Submitted by Double Negative on August 25, 2011 - 8:28am
The newly revamped Voigtländer 35mm f/1.2 Nokton II is starting to trickle in around the globe! The price in the United States is projected at $1399, and the (only) hood (the LH-8) is $109. The performance of the lens remains to be seen, but what we do know is that it's a little bit shorter in length over the old version with a revised optical formula. Also new is the chrome ring around the front of the lens, much like the Zeiss ZM line. More info available on the Voigtländer site.
Submitted by Double Negative on August 23, 2011 - 12:28pm
Back on August 7th, I posted that the Leica Compendium 2nd Edition was shipping. Just to let everyone know, I just received my copy here in the USA. So if you've got one on order, keep an eye out on the mailbox...
You can look forward to a review of this massive book, along with others - in the review section in the near future.
Submitted by Double Negative on August 22, 2011 - 11:31am
White balance. On digital cameras you can select from a variety of white balance settings (e.g. Daylight, Cloudy, Shade). When shooting DNG, it's not that important since you can change it during import - but if you are shooting a series of photos in similar light, it's worthwhile to select the proper white balance so you don't have to change every image you import and because the "Auto" setting might set the exact balance differently between them all. Shooting JPEG, it's important to select the proper white balance before shooting!
Submitted by Double Negative on August 22, 2011 - 8:55am
Metering. Some times you have a tricky lighting situation or need a convenient "grey card." Use what's around you and meter the sky or the back of your hand, and add one stop - or just meter some grass - to get a roughly 18% exposure. If you don't have a meter, use the "Sunny 16" rule which states that at f/16 you set the shutter speed to the reciprocal of the ISO (e.g. 1/125s for ISO 100). You can adjust from there and if the lighting doesn't change - neither does the exposure. Both film and digital have enough of a latitude to make up small differences.
Submitted by Double Negative on August 18, 2011 - 1:29pm
An interesting statistic, based on a recent statement from Leica on M9 battery issues they state, "There have been 15 cases of this problem, which is equal to 0.05% of the total units sold." We can extrapolate and conclude that Leica has sold roughly 30,000 M9 cameras since 09/09/09. This comes out to approximately 40 cameras a day!
Submitted by Double Negative on August 18, 2011 - 12:02pm
Submitted by Double Negative on August 15, 2011 - 8:55am
The self timer. More useful than you think, especially on the M9. When in bulb mode you can hit the shutter button once to open the shutter and the LCD will count up the seconds (up to 240). Just hit the shutter button again to close the shutter. On the Ti M9 it's the only way to use bulb since it lacks a threaded cable release socket. The M7 and M8's LCD work the same way (going up to 999), but you'll need a locking cable release to keep the shutter button down. New on the M9 is the ability to disable it altogether to prevent accidental activation.
Submitted by Double Negative on August 12, 2011 - 4:05pm
Added today is the Lens Primer - Advanced Topics article.
The third article of the series, this one gets into more advanced topics such as optical aberrations, lens design elements, ergonomics, bokeh and more.
Submitted by Double Negative on August 12, 2011 - 8:59am
Heliopan has announced the new Vario ND filter, a variable neutral-density filter. This is great news as some of the other options available currently are just not usable. Unfortunately, at least for now - the available sizes of the new filter run from 52-82mm. List price ranges from €140-220,- (incl. 19% MwSt.). However, there are still some lenses that can use it, such as the Cosina/Voigtländer 35mm f/1.2 (52mm) and 50mm f/1.1 (58mm) Noktons and of course, the Leica Noctiluxes (with step-up rings). Here's the press release:
Submitted by Double Negative on August 9, 2011 - 12:45pm
Added today is the Lens Primer - Creative Controls article.
The second article of the series, this one delves into the creative aspects of a lens. Using focus and depth of field, perspective and even "signature" in creative ways.
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05/13 - Flowers
