Leica M9-P (& Alex Majoli Tries It In Venice)

This is (to use cable news terminology) Breaking News out of Paris for Leica.

The Leica M9 now shares the limelight with its twin (well almost twin) the new Leica M9-P. Both share the exact same technical features, but differ is some details.

In terms of cosmetics, the new M9-P doesn't have the red Leica red dot on its front, but has an engraved logo on its top plate. This is something photographers who prefer the Leicas to remain unobtrusive will like. Not a big deal for me since I cover the red dot and Leica name with black tape on my M9.

The Leica M9-P also features an extremely scratch-resistant, almost unbreakable, sapphire crystal cover for its LCD monitor display. Leica claims it has antireflective coating on both sides which improves image reviewing.

The new model is available in the classical Leica silver chrome camera finish or in black paint, and vulcanite leathering cover.

Photo © ALex Majoli- Courtesy Leica

Leica has chosen Alex Majoli to shoot a feature in Venice with the new M9-P, of which the above picture is from.

Aaaargh! The Panasonic GF3 Is Pimped!

Photo Courtesy PetaPixel

I love my Panasonic GF1....I didn't like the Panasonic GF2, and I certainly don't like what the engineers at Panasonic came up with for the third iteration of the model. It seems the company is now leaving the "wannabe rangefinder" style and ergonomics that worked well with the GF1, and decided to get the GF3 as close as possible to the compact point and shoot segment as possible. Ridiculous.

That's how PetaPixel describes it: " In terms of differences (with the GF2), it has a faster processor that allows for faster autofocus times, weighs 15% less, is 17% smaller, and is also even more simple than the GF2 — it lacks a hot shoe and has a pop-up flash there instead."

Thanks, but no thanks. The Panasonic engineers and marketing people seemed to have aimed at a an interchangeable lens camera, but with simplistic and minimalistic controls. Why would consumers who like point and shoot cameras want interchangeable lenses...and pay upwards of $300 for each? It doesn't make sense.  Moreover, the GF3 has no hot shoe for an external flash or an external viewfinder. Another concession to the P+S consumers.

There are still stocks of the Panasonic GF1 around, and my guess is that they won't remain for long. The Fujifilm FinePix X100 looks great, but is expensive and has a fixed lens, and I am not sure if it's as as good as its reviews. Some of these reviews sound overly laudatory, and I sense it doesn't live to its hype. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I am glad I have the GF1...and the M9.

Fujifilm FinePix X100: Video Ad

As some of my readers know, I was initially interested in the Fujifilm FinePix X100 as street photography "machine", but lost interest when its price of $1200 was announced. I thought the price was too rich for my taste and because it was limited by a fixed lens, because I happily owned a Panasonic GF1 that I could use as a high end point & shoot, and because I subsequently bought a Leica M9....thus covering all my needs and more.

It's certainly a beautiful camera, and for those who are interested, Steve Huff has a real life review of the Fujifilm FinePix X100 here.

The above video ad has spread rather rapidly on the internet. It's in Japanese and has some eerie and weird scenes...some time lapse, some sexual content...some disturbing and others that are "photojournalistic" in style. It certainly is aimed at a Japanese audience.

For those who prefer more sedate eye candy, drop by the FinePix X100 Professional Photographer's compact digital camera's official website.

"Thumbs Up" For Leica M9

I've been slowly getting used to my Leica M9 over the past weeks and I, coming from a line of Canon DSLRs, found its handling to be rather challenging. The Leica M9 is sleek and aesthetically beautiful but it didn't rest in my hand as well as I would've liked. I had to really grasp it well because there's nothing on its body that I could get a grip on...nothing like the hand contour in the Canons for instance.

Poking around the internet, I found that the Leica M9 hand grip was sold at B&H for $250, and poking around even further landed me on Steve Huff's Leica blog and his praise for the ThumbsUp which is a thumbs grip manufactured by Tim Isaac of match Technical Services.

