Peter Karbe, head of the optical development department at Leica Camera AG, explains the reason behind the “slow” lens of the Leica X Vario camera:
“The design and construction of any lens is an attempt to create harmony among a number of sometimes contradictory requirements. It’s not good enough to optimize one single property of the lens; it’s much more a matter of achieving an equally high standard in many areas. I like to use a metaphor from the world of sports, comparing the process with the modern pentathlon, where only the best in all five disciplines can win.”
Amateurphotographer reviewed the Leica X Vario camera:
“Initially it is hard not to be frustrated by the relatively small maximum aperture of the camera’s fixed zoom lens, especially when many of its competitors have fixed f/2 lenses or larger. However, the camera handles very well and produces great images, and for most types of photography that the Leica X Vario will be used for the f/3.5-6.4 aperture shouldn’t be an issue. Overall, the Leica X Vario is an enjoyable camera to use, but it does come at a very high premium.”
The quiet revolutionary design classic at BBC:
“Many of the world’s great photojournalists have used Leica’s evergreen range of 35mm rangefinder cameras for their most memorable work, among them Robert Doisneau – who can forget his 1950 shot of two young Parisian lovers kissing in front of the Hotel de Ville? – Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rene Burri, Robert Capa, Elliott Erwitt and Sebastiao Salgado. And, of course, there was that image of Che Guevara – the Heroic Guerilla – which Alberto Korda said he took with a Leica M2, and which has been reproduced on millions of t-shirts, posters and coffee mugs ever since.”
Check out the leicaimages.com Hall of Fame.
The Leica store in SoHo still has a Leica M9 Titanium for sale (listed at $34,995).
The 45th annual LHSA meeting will be held in San Francisco on October 29 – November 3, 2013.
Stone Leica M3 sculpture outside of Arrow Camera in Yotsuya, Tokyo.
This large Leica camera is at the entrance of Leica Camera facility in Porto, Portugal.
Leica M vs. Contax G series video:
Inside the Leica Store and Gallery Los Angeles:
Watch Alfred Schopf, CEO, and Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Majority Shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, explain Leica Camera’s heritage and the next steps into the brand’s development against the backdrop of the Leica Store and Gallery Los Angeles, which opened its doors on June 20, 2013.
This Walter SD card holder is designed to look like a mini M:
