June 2015

Apple OS X 10.10.4 Update Fixes MM DNG Issue

Apple has today released the OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 update which, among other issues - fixes the DNG issue with M Monochrom (Type 246) files.

Addresses an issue that caused Photos to quit unexpectedly after importing some Leica DNG files.

Story Behind Mary Ellen Mark' Smoking Girl

Mary Ellen Mark was an acclaimed and prolific American photographer - known in part, for shooting a Leica. Sadly, on May 25, 2015 at the age of 75, Mary Ellen Mark passed away. One of her iconic photos, titled "Amanda and her cousin Amy" (seen above) is a classic example of her style and subject matter. As with any good photo, especially of this sort, there's a story behind it. Over on the NPR there's an article on that very story - "What Happened To The 9-Year-Old Smoking In Mary Ellen Mark's Photo?". Read more below!

Leica Boutique Copenhagen to Open

Leica Camera's latest boutique will open in Copenhagen, Denmark on Saturday - June 27, 2015! It will be operated by Photografica which is located right next door at Skindergade 41, 1159 Indre By. Check them out and get more info on their Facebook page.

Tags: 

Leica on the Future of Sensor Technology

In an article over on Germany's ColorFoto website, there's a discussion by "Leica on the future of sensor technology" (in German). A lot of interesting bits on the sensor of the M and using both R lenses and classic M lenses on it, some CMOS vs. CCD and even the future of the S system. Well worth checking out. Read more below for translation!

#recreatedclassic Finalists Win X Cameras

Instagram recently challenged users to show off their artistic side, asking them to remake iconic photos and post their interpretations with the hashtag #recreatedclassic. It's somewhat similar, in spirit, to the Leica "100" video that went viral last year. The competition culminated at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity where more than 500 entries were displayed - and three winners were named at a pop-up gallery at the Hotel Majestic Barrièrre. The #recreatedclassic contest was sponsored by Leica Camera and the winners got limited-edition X cameras. Read more below for the winners and photos!

The New Leica Q - WHO MADE YQU?

As investigative journalists and generally just downright nosy bastards... We're not too keen on Leica Camera's secrecy behind the new Leica Q (Type 116) camera. For example, who made the sensor? We're assured by Leica that "The sensor is a newly exclusively developed one for the Q. Nothing to do with the M sensor or CMOSIS." So then, who is it made by? Sanyo/Panasonic? Sony? We intend to find out! Check out our budding WHO MADE YQU? Kickstarter campaign! If there's enough interest, we'll go live - and do it! Once complete, we'll auction the camera and donate the proceeds (minus any overhead) to Kinderlachen e.V.

Tags: 

Exposure: Jo Fischer

It's been a while since we had an Exposure post! We came across a gentleman from Berlin, Germany called Jo Fischer actually by way of this rather well put together video called Leica • Psycho (seen below) and had to share it. It's got a great style and catchy soundtrack. Well done! You may have seen his work and an interview in LFI or come across his photobook, "Wheels & Waves. You can check out the images seen in the video over here and more on his website and also catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Read more below!

Caution - Leica Q EVF Easily Scratched

We've come across a report from a user that shoots his new Leica Q (Type 116) while wearing eyeglasses... And unfortunately, this is not a happy report. It would seem that the multi-coated EVF can be easily scratched. What you see above (larger image) is the result of only two and a half days of shooting! These are actual marks in the coating and not just smudges that can be cleaned - likely caused by the metal bridge of the eyeglasses. So far, this is the only incident that we're aware of - but we wanted to give you a heads-up before it happens to your Q!

Leica Optimizing the "Leica Experience?"

Is Leica working to optimize the "Leica Experience" based on your profession? We just got a sneak peek at this upcoming firmware modification for the Leica M/M-P (Type 240).

From a source that shall remain anonymous (unless they say otherwise) we bring you this bit of (anti-) Leica humor...

Tags: 

Leitz Park Lighting WINs Award

The new Leica Camera headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany (Leitz Park) has won a spot in the World Interior News (WIN) Awards 2015 under the Lighting Projects category (out of 25 entrants). If you're not familiar with the scope of this lighting project, it's rather amazing. While the winners for 2015 haven't been listed yet, they should be soon. Congrats to Leica Camera and Lichtvision on winning!

Tags: 

Iridient Digital Adds Leica Q Support in v3.0.3

Iridient Digital has released Iridient Developer 3.0.3, an update to its RAW converter and image processing software for Mac OS X. This update includes improvements to color noise reduction including faster performance for many images especially with on screen previews on Retina displays, further reductions to color smear when using high levels of Color noise reduction and the Color Aliasing filter is now applicable to RGB based monochrome conversions (again). This update also includes bug fixes, general performance enhancements and support for 10 new RAW cameras... Including the new Leica Q (Type 116) camera!

Leica Rediscovers 1930s Aerial Photos of China

Both Der Tagesspiegel (in English) and Die Welt (< a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.welt.de%2Freise%2FFern%2Farticle142599640%2FEiner-flog-ueber-das-Reich-der-Mitte.html&edit-text=">in English) are reporting on an interesting story of rediscovered negatives from the 30's, shot by a gentleman by the name of Wulf-Diether Graf zu Castell-Rudenhausen - of a then urbanizing China. These digitized photos are now on display and making some rounds. Read more below!