There are a number of styles available for the ThumbsUp thumb grip, and I chose the Thumbs Up EP-1. Receiving a quick response to my inquiry from Tim that he was out of stock but who provided me a list of stockists, I chose PopFlash.Photo in California, and I ordered it on Monday for the grand total of $130.88.

It arrived today! Very well crafted, the Thumbs Up EP-1 fitted perfectly in the Leica's hotshoe, and enormously improved the camera's handling. I feel the M9 is more securely grasped in my hand with it. I look forward to leave it on the M9 as long as I use it.

I have no relationship with either match Technical Services or PopFlash.Photo. I like the EP-1 and its quality, and both companies delivered excellent service.

New Nikon ME-1 Stereo Microphone

I guess it was just a question of time before the camera manufacturers would come up with microphones that can be used with their digital DSLRs.

Nikon's foray in this field is the Stereo Microphone ME-1, an compact stereo condenser microphone that features a hot shoe mount, a 3.5mm stereo output connector, and a removable windscreen, as well as a "noise dampening components designed to minimize noise resulting from AF operation," according to Nikon's press release.

The ME-1 is meant for use with Nikon digital cameras that incorporate a stereo audio input jack, including the D3S, D300S, D7000, D5100 and P7000. The new microphone does not require a battery; instead, it draws power from the connected camera.

The issue with any camera mounted microphones is that every whirr, click or hum that the camera makes in its normal operation is picked up.

Via Rob Galbraith DPI which reports that its estimated selling price of US$179.95 in the U.S.

Leica & Magnum Announce Photo Essays Series!

Two names, well-known to all photographers and photojournalists, Leica and Magnum are collaborating to produce a series of multimedia essays that will take a deeper look into the stories behind the photographs.

The first installment in the series is “Leica & Magnum: Past Present Future”, and examines the legacy of Magnum photographers and Leica users from the Spanish Civil War to the present including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Bruce Davidson, Elliot Erwitt, Constantine Manos, Susan Meiselas, Alex Webb, Gueorgui Pinkhassov and also features photos from Inge Morath, Gilles Peress, Stuart Franklin, David Alan Harvey, Rene Burri, Dennis Stock, Burt Glinn, Paul Fusco, Alex Majoli, Paolo Pellegrin, Alec Soth, Jonas Bendiksen and George Rodger.

New Tascam DR-05 Digital Audio Recorder

Good news for budget-minded multimedia photographers! Tascam has released the DR-05 portable audio recorder for $99.99, and is aiming straight at the comparable Zoom H1. It records WAV or MP3 files at rates up to 24-bit/96kHz to microSD or microSDHC cards, and has integrated microphones and speaker. It's powered by two AA batteries or an optional AC adapter. It sports a threaded 1/4 x 20 mount for convenient tripod mounting.

The Tascam DR-05 can be seen on and ordered from B&H Photo-Video (which offers free shipping on this product).

More details of this new entrant in the budget handheld audio recorders can be found on its manufacturer's website.

While I'm still happy with my Marantz PMD620, I am on the lookout for a replacement that's smaller, lighter and that would take less space.

I should also note that there were some reports that the Zoom H1 had battery longevity issues.

POV: No Auto Focus Is Killing Me!

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

 Having decided to re-learn photography and rely less on my Canons' computerized wizardry, I strolled into NYC's Chinatown yesterday to try my hand at self-focus on a Leica M9 fitted with a Elmarit 28mm f2.8.

The verdict? To keep it simple and to the point...self-focusing is a bitch. The M9's handling is great, color rendition is great, controls are fine and intuitive...but the focusing is really tough, and it's frustrating.  Using it yesterday in virtually ideal conditions (cloud cover, etc) reminded me of when learning how to windsurf years ago. I kept falling every other second, until I finally managed to stand up for a few minutes then it was back in the water...and so on, until I finally understood the wind direction, and found my balance.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I have yet to find my balance in having no auto-focus. It's early days and I'll eventually get it. My frustration level will ebb and flow with every shutter click...but if the ebb is more than the flow, then I'll get there.

