lens. I really like the concept of the camera and it has an exceptional build quality. It feels like a real Leica. But I’m a 50mm guy at heart and I don’t feel comfortable going out with just that focal length. I own the 28mm Summaron 5.6 lens and I enjoy shooting with it but it has a specific look that is not what I want for all of my images. 

I’m sure the Leica Q2 will be a success and I will recommend the camera, it’s just not for me.  

SmallRig Cage for Lumix GH-5

After a positive experience with SmallRig products for attaching an Atomos Ninja V to my DJI Ronin-S I decided to go with their modular system for my Panasonic LUMIX GH-5 video setup. The LUMIX GH-5 is a versatile camera that takes great still photographs but has a reputation for being high quality camera for video shoots.

I have decided to just put together a basic kit and then just add parts as needed. The camera is is enclosed in a SmallRig #2049 cage. This is the basic cage that everything else is attached to. It is attached to the camera with a 1/4-20 screw that attaches to the camera tripod socket. The cage wraps around the camera but allows access to all of the dials and buttons of the camera. There are both 1/4-20 and 3/8th holes around the cage for attaching accessories. Everyone has different ways that they like the camera set-up so it is kind of a Lego builders fantasy.  

My first addition to the camera cage was something called a Nato #2172 rail. This has a beveled edge for sliding attachments on to the rail that are then locked into place. The rail is permanently attached with screws. A monitor attachment that I use to attach my Ninja V to my gimbal is attached to the Nato rail so that I can use it for recording the highest quality video that I can get from my camera. I just slide the lever to unlock it from the rail on my gimbal and slide it onto the rail on the top of my camera. What a great design. 

Next I attached a Wooden Nato Side Handle #2187 to the side of the cage. This grip has a cold shoe on the top and a couple of mounting holes. I attached a RØDE Videomic Pro Plus to the cold shoe on the top. Now I can record high quality sound and video on the go. The grip is attached to the NATO rail that is built-in to the side of the cage. The grip can be attached to either side of the cage because the arm can be attached on the left or the right side of the grip. Very handy. There is even a hex wrench stored in the top of the grip for working the screws. I might even get another grip for the other side for more stability for when shooting handheld. 

This is my basic set-up for run and gun video. I plan on adding a rail system on the bottom so that I can expand the camera for more formal shooting. I will be able to add a pull focus system, a Matt box, a shoulder pad, and a platform to mount a battery system for extended shooting sessions. And all I have to do to shoot with the gimbal is strip items off the cage and mount the camera on to the gimbal for steadycam work. 

I am so impressed with the quality of the SmallRig products. Everything fits perfectly and there is no flexing or loose fitting joints. It is a rock solid set-up. As my camera changes I just get the appropriate cage and reuse everything on the new camera. This has been a great investment and it makes shooting so much easier.