Welcome to this week’s Leica news. We bring news of a new underwater housing for Leica M10 and M11 cameras, an M lens with depth-of-field graphic from 1951 and a white ceramic recreation of the iconic V1 Summicron 35mm from the 1950s. And there is a significant jubilee drawing close…
Really Right Stuff Q3 grip
US manufacturer Really Right Stuff has added a Q3 hand grip to its series, which covers the Q2 and SL2. It is now available for pre-order at a cost of US$225. Our regular contributor John Shingleton is a firm fan of these unusual but very sturdy and function grips. He uses a grip on his Leica Q2 and tells us the grip has well-placed finger holds and is very comfortable to use. The series has cutouts in the bottom plate to allow access to SD card and battery without removing the grip.
The quality and finish is superb, according to John, but it comes at a price which is $30 more than the Leica accessory grip. However, the Leica grip offers wireless charging (using the additional charging pad). On the other hand, the finger grip is less comfortable and the unit must be unscrewed from the camera to provide access to the battery and SD-card slot.
Underwater housing for Leica M10 and M11
Tamarkin Camera of Chicago has launched an underwater housing for M10 and M11 cameras, which has been independently certified by DOER Marine to a depth of 313 feet (ca. 95 m). The Sub13 Underwater Housing can be used with many Leica M lenses and is machined to the highest standards. It is supplied with its Pelican case and costs $7,000. You can obtain further details by emailing sub13@tamarkin.com.
Nothing new under the sun
Last week we reported on the new Thypoch Simmer 28 and 35mm lenses with an “automatic depth-of-field scale” and pointed out that this was something Leica hadn’t thought about. Perhaps there is a good reason because reader S. Lee points out that this idea is very similar (f not identical) to the design of the 50mm Alpa Kern Macro-Switar f/1.8 and f/1.9 introduced 72 years ago in 1951.
More Leica news: White ceramic M lens
Light Lens Lab is to announce a new white-ceramic limited edition of its established 35mm f/2 eight-element, six-group lens. The 35mm f/2 is a recreation of the iconic V1 Leica 35mm Summicron which arrived in 1958 in both LTM and M mounts and ceased production in 1969. The ceramic LLL version will be limited t0 200 pieces and will sell for $1,049, according to Photo Rumors.
Q Bag Titanium from Oberwerth
German bag and strap manufacturer, Oberwerth, has introduced a new titanium-grey leather bag specially designed for the Leica Q Ghost Edition. The Q Bag Titanium costs €549 including tax in Germany or £422 (plus tax and shipping). Handmade from robust casual leather, the bag has a tailored interior design that is specially suited to the Q range. If you were not lucky enough to grab one of the 150 Ghost Edition cameras, the Q Bag Titanium is just the job for lesser Qs. It is also available in a wide range of colours to keep anyone satisfied. You can get 10% off the Oberwerth Q Bag Casual in titanium colour until 4 February 2024 using the code titan10.
M Magazine for free
Over a period of time, Leica and the LFI magazine published a magazine dedicated to rangefinder photography. Five issues came out between 2014 and 2016. While the technical content relating to cameras of the time might seem a bit obsolete (but, mind you, there are still many M Typ 240 cameras around and many happy users), the photography is still stunning. Magazines give a lot of inspiration in my experience. And the carefully curated M Magazine is definitely worthwhile spending some time with it. The English edition can be read via the international LFI website for free. With the LFI app, you can also download it to your mobile device. Thanks to Leicarumors for making us aware.
And we expect Leica news for a special occasion…
Do you have any idea what happened von 3 April 1954? On this day 70 years ago, the photokina opened in Cologne. What was to become the world’s leading trade exhibition for everything with photography was a statement in post-war Germany. After all, the country’s infrastructure was still heavily damaged nine years after the war. The photokina is, sadly, history. It has fallen victim to the disruption in the photo industry and the decline of the exhibition business. But one thing lasts: During the photokina 1954, Leica fist showed the M3. The ground-breaking camera with bayonet mount and integrated rangefinder has become a legend since then.
And, miraculously, Leica still produces this legendary camera (well, almost). The modern M-A is basically nothing other than an M3, only with the (more versatile and less precise) 0.72 viewfinder instead of the original 0.91 version. Can you imagine any consumer product that has literally remained the same for 70 years now? I think it is time to thank Leica for their commitment to legacy and film cameras. A product that is being produced over the lifespan of a human is really something special.
Ten years ago, Leica released the M Edition 60…
And, of course, we are more than curious how Leica will celebrate the jubilee. Will we see a new M-Mount camera on or around April 3? The much anticipated M with an electronic viewfinder would certainly be a sacrilege. But who knows? Ten years ago, on the occasion of the M3’s 60th birthday, Leica surprised us with the M Edition 60 during the 2014 photokina (which had moved to autumn). It was the first display-less M camera and paved the way for the M-D, the M10-D and maybe… an M11-D?
A cup of coffee works wonders in supporting Macfilos
Did you know that Macfilos is run by a dedicated team of volunteers? We rely on donations to help pay our running costs. And even the cost of a cup of coffee will do wonders for our energy levels.