I hope.

BJP Does The FujiFilm X100

The British Journal of Photography has just featured a hands-on review (not an in-depth one yet) of the FujiFilm X100. 

It appears that the FujiFilm X100 is extremely well designed, handles well (although a bit on the lightweight side according to the photographer using it), with good image performance, and very easy to use.

On the negative side, there's a shutter lag which may or may not spoil the "decisive moment" street photographers lust for, and while it may be part of a pro photographer's kit...it would not be his/her main camera.

It's really expensive in Britain, and moderately expensive in the US....and as I wrote in my earlier posts, I don't think the price is justified at all. I've looked at the initial image samples (via BJP's website) and I'm not too impressed.  As I said before, I believe the Panasonic GF1 (which I have and use) beats it hands down in terms of image quality, price and lens interchangeability.

FujiFilm FinePix X100: New Promotional Clip

As many of us may already know, Fujifilm has started shipping the FinePix X100 in Japan, and it should begin arriving elsewhere soon. The X100 is a large-sensor compact camera aimed at most photographers, whether professionals or otherwise.

Its sensor is based on a 12Mp APS-C CMOS sensor, Fuji EXR processor and 23mm F2 Fujinon lens, and the body features traditional analogue controls for shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation. The buzz is around its new 'hybrid' viewfinder system which allows the user to switch between an optical and electronic viewfinder.

Its price point in the US is $1,199, and is available for pre-order from Adorama, as an example. B&H Photo doesn't seem to do pre-orders, and will only list it when it's in stock.

It's certainly a beautiful camera, but I've lost interest in the FujiFilm FinePix X100 for a bunch of reasons; the first is that I am very satisfied with the capability of my Panasonic GF1 and its 20mm f1.7 lens, the second is that I am not impressed by the X100's price which I think is too high, the third is that it's a fixed lens camera (in contrast to the GF1), and the fourth (intentionally cryptic) is because of a dot.

FinePix X100 Shutter Demo & Pre-Order Price

The FinePix X100 with its cool retro look from Fuji is listed for pre-order from Adorama for the higher than expected price of $1,199. And according to BJP, Fujifilm has said that the camera will be on show at the Focus On Imaging in Edinburgh from March 6, thus allowing UK photographers to get their hands on the new model, ahead of its expected launch. It's expected that that the UK price will be  up to £1200 in the UK. No shipping date has been announced.

As per PetaPixel's post, Fuji also released the above video showing the camera’s aperture and shutter systems in action. The aperture looks quite round at all f-stops, which should lead to some pretty nice looking bokeh.

I sense the price point for the FinePix X100 is at least $200 too high, and that it ought to have been just under the $1000 mark. Although this camera is exciting, I shall wait for a few months to decide and have others more courageous than I am be the guinea pigs.

Panasonic's Lumix DMC GF2

Aaaaargh! It seems that engineers love to spoil a good thing. Panasonic has just announced the Lumix GF2, the updated version of its excellent mirrorless, lens-swappable GF1.

According to WIRED's Gadget Lab, the new GF2 comes with an updated image processor for a maximum ISO to 6400, a do-all touch-screen control, and an upgrade to the HD video mode.

The spoilers? Well, the mode selector on the GF1's top plate is gone, as well as the lever that allowed the user to choose between burst, timer and bracketing modes. The AF/MF selector is gone as well as the DOF preview button.

Moreover, the GF2's body is said to be 18% smaller and 7% lighter than its predecessor....which I think won't provide the satisfactory feel of holding a "serious" small camera as in the GF1.

The GF2 will go on sale in early 2011 but no price was announced yet. Thank you very much Panasonic/Lumix engineering staff...but I'll keep my GF1.

