September 2015

Two New Leica Stores to Open in October

There are two new Leica stores opening up in October to report; the first will be at The Royal Exchange in London, and the second in Japan called the Leica Iwataya Fukuoka store. The store in London will open Monday, October 5 and the Japan store on October 27, 2015. The locations are The Royal Exchange, EC3V 3LR and 2 Chome-5-35 Tenjin, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 810-0001, respectively.

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Leica SL (Type 601) Coming in October

As we reported earlier, Leica will be holding a "Das Wesentliche" event on October 20, 2015. It's a given we'll see some new kit... So far we have rumors on a new Leica X-U (Type 113) or M-like camera and there's also talk of a Leica Q (Type 116) camera with interchangeable lenses. This last camera might actually be called the Leica SL (Type 601) camera with the following specs... Read more below for updates!

Leica "Das Wesentliche" Event on October 20, 2015

Leica will be holding a "Das Wesentliche" event on October 20, 2015. This is when they'll typically announce one of more new products - as they have in the past. This event is not open to the public; it's invite only. We expect to see a new Leica X-U (Type 113) or M-like camera to be announced. There's also talk of a Leica Q (Type 116) camera with interchangeable lenses. Though we're not betting on that. Leica has already stated that if the Leica Q proves popular (which admittedly, it has) then they will consider releasing it in other focal lengths. There's been no talk of an interchangeable lens version that we're aware of. Read more below for details!

Leica Q and the "Delight Factor"

Over on What Digital Camera is a story talking about "The delight factor of cameras" and interestingly enough, features the Leica Q. It's an intangible, hard to quantify feeling but as Leica shooters, we all know it. As they put it, "the delight factor may be an emotional response to a camera, but it’s as important as any physical feature." We'd have to agree. What about you?

Epson Inkjet Printers Robbing You Blind

We've all had that sneaking suspicion that inkjet printers wasted a lot of ink, especially during "cleaning cycles." What we do know is that inkjet ink is one of the most expensive fluids on Earth. Well, it turns out the Epson 9900 is especially egregious. A single color cartridge runs about $100 USD (with a full set running $1,000 USD). In testing, on average, a 700ml cartridge will still contain about 100ml of ink when you’re forced to replace it (often they contain 150ml or more). On the smaller 350ml cartridge, 60-80ml of ink was left!


Why We Love These Relics

Some buy Leica cameras for their build and quality... Others, for their history. Such is the case in this BBC story, called "Why we love these relics." Naturally, the ultra rare Leica Luxus II from 1932 that recently sold for $1.6M USD at auction was mentioned. Also mentioned (and pictured above) is the 1937 Leica III that captured the iconic "Raising a flag over the Reichstag" photograph in 1945. Lovely cameras and their history; well worth a read.