The Leica X1 is a compact camera with a fixed lens and an APS-C sized sensor. The camera has the largest sensor in it’s class, dwarfing Micro Four Thirds and the Sigma Foveon. I received some personal hands-on time with the camera. While I wasn’t able to put a card in to take samples (I handled a prototype) the short experience with the camera was overall quite positive and, in fact, it may very well be a camera that will put more pressure on other companies to start really developing their technology to do just the same thing.
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Since the announcement of the Leica M9, there has been much interest in the powerful but little camera. The main reason for this is the full frame sensor in such a small body. I had the pleasure and opportunity to finally fondle the Leica M9. I previously brought up the issue of really needing a rangefinder for street photography, and while I have not solved that question yet, I can tell you that the M9 has characteristics that surely can help with doing such things even at close range. However, it is not perfect. [click to continue…]
Today is 09/09/09, the day that Leica has said that they will make some new announcements catering to different crowds of people. So far, we’ve seen and heard so many rumors about the new Leica M9 that may be coming our way. According to LeicaRumors.com we’ll also possibly be seeing the X1 and the R10. Here’s what we’ve got for you so far since the webcast hasn’t begun yet here in NYC.
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The Leica M9 is set to be announced on Wednesday, September 9, 2009; however, a tipster sent a very official-looking brochure for the Leica M series (including the M9) to me today. The Leica M9 brochure reveals that the new camera packs an 18-megapixel, full frame 24 x 36mm CCD sensor.
The new CCD sensor appears to be a totally redesigned sensor, which uses a special layout of micro lenses to assure “uniform exposure and extreme sharpness from corner to corner in every image.” Additionally, the sensor is couple with a new filter to suppress infrared light; however, the a moiré filter was not included due to concerns of “image deterioration through loss of resolution” and the need to ensure maximum resolution of fine detail. Sensitivity range covers ISO 80-2500.
As you can see from the images, the Leica M9 offers a 4-way switch and dial on the rear, along with a 2.5-inch LCD screen.
In an interesting move, the Lecia M9 is supplied with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom as its RAW processing software. Purchasers of the Leica M9 can download the software for free. For its RAW format, the Leica M9 uses Adobe’s DNG standard. Speaking with Leica representatives at PMA 2009 about the Lecia S2, I was told that this decision was a natural fit due to Leica’s in-house software development limitations. Using a universal standard gives Leica the ability to focus on hardware. The Leica M9 produces 16-bit DNG files for maximum quality.
No word on price yet; however, you shouldn’t expect to find the Leica M9 at a discount price in your local Best Buy anytime soon. If you want all the details on this potential game-changer from Germany, get the complete specifications along with a couple of additional photos below. [click to continue…]
Photo by Nokton
The Leica announcement of new products that has been rumored around the net will be done in the form of a webcast. This is something that isn’t done often by camera companies but from the intro video, we can probably expect to see some exciting things.
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The Leica Super-Elmar-M 18mm f/3.8 Asph lens is a wide angle lens designed for use with the Leica digital M models. Additional details in the following press release. [click to continue…]