For a video comparison between the GF1 and the GF2 with a British perspective, drop by this website.

LCD Viewfinder (Meike)

One of the accessories I decided to get for both my Canon 5D Mark II and the new Canon 7D is a LCD viewer. which would be handy whenever I wanted to shoot video on either of these cameras.

Having looked at the B&H et al, I had the choice between the LCDVF at $170 or the much more expensive Zacuto Jr at $252, but thought these prices were too high for an add-on I would not use frequently. Some quick research led me to a post on the delightful Cheesycam website and another one here which suggested a much cheaper LCDVF clone ($59 including shipping et al) from eBay.

I deliberated for about 2 minutes, and ordered the clone from the vendor. Within less than half a day, I got an email with an acknowledgment, and a USPS tracking number. It was shipped from the vendor in Guangzhou (China) on October 20, and delivered to my door on October 26. Not bad, eh?

The amusing thing is it took 3 days to get from Guangzhou to Queens (more than 8,000 miles), and another 3 days from Queens to Lower Manhattan (less than 4 miles) where I live. Yes, I looked the distances up.

The boxed Meike LCD viewfinder and its accessories were well wrapped in a thick envelope, and the mailing address was perfectly labeled. The vendor is clearly professional and was understandably well recommended on eBay. I affixed the metal frames to both my cameras, and will test it soon. My immediate impression was that the camera was much steadier when videotaping with the viewfinder on. It steadies it against one's face.

I examined the LCD viewfinder for signs of poor workmanship but found none, and it comes with a useful pouch and a cleaning cloth as well. Oh, and there's a red plastic thingie around the top part of the viewfinder that matches the red line on Canon's L lenses...color-coordination!

One thing I know for certain: I'll never be a product or still life photographer....ever.

POV: Apple MacBook Air

Well, Apple's announcement that it added two MacBook Air laptops is immensely welcome as it provides an embarrassment of choices to its ever expanding fan base.

I am especially excited by the 11-inch MacBook Air, which measures 11.8 inches by 7.56 inches, and weighs only 2.3 lbs. The 64gb flash memory model starts at $999 and would be ideal as a travel laptop for photographers. Couple it with an external hard drive of whatever storage capacity works for you, and you've got a winner.

And it's $300 more expensive than the iPad (the one sans WiFi)....that's really intelligent pricing.

I guess it isn't really a netbook..or is it? Although Steve Jobs assertion they wouldn't do netbooks, I do think this is a posh netbook...and what I do know for sure is that I'll have to hide my credit cards before Xmas.

Damn!!!

Canon 7D Is Here...Well, Almost.

I've finally decided to replace my trusted and loyal (but ageing) Canon 1D Mark II with a Canon 7D. I hummed and hawed about whether to get the Canon 1D Mark IV, but balked at its price ($4900ish) and its weight....I thought of getting a second Canon 5D Mark II but wanted a much faster fps rate...and seeing a Canon instant rebate of $100 on the 7D, I jumped at it and now have it.

Well, I should say I almost have it, since although it's physically here I can't touch it for another few days. It's technically a birthday gift so it's in the no-touch zone until then.

I think I took the right decision in choosing the 7D. It's light in comparison to the 1D models, and its smaller sensor doesn't really bother me, especially since I have the 5D Mark II's full frame when I need it. The fast fps rate of the 7D will come in handy during festivals, religious rituals, ethnic celebrations...wherever there's action.

Next step? It might be either the Zacuto Optical Viewfinder or the more affordable LCD Viewfinder LCDVF. Santa will decide.

Western Digital iPad App

Hmmmm.....that's interesting.

Western Digital announced a free photo viewing application called WD Photos for the iPad that works with its line of external storage products like the My Book World Edition, My Book Live, and WD ShareSpace.  The app is said to allow the user to access up to 285,000 images placed in a shared folder.

