M9 Firmware 1.138 released
The improvements in the Firmware Version 1.138 are described on the Leica Blog
Poor man’s Summilux
Since i bought my first Leica M, i have always been torn between using a focal length of 35mm or 50mm for my street photography. I own both, the Leica 50mm Summicron and 35mm Summicron ASPH but have been thinking about upgrading to Summilux lenses (f 1.4) lately. Instead of spending a huge amount of money on two Summilux lenses, i decided to give the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f 1.4 a try.
This lens only costs a fraction of what a Leica lens would cost. At least on the paper, the Nokton 40mm looks like the perfect lens for me. It was in the mail only this morning so i haven’t had a chance to try it on the streets, but as you can see, it looks nice on the M9. I will post a couple of pictures taken with this lens as soon as i have some time. What i found out so far, is that focussing is a bit stiff (compared to a Leica lens) and that the build quality seems to be ok but not even close to Leica standards.
early morning sun – Berlin Neukölln
Some images i took today before i went to the office. I should do that more often. Early morning sun makes street photography quite easy as even the most banal situation looks spectactular.
color street photography slideshow
I put together a slideshow of color street photography images that i took over the last 12 months. I am not quite sure if color street photography is what i want to do in future. I am really looking forward to see what the responses to this slideshow will be.
The video is also available on youtube and, in much better quality, on vimeo.
Leica M9 and the missing anti-alias filter
I took the picture below this morning using my Leica M9 and a 24mm/f3.8 Elmar lens. Almost every digital camera on the market uses an anti-aliasing filter while the M9 doesn’t. The lack of an AA filter normally translates into appreciably higher resolving power but may in some cases also lead to aliasing.
I took 6323 images with the M9 before this happens for the first time. I have no clue why the aliasing can be seen in frame 6324, maybe it’s the lens in combination with the structure of the wall in the background. Whatever the reason is, as long as it just happens every 6000 images i don’t worry too much.
Brixton London
I took these yesterday while i was in Brixton to see the in-public exhibition.
Sidewalk
I took these yesterday morning in Berlin Kreuzberg.
MYFEST – Berlin Kreuzberg – batch 1
First batch, will do the rest of the film processing and editing later
- Leica M9/35mm Summicron ASPH -
this is not Budapest
No, this is not Budapest, it’s my hometown Berlin. I missed the annual seconds2real meetup in Budapest. The plan was to meet with my friends in Budapest last weekend. Unfortunately, because of the volcanic ash clouds over europe, Berlin airport was closed just a couple of hours before my plane was supposed to take off.
I really was disappointed when i found out that there’s no way to make it to the meeting. All my stuff was packed, i had the prints ready that i wanted to show to the others, and last but not least, i was really keen on shooting in the streets of Budapest. However, it should not be. Instead i spent one and half day taking pictures in Berlin (see below). Hopefully there will be another seconds2real meetup this year, maybe in autumn.
Berlin Neukölln
Some random shots from last weekends walk in Berlin Neukölln. I really like the area around Karl-Marx-Strasse a lot. There’s always a lot going on there, and because of the districts (unjustified) bad reputation, it’s very unlikely to stumble across DSLR-carrying-tourists there (which is a good thing).
Leica M9/Summicron 35mm ASPH
Leica M9 with black Leica logo
I got a black Leica logo from a friendly Leica employee last week and put it on my M9. The camera front now is completly black and sure looks better than with all the tape i used before.
Leica M9 firmware update on Monday
check Leica Rumors for details on the Leica M9 firmware update.
Leica M9
The M9 finally arrived. Yes, it’s great.
Below some pictures i took on the first day, nothing special. I seriously need to improve my digital workflow. Currently i need twice as much time for processing RAW files than with my usual (and proven) scan & post-edit workflow.
The Leica M9, perfect street camera?
Nick Turpin summarizes his Street Photography experience using the Leica M9 in his latest blog post.
Video tour of Leica M9 assembly and testing
Assembling The Leica M9 from Michael Reichmann on Vimeo.
Leica M9 Stephan Daniel Interview from Michael Reichmann on Vimeo.
Leica M9 – hands on
The guys at Leica Meister Berlin have been so kind to let me play with the brand new Leica M9. You will find some sample shots on my flickr stream. There are better folks out there for doing camera reviews, so this is just my personal impression. For comprehensive M9 reviews check my earlier posts.
The M9 feels very nice and the menus/buttons are much intuitive and usefull than with the M8. In terms of picture quality i am not really convinced. At least on my pictures there were some very obvious CA’s and i also wouldn’t recommend to use something beyond ISO 640. What i see in LR is in no way comparable with the 5D mk2 or even the old 5D – but then again the 5D is a clunky DSLR while the M9 as a Rangefinder shares all the advantages of my MP or M6. I don’t think i will buy the M9 any time soon but i’am glad it exists. This time Leica did everything right and i am sure that the M9 will be a good deal for them.
more details and tests of the Leica M9
Leica M9 Microsite
Leica M9 Betatest 1
Leica M9 Betatest 2
Leica M9 Performance Proofs
Leica M9 – hands on at dpreview