via Leica Rumors
Check back here for my own Leica M9 review next month.
Jan 262010
Jan 222010
It’s the new year and it’s Renaissance Festival time in South Florida! This year the Florida Renaissance Festival is taking place in two venues: first (and running through this weekend) is at Historic Virginia Key Park in Key Biscayne, FL and then next month at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, FL.
The Renfest is great fun for the whole family and a wonderful opportunity to take photographs. I took my students on assignment there last weekend. Here is an Animoto slideshow of shots from the Key Biscayne Faire;
Jan 202010
Leica Camera AG, Solms, extends their invitation to submit entries to 
their international photography competition for professional photographers, the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award’.
Applications from interested photographers will be accepted exclusively online at www.leicaoskar-barnack-award.com between 15 January and 15 March 2010. The competition also includes the awarding of a ‘Newcomer Award’ that addresses all (prospective) professional photographers aged 25 and under.
An international jury awards the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award’ / ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award’ to photographers whose unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between man and the environment in the most graphic form in a sequence of between ten and twelve images. Entry submissions must be a self-contained series of images in which the photographer perceives and documents the interaction between man and the environment with acute vision and contemporary visual style – creative, groundbreaking and unintrusive. All photo series submitted will be displayed in a specially dedicated online gallery on the Leica website.
Jan 202010
Cosina Voigtlander has announced a new version of it’s amazing Ultra Heliar 12mm f/5.6 lens. Now available in M-mount, this new version of the lens is rangefinder coupled and can be fitted with a 67mm filter. The lens has a 121 degree field of view but is not a fisheye lens.
Cameras such as the Leica M8/M9 will need to use an external viewfinder. For the M8, use a 15-16mm VF, for the M9 use a 12mm VF.
Specs
- Focal length / 12mm
- Lens / 8 groups of 10 elements
- Minimum Aperture / F22
- Angle / 121 °
- Number of diaphragm blades / 9
- Minimum focusing distance / 0.5m
- Work scope rangefinder / ∞ ~ 0.7m (depending on camera)
- Maximum diameter / φ74.6mm
- Filter Size / 67mm
- Overall length / 42.5mm ◎ Weight / 156g ◎ Mount / VM mount
The lens will be available in Japan starting Monday and retails for ￥ 85,000 ( ~ $932 USD ). I will contact Stephen Gandy (CameraQuest) regarding US price and availablity.
Jan 192010
January 19, 2010 – For the ninth consecutive year, ten photographers 
have been awarded the coveted title of Hasselblad Master.
Hasselblad today announced the ten winners of its prestigious 2009 Masters Awards, one for each of ten categories: architecture, editorial, fashion/beauty, fine art, general photography, nature/landscape, portrait, wedding/social and up-and-coming artist. Given in recognition of his or her contribution to the art of photography, Masters Awards are judged on photographic ability in the areas of creativity, composition, conceptual strength and technical skill.
Jan 112010
RED Scarlet and Bomb EVF surprise hands-on! — Engadget
The boys at Engadget got to fondle the upcoming RED Scarlet DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) thanks to “Ted from RED”. The unit in the video is a non-working prototype, but it does give you an idea of the form-factors being designed here.
Later in the video Ted mentions pricing (actually reasonable) and expected delivery dates (late Spring/early Summer for Scarlet) but stated that they are “very fluid”.
Video after the jump. Continue reading »
Jan 102010
Those crazy Swedes are at it again. After last year’s H4D/60 intro, what other bits of fun can they have in store for us? Central (leaf)/Focal Plane shutters? New DSLR shaped body? New MFD rangefinder? What’s your guess?
Jan 042010
OK, I cannot wait for this film to hit the fansubs! I am reliving my childhood!