The advantage in this is that saved images can be accessed using the app from anywhere through a web connection. The benefits to photographers are obvious...for instance, while traveling I could show my portfolio to anyone in the world on my iPad using this app. The app has pinch and zoom functionality,  and the images can be viewed in 1024 x 768 resolution on the iPad.

However,  wouldn't it be phenomenal if the iPad could connect to a portable external drive, on which I could download my travel photographs as I made them in the field? Once the photographs were saved on the portable drive, I could then use this app to access them (at least the jpegs) through a web connection.

How Many Arms Do I Need? And WTF?

I just read in WIRED's Gadget Lab that Zoom will launch a new Flip-like recorder that records beautiful audio for about $300. Stores expect it soon.

Zoom is the Japanese company that manufactures the various audio recorders that are popular with many multimedia producers, and which recently announced the affordable H1 Handy Recorder that I posted about here.

The plethora of useful (and others not so useful) products and gear aimed at multimedia producers, photographers, and videographers is incredible...but how do we carry and operate all this stuff?

And in the WTF? Department, here comes the Leica M9 Neiman Marcus Edition limited to a only 50 units. Engadget reports that it's "wrapped in a brown ostrich leather trim this time around, and it comes paired with a chrome-finished Summicron-M 35mm f2.0 ASPH lens", and costs $17,500.

A bargain. A trifle. A bagatelle.

I used to say (tongue-in-cheek like) that only orthodontists could afford the high end Leicas...but for this one, only hedge funds honchos need apply.

Timer Remote Control For Multimedia Projects

I was so impressed by Andreas Burgess' In The Courtyard of the Beloved that I solicited advice from my good friend Anamitra Chakladar, who suggested that the time lapse frames may have been produced by using an intervalometer.

The device is a remote switch with a cord and a self-timer, interval timer, long-exposure timer, and exposure-count setting feature. The timer can be set anywhere from 1 second to 99 hours, 59 minutes, or 59 seconds. Ignoring the more expensive Canon model on B&H, I found one on eBay for less than $50 including shipping.

The brand new device, called JJC TM and made in China, arrived last night in perfect condition. Its accompanying manual is somewhat sparse in details, so I'll have to figure it out on my own (which I prefer anyway). Once I do, I'll try it out on the traditional opera singers in Chinatown or some similar activity.

PS: I figured how to work it in a few minutes...without the manual's "help".

Fujifilm's FinePix X100: Digital "Rangefinder"

These are breaking news from Photokina...Fujifilm launched the FinePix X100, a 12.3-megapixel camera styled in a 1950s metal-and-leather body. It features and APS-C sized CMOS sensor and a fixed-in-place but bright and fast 23mm f2 prime lens. It also boasts an ISO range of 200 to 6400, and 5fps continuous shooting.

According to Engadget, this camera will interest many to-be DSLR buyers provided it's intelligently priced. Absolutely, and I would think it would also interest existing DSLR users who lust after a more compact camera.

The Luminous Landscape reports from Photokina that it may cost approximately US $1,700 when it becomes available early in 2011.

UPDATE (Sept 21): Fujifilm confirmed that it will retail for about $1000 and be available in March (via BJP's 1854 blog).

New Canon D60

It's all over the blogosphere...Canon announced the EOS 60D, a sort of “replacement” for the 50D. According to the reviews, the 60D body is plastic, and uses SD cards instead of the CF.

It's certainly built for video. It has a pop-out, tilt-and-swivel rear screen which, even if it's Canon’s first on an SLR, would just drive me insane. Video can be shot at different sizes and speeds. 1080p is available at 24p, 25p or 30p frame rates.

According to WIRED's Gadget Lab, its 18MP sensor (like the LCD panel) is the same as in the 550D or Rebel T2i, its AF system comes from the 50D and the 63-zone exposure meter comes from the 7D. So it's dubbed the "Frankencam".

It will go on sale in September for $1,100 body-only.

Santa, I have no interest.