Leica's Nightmare is Sony

We've ignored the casual comparisons until now, but it seems that the German press (more than others) is really focusing on Sony's latest A7/A7R cameras as a direct competitor to Leica. We're of the mindset that yes, the specs are impressive, as are the cameras themselves. But for their own reasons and not as a direct threat to Leica M cameras. We won't get into all the reasons why we believe this as we think our audience understands why already. In any event, this is the latest and most intense comparison yet, published by Die Welt and called "Leica's Nightmare is Sony" (in German). What are your thoughts? Read more below for translation.

New Leica Camera at PhotoPlus Expo

It appears that Leica will announce a new consumer camera at PhotoPlus Expo in New York next week, most likely on October 24. The only details we know is that Roland Wolff, Vice President of Marketing for Leica Camera USA, will make the announcement. Leica’s consumer models are usually re-branded Panasonic models, but the company isn’t saying if that will be the case. The announcement is part of a series of events Leica is planning during PhotoPlus Expo. Update: It's here!

Leica X Vario City Challenge

Experience the Leica X Vario in this creative challenge for 120 participants in 4 cities. The Leica X Vario City Challenge is a coast to coast Leica Camera photo competition with a twist! Leica fans in four cities— New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Miami—can compete for the chance to win a Leica X Vario among many other valuable prizes. 30 lucky participants in each city will be invited to shoot with a Leica X Vario during the City Challenge. Sign up quickly, be creative, select your favorite image, and submit it to the competition. Read more below for full details.

Leica Store Inventory Network on Tablets?

In a video found on Youtube called "EnergyNet for Leica" (also seen below) we see a concept video of a tablet-based P.O.S. (Point Of Sale) terminal, product information and inventory application that would be network with other Leica Stores to manage inventory and be able to coordinate the data. Imagine that Leica M that you've been waiting for - it could be looked up on a realtime map displayed on the screen in-store and perhaps at home, telling you which Leica Stores have one in stock. You could also call up product information in the store, to access technical specifications, manuals, etc. The application is being proposed by a company based in Frankfurt, Germany called Energy Net GmbH the intelligence company. Read more below for video.

Gagosian Reopens - Limited Edition Leica X2

The Gagosian Gallery in New York has announced that the Gagosian Boutique on Madison Avenue, is to reopen. To mark the occasion, products by German brand Leica Camera are to be on sale in the shop. Leica Camera, which is associated mainly with artistic photography, is working with the Gagosian Gallery on the creation of a limited edition camera, which is to be sold exclusively in the Gagosian Boutique as of December 2013. As one of the two exclusive Leica Boutique dealers in New York City, Gagosian Shop features an in-house display with a full product assortment. The dedicated Leica display features the new X Vario, X2, X2 à La Carte, V-LUX 4 and D-LUX 6 including complementary accessories. In addition, select sport optics are available for sale, including the Monovid close-focus monocular and Ultravid compact binoculars.

Panasonic and Leica to Bolster Partnership?

Could we see more Leica-branded Panasonic cameras in the future? Panasonic Corp. is considering bolstering its business partnership with Leica Camera AG and supplying the German camera maker with high-end digital cameras, as it looks to shore up its flagging digital camera business, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. As many of you may know, Panasonic makes several models for Leica, which they "re-brand." A good recent example of this is the Leica C (Type 112) which is a Panasonic LF1 underneath - given the Light-gold and Dark-red Leica treatment.

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