Category: News

News (industry, events)

Leica Q

Leica announced yesterday the Leica Q (Typ 116). It is their take on the Sony RX1 product segment: full-frame sensor fixed and fast wide angle lens camera, not in the lower price range either. Unlike the Sony, the Leica has a built-in viewfinder ; the 28mm lens is half a stop slower (f1.7 instead of f1.4) and it has a higher price tag. By ~$1k if you factor in the cost of the EVF for the RX1.

Size-wise it is bigger than the RX1 (no EVF) and smaller than the Leica M.

The camera include a fast autofocus system, that can be controlled from the rear touch screen, and proper manual focusing capabilities, as the lens has a know like on the M lenses and the EVF has focus peeking ; this will make rangefinder users happy. And the others will probably like that too.

The camera is “Made in Germany”.

Early reviews:

  • Ming Thein: “I can’t help but wonder if the Q is the harbinger to the end of the M system in its current guise.”
  • Jay Cassario: “…this one stands out and might be the first to end up staying in my bag.”
  • Jonathan Slack: “The Q is a little larger [than the Sony Rx1r], but it seems to be superior in pretty much every other respect”

Note: This is just news and not a review as I haven’t had it in hand.

EPSON launches new photo film scanner

EPSON launches benchmark flatbed film and photo scanners.

This to replace the top V700/V750 scanners. It is good to see that EPSON continues to invest in that field. Now we shall see if the quality on small medium like 35mm film is up to the expectations, but it is not like there is plenty of choice since Nikon bricked their expensive CoolScan by abandoning the low quality software that came with it – low quality because it didn’t run on more modern OS, at least on MacOS.

Time will tell.

Fuji X100T First Looks

Zack Arias has had his hands on a Fuji X100T, at least a pre-production model. We know how he loved the first one, how he loved the improvements of the second generation, how he love the X series. Faster, better wifi, classic chrome, better buttons standardized on the rest of the X-series, new hybrid viewfinder.

Petapixel today: Fuji Unveils the X100T with “Electronic Rangefinder” Function, Improved Controls and More gives us some news from the product announcement.

It is great to see Fuji iterating over to improve things and the hybrid viewfinder improvement are, I hope, a shape of things to come for the 2nd generation X-Pro1 that is rumoured.

Goodbye Kodak BW 400CN

Kodak Alaris is discontinuing the BW 400CN.

A very nice film meant to shoot Black & White and have it processed in a regular one hour minilab as it is a C-41 process film.

Now that one hour minilabs are an endangered specie and that it is much easier to find Black & White chemistry than C-41, it was bound to happen. Not sure exactly what to replace it with.

Here are some samples I shot a few years ago:

Beechcraft Expedition #2

Beechcraft Expedition #3

Untitled

Leica T

Leica just announced the Leica T. Their new mirror-less system ; and by that I mean non rangefinder but really digital mirror-less with interchangeable lenses, APS-C sensor, with their own mount, and two new lenses including a 23mm f/2 (feels like a 35). Sadly it seems that the trend persists, there is no built-in viewfinder. Also it has a Leica price tag, even if no as high as Leica M.

On overall the Leica T seems to get somewhat positive reviews, and the design is slick, to not say outstanding on some aspects, and minimalist where all the complexity is in a touch screen. All in all it looks like Leica focused on the basics: photography, and let the gimmicks on the side. But, oh boy, why is it a $600 extra for an external electronic viewfinder?

Luminous landscape has to reviews up, where they have had the gear in hand. One by Michael Reichmann:

The camera itself has nothing like the range of features and capabilities that its prime competitors have to offer, but then it isn’t intended to. Thus any such comparison would be pointless.

The other by Nick Rains:

This is a very cool camera. The look is like nothing else on the market.

Now I wish I had a loaner to try to have a better sense of what it feels.

Leica’s website.

Fuji XF23mm f1.4

Fuji announced the Fuji XF23mm f1.4 for the Fuji X series (like the X-Pro1)

This lens will provide a fast 35mm-like lens ; one of the favourite field of view of street photographers.

Leica Mini-M: the disappointment

Two week ago, Leica started teasing us with the Mini-M.

The Phoblographer has the scoop, just confirming the rumors, and that is a disappointment.

The Leica X Vario will cost over $3200 (more than the Sony RX-1) a little more than $2800, roughly the same as the Sony RX-1. And I had two hypothesis of what it could be, and both were wrong. One was closer thought, but I was expecting a fast prime not a slow zoom lens. No viewfinder (there is the port for an EVF). Nothing. In short you can find a camera that has the same feature set, a faster lens, that can be changed, for much less money. There claim that it took Leica M as a role model is absurd.

The only thing that can be outlined is Leica still continue to push DNG for the RAW files. And they should be commended for that.

Leica is now in the market of making expensive luxury cameras, not performing and robust cameras. I am sure that if a photographer had only this camera he could make it work and take awesome picture, but for the money, I’d recommend something else.

(I haven’t seen the camera, this is all based on paper specs)

Update B&H has it in pre-order, adjusted the price mention to reflect that.

Leica Mini-M teaser

Leica is teasing us with the Mini M. We don’t know anything yet but two speculations:

  • A compact fixed prime lens camera, maybe full frame, with a 35mm equivalent. In line with the Sony RX-1.
  • A micro 4/3 camera, possibly the rumored revamp of the Panasonic Lumix L1 (it was their first mirror-less, with a Four-third Leica lens) in OEM, maybe with some new lenses and an official Leica M-Mount adapter. Leica and Panasonic collaboration isn’t new, and this fall right in line.

We’ll see, but let’s hope Leica goes with a better differentiation than the X2, more in line with the Leica M.

One thing that I’m certain of is that it will not be a film camera.