Category: Photography

It was a drab rainy day in Lincoln, but that did not stop be from grabbing my Leica M8 and shooting a few frames.  Nothing special on my walk this time but its always good to keep in practice.

Finally the Leica M10 is announced, the latest Leica.  I’ll be reading up about it and downloading RAW files to start test processing and developing my own custom development presets.  Then i’ll be able to make the decision on which new Leica to get.

The Leica comes in cheaper then the old M type 240, but the Britain leaving the EU and the uncertainty that has created has hit the pound hard so any potential savings on that front may be lost.

I like the look and love how they have implemented the new ISO dial, its also got built in WiFi so wireless non-tethered shooting is an option.

I am off to the photography show at the NEC March so will get my hands on one there hopefully.

I rang up my favourite dealer and got myself on the waiting list just in case though.

Leica have a few announcements it seems and they have sent out invites to the press for the 18th and 19th of January, better start dusting off the credit card.

There is a lot going on in Lincoln at the moment.  More university builds are going up, we have the new transport hub being build and the whole market and Cornhill area is now being redeveloped.  I’ll be interested in what they do with the latter.  Under the Cornhill they used to be a bar in the cellar, good drinks, good music; it was an odd place that attracted quite a mix of people from students, to rockers, punks and business men in their suits grabbing a decent drink before heading home.

If the rumours are true then this month is when Leica will finally announce the new M rangefinder, and i’ll have a key decision to make.

Currently for my Leica shooting, I use a Leica M4 for film work (see the first two photographs), and a Leica M8 with the M8.2 updates and upgraded shutter for Leica digital work (see example shot three).

Once its announced I have to decide what I want to do.

As I have said before on this blog, I want a new M for full frame, better high ISO performance and live view for situations that require critical focusing.

• New M10 (or what ever its going to be called)
• M Type 262
• M Type 240

The new M is likely to be at the top of my list and I expect it to tick all the boxes; the surprise for people is the Type 262, this is for some people a budget and cut down Type 240, it lacks live view, has no movie mode but is smaller, lighter and has a better shutter.  Last in my order of preference is the M240 or even the M240-P with the bigger buffer.  This again ticks all the boxes but is a heavier camera.

 

It was a little warmer yesterday so on the commute into Lincoln I decided to go without the heated waistcoat underneath my biker jacket.

Caroline and I both had reasons to be in town but for different purposes and as Caroline had to head home at lunchtime we went on separate motorcycles.

Because of that I had plenty of room in the BMW GS’S top box, so took my Leica M8 (with M8.2 upgrades) with me.

After a very busy morning, and it was after one o’clock before I thought I had better get some fresh air, so I grabbed the camera and did a little street photography.

With its CCD sensor and extra sensitivity to infrared the M8 is the next best Black & White camera next to real film or a Leica Monochrom.

I took the time to take a few snaps before heading off to my favourite coffee shop.

The new TL is now available, I still need to check but the external EVF thats available may also be the model that will fit the new Leica M.

More rumours and details of the new Leica M are starting to appear on line.  So far nothing official from Leica but the news is a thinner body, a new control wheel on the top right, which some rumours is ISO, other some type of mode or exposure compensation.  They are saying only three buttons on the back, it will have live view but no movie mode.

With the Leica SL its likely that the Leica M will more away from the jack of all trades the M240 attempted and failed to be.