Just some images

Nothing to say really, just some images that I quite liked. some from the Canon 5D2 some from the Leica M8.
Which is which?

Leica M coded mount

My replacement coded mount arrived from the Ebay seller this week.
I couldn't fit it earlier as I didn't have a 00 cross head screwdriver.
However, this gave the paint I used to code the lens a chance to dry. I used some black Halfords high temperature engine paint and Homebase white gloss.
I bought a screwdriver today and fitted it this evening. It took about 5 minutes.
M8 recognised the lens as a 28mm so everything is good!

The mount as it arrived

After coding. I used a very small screwdriver tip to apply the paint.

Mount installed on my Elmarit 28mm v3

New Leica Monochrom

So, it turns out that Leica have announced a monochrome only Leica M. At least its kept the essential ingredients of a M camera.
Its going to be more of a niche product than the current M9, but I don't suppose this matters when your mainly known for a niche product anyway.
Using the entire sensor for B+W should, in theory at least, produce stunning images.


Ultimately it all looks a little bit desperate to me. A cynic might say an attempt to milk the existing Leica user base. Certainly the announcement of the Hermes editions looks that way, a bit like Leica did just before it was sold off.


Three things immediately came to mind:

• The base ISO of 320 together with the large apertures Leica users like to use could lead to problems with a max shutter speed of 4000th/sec in bright conditions leading to a higher risk of blown highlights.
• LR4 uses the different levels recorded by the RGB channels in the Recovery process, as often not all three channels blow the highlights. With, essentially only a single channel, this will not be possible.
• The inclusion of LR4 and Nik Silver EFX Pro with the M is also odd as both applications use the colour channels to make their B+W images.

I'm not sure Leica have the technology to progress their cameras much further on their own and the cooperation of Panasonic only goes so far, hence no  technological advancements in the revelations today.


I suspect that it won't be long before the offer is made to "upgrade" your existing M9/9P to M-M spec. For a price of course.


As a closing remark I have to say I think the omission of the red dot from the new M makes it look like a Russian copy.

Leica M base plate

I've been reading a lot recently about the forthcoming announcement (10 May) from Leica which many on the internet say will be the M10. These discussions predictably end up in Leica users being told by non-Leica users how out of date the M cameras are and how they would all be better off with a huge DSLR etc etc. It does make for some interesting reading but becomes somewhat repetitive after a while. 
One of the points the Leica detractors bring up repeatedly, and this was also mentioned on a dpreview.com piece on the M9, was the M camera continued use of the removable base plate to gain access to the SD card and battery. The detractors, and dpreview.com, say this is old fashioned and inconvenient. Well, my M8 shoots around 300 DNG's on a battery charge and why remove the SD card, why not just connect the camera to the computer with a USB lead? Removing the base plate is little more involved that opening the plastic flap most cameras have over their battery compartment/card slot. I honestly can't see it making very much difference to the operation of the camera.
I  hope the  M10, if it is indeed announced, retains the removable base plate, manual focus, centre-weighted metering, range finder focussing and weighty construction. These are what make a Leica M.

Filey with the Leica M8 and Elmarit 28mmm

I took a quick trip to Filey today, it was pretty much as it was in 1986 when I was last there.
I took the Leica M8 to give it a run out and I must say I'm still impressed with the way in the RAW files require a lot less adjusting in LR than the RAW files from my 5D2 and Olympus PEN. 

Hyperfocal distance 3m/f8

Rhosydd quarry

Last summer I took a walk up Cnicht and then around the head of Cwm Croesor passing through the ruins of Rhosydd quarry.
I had with me my Olympus 3040z and took a few quick pics as we stopped for a break.
I worked on these in Lightroom.

Disused quarry building Rhosydd, Croesor

Rusting remains of a truck chassis adapted into a winch