There was a surprise announcement at the Leica Day last week - Leica’s answer to the new Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus - the cool, compact Leica X1. A quick glance and I thought they’d shrunk the M series. Though smaller than the new M9, the X1 has a large, APS-C CMOS sensor - the same size used in most mid-range DSLR cameras. The X1 captures a 12.2-megapixel image file in DNG (RAW) + fine JPEG or DNG+ superfine JPEG, as well as two additional JPEG-only settings. It has a fixed, Leica Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 (35mm equivalent) auto focus lens.
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There have been rumors of a new Leica M-Series camera for a while. And appropriately, on 9/9/09, those rumors became reality. The Leica M9 is here. I made my way uptown in NYC to check out the new Leica. As an owner of the Leica M8, I like the direction Leica has taken with the M9 - especially the full frame sensor. The new camera is available in two finishes: a standard black and an all-new version finished in steel grey. I’m digging the steel grey.
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Today, at a special invite-only press event in New York City, Leica introduced a follow-up to their M8 digital rangefinder camera. The brand new Leica M9 sports an 18-megapixel full frame CCD sensor designed by Kodak. Our man, photographer Bob Scott, a Leica M8 owner, was at the introduction and we also have a follow-up article with his photos and thoughts on the new M9.
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Leica recently announced that their new S2 professional digital SLR will be available this October. I got to take a look at a pre-production Leica S2 at the annual PMA tradeshow this spring, and let me tell you - it’s no regular digital SLR. The Leica S2 makes even the Nikon D3x and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III look like amateur cameras. It’s a 37.5-megapixel monster of a camera, designed for studio and commercial photographers who can afford to shell out about $30,000 for a camera system. Sound ridiculous? I understand. Read on to find out more.
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Save from $200 to $500 with Leica’s mail-in rebate promotion on selected M-Lenses that runs from May 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009. The mail-in rebate amount is based on the MSP in the January 1, 2009 price list and is only valid for brand new lenses imported by Leica Camera Inc. and sold through an authorized Leica dealer in North America. Read the rest of this entry �

This Leica M8 review by member rossawilson1 was chosen for its detail and enthusiasm. Reviews by community members are the foundation of PhotographyREVIEW.com. Share your experience with other photographers by writing reviews for your cameras and other photo gear. You don’t have to be an expert - everyone’s opinion counts.

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Featured Review: Leica M8 Digital Rangefinder

by rossawilson1 (Intermediate)

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Every year, Leica holds a distinguished photography competition entitled the “Leica Oskar Barnack Award”. This year, the award is celebrating its 30th year, and to commemorate the occasion has decided to add an additional category to the contest. The “Newcomer Award” will be open to all photographers age 25 years and under. Additionally, entries will be solely accepted online, which began January 15 and will close on March 1, 2009.

Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2009 Press Release

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Leica Oskar Barnack Award Web Site
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The first digital Leica compact camera with system character

Leica will be introducing the D-Lux 4 at Photokina 2008. The D-Lux 4 is a premium compact digital camera featuring a new 10-megapixel sensor with more light-sensitive area on each pixel, a 24 - 60mm (35mm equivalent) wide-angle optical zoom lens, and RAW shooting capability. Leica and Panasonic have had a partnership for quite a while now and the D-Lux 4 is their version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 that was recently announced, with a couple of exceptions. Leica has their own proprietary JPEG processing and their cameras are styled very differently. And yeah - they also cost more.
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Leica’s Latest Pocket Camera - The C-Lux 3

The LEICA C-LUX 3 by Leica Camera AG, Solms, is a new elegant and high-performance digital camera from the Leica C-LUX line. The slimline compact camera offers easy operation and a clearly structured menu for carefree photography. The LEICA C-LUX 3 has a strikingly clear design that concentrates on the essentials: capturing and reproducing images…
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Leica Upgrades the M8 Digital Rangefinder

The Leica M8.2 digital rangefinder that’s being introduced at Photokina next week has actually been available to a select few photographers since this spring. At least, part of it has - there are some new additions. By joining the Leica M8 upgrade program announced at PMA this spring, an M8 could be upgraded to some of the key features of the M8.2 spec. The upgrade included a super scratch-resistant sapphire LCD cover and a quieter, low-vibration shutter unit, which are standard on the M8.2.
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Leica’s New Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 - World’s Fastest Lens

If you love shooting shallow depth-of-field photos or shooting in near darkness, then you are no doubt excited about Leica’s latest 50mm lens. The Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 lens has no equal - at least not right now. Canon made a Leica rangefinder-compatible f/0.95 50mm lens in the early 60’s (CANON 50mm f/0.95). Those lenses now sell for quite a bit on the used market. Leica also makes a 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux lens. Very impressive - but not quite as exciting now that the f/0.95 lens has been announced.
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New Leica Elmar-M 24mm Lens Perfect All-Purpose Lens For The M8

Leica says their new Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 Aspherical lens is the perfect all-purpose walkaround wide-angle lens for the M8 digital rangefinder. The digital rangefinder’s digital crop factor effectively converts the Elmar-M 24mm to a 32mm angle-of-view when mounted on the M8. The Elmar 24mm is compact, has excellent image quality wide open at the f/3.8 maximum aperture, and has almost limitless depth-of-field when stopped down a couple of stops. The Leica press release didn’t list a price, but it does point out that “lenses with a medium initial aperture” are usually far less expensive without sacrificing quality. So we might expect the Elmar 24mm to have a more regular guy price than most Leica lenses.
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