Leica Rumors

Techart Leica M lens to Sony E-mount autofocus adapter demo videos

By LR admin | Published: January 24, 2016

Here are few more demo videos from the upcoming Techart adapter that will let you autofocus Leica M lenses on Sony a7 cameras (I will have more details on this adapter in early February, stay tuned):

Posted in Leica Accessories, Leica Lenses| Tagged Leica Adapters, Techart Leica M lens to Sony E-mount autofocus adapter, Techart Pro, using Leica M lenses on Sony E-Mount cameras| 12 Comments

The Year of The M

By Louis Ferreira | Published: January 23, 2016

The Year of The M

by Louis Ferreira (http://500px.com/LouisFerreira)

Like many Leica faithful, I’m an M fan first. It’s one of the only cameras I have ever owned that compels me to get out and shoot. It’s also due for updating in the immediate future and I think we can make some predictions from the recent lens announcements.

The new enhanced image performance of the Summicrons and Elmarit that were announced recently hopefully hint at a higher megapixel sensor than the 24MP sensor seen in the Leica Q and SL. These lenses were already very good on the M240, but maybe they needed to be updated for the new sensor in the upcoming M.

Posted in Leica M| Tagged Photokina 2016| 170 Comments

DxOMark on the Leica SL: best-performing Leica to date (with Nikon D750, Leica Q and Sony A7 II comparisons)

By LR admin | Published: January 21, 2016

DxOMark published their test results from the Leica SL Typ 601 camera – as you can see the SL offers a slightly better dynamic range compared to the M 240 and the Q, something Louis mentioned in his SL review:

Leica seems to have set up the SL sensor to offer better dynamic range around base ISO, which might have sacrificed some high ISO performance when compared to the Q, because 12,500 ISO is not as usable as it was on the Q. The SL has the potential to be sharper and has greater dynamic range than my M240 at low ISO, but I still would greatly prefer my Q and M240 when walking around a city at night.

2016 Leica Oskar Barnack Awards to open in 40 days

By LR admin | Published: January 21, 2016

The Leica Oskar Barnack Awards will be returning in 2016. Photographers can submit their applications and projects at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com for the chance to win one of several prizes, amounting to a total cash value of over €80,000. Entry for the 2016 Leica Oskar Barnack Awards begins on March 1, 2016 and runs through April 15, 2016.

Full press release:

Posted in Leica Press Releases| Tagged Oskar Barnack Award| Leave a Comment

Lomography announces new Jupiter3+ 1.5/50 lens (L39/M)

By LR admin | Published: January 21, 2016

Lomography announced a new Jupiter3+ 1.5/50 lens for L39 and M mounts.

Technical information:

Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: f/1.5 – 1/22
Lens Mount: L39, includes Leica M- mount adapter
M-mount Adapter Frame Line Triggering: 50mm frame line
Rangefinder Coupling: Yes
Minimum image circle: 44mm
Field of view : 46 degrees
Flange distance: 28.8mm (L39 mount) 27.8mm (M mount)
Closest Focusing Distance: 0.7m
Filter Thread Requirement: 40.5mm
Lens Construction: 7 elements in 3 groups

Sample photos (flickr):

Press release:

Posted in Leica Lenses| Tagged Lomography| 7 Comments

ExperimentalOptics 42mm and 50mm f/0.75 lens for Leica M project on Kickstarter

By LR admin | Published: January 21, 2016

There is a new project on Kickstarter from ExperimentalOptics for a 42mm and 50mm f/0.75 lenses for Leica M cameras. Read all the details here:

“The most challenging endeavour when making a new lens is, well, the lens, its optical construction. Experts on supercomputers can spend years calculating the perfect formulae, and the faster the lens gets, the more difficult the task. Luckily we don’t have to do that.
The lenses we use are finished, built and have been well-proven. They come from one of the most traditional, prestigious names in lens manufacturing: The Oude Delft, a highly acclaimed optics company from the Netherlands.
We have been able to secure a very small batch of these very rare lenses – in pristine condition. We are an expert company able to fit them with an M mount bayonet. The work we do is thus purely mechanical (including, of course, checking and cleaning the original lenses inside and out).”

Additional pictures:

Posted in Leica Lenses| Tagged Kickstarter| 8 Comments