The Leica SL

It’s here: a brand new Leica camera, called the SL. Aimed at professional photographers who need fast AF and high ISO performance. I’m very, very curious how it will perform in real life and how big the camera feels in the hand. What I’m even more curious about is what the next M will be like. There are rumours that Leica is developing a rangefinder mechanism that is opto-electronic, so without any mechanical parts for calibration. I guess we just have to be patient and enjoy our cameras in the meantime…

 

 

Wednesday Leica workshop day: angry police man

Last week Jan visited me all the way from Belgium to attend my workshop. While we were on a tour through The Hague we saw two guards in front of a government building. I told Jan to get a shot of the police man, without attracting their attention. I think the left guard did see something, but luckily he didn’t shoot back…

Leica M240 with 28 cron, by Jan

Wednesday workshop: 21mm portrait

I usually ask my workshop participants to bring their entire kit of cameras and lenses. Not to lug them around all day, but to point out some interesting features of the gear they have. A few weeks ago, one of my clients had a new Leica 21 Summilux and he told me he didn’t know why he bought it in the first place. I encouraged him to take a portrait of my wife Anita and explained how a fast wide angle can work to isolate a subject, but still show a lot of the surroundings. On his new Leica Monochome, we both liked the result.

Leica M Monochrome 246 with 21 Summilux

Waterproof camera bags

If you’re only slightly adventurous and take your precious Leica camera for an occasional spin on the water, this post might be of interest to you.

I’ve been on the water quite a few times and although I enjoyed these trips a lot, I didn’t take much pictures. Why? Simple, because I had to pack my camera bag into a dry bag with a roll top closure. Unpacking and repacking the camera took literally minutes, so you can imagine what happened.

Because I will spend a lot of time on the water next year (more about that later), I definitely wanted a waterproof camera bag. And I found one. I even found two! Ortlieb has been a the number one manufacturer of waterproof bags for outdoor enthusiasts. Recently, they introduced a product line with YKK AQUASEAL waterproof zippers. These bags are submersible up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Far more than I want my cameras to put through. The good thing is: these bags are just as accessible  as regular camera bags with a zipper. I’ve tested them yesterday very quickly, but a more in depth review will follow!