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Mike is looking forward to the Leica announcements later this week. He will be reporting from Germany but definitely not from Wetzlar. He could even be on a train…..

Fuji has introduced a Mark II version of its granddaddy X-Pro 1, the camera that helped start the mirrorless boom. Five years is a long time in digital computing and the original X-Pro led the market with its retro styling, hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder and a completely new lens-mount system.

The Leica D-Lux 7 turns out to be a very pretty camera, one of the most Leica-like compacts the firm has produced so far. With its head-turning looks, the camera packs another surprise — it costs under £1,000, just £145 more than its Panasonic sibling. That’s got to be a good deal.

The Birmingham Photography Show has become a fixture on the Macfilos calendar and I always look forward to the chance of catching up with friends and business contacts. This year turned out to be busier than I remember it in past years. As always, there are wonderful characters to meet and photograph, not to mention the studio scenes set up for visitors to try out the various cameras and lenses. Yesterday we went by train but, before leaving the office, picked up the rather neglected Leica Q to remind us of its capabilities. It turned out to be an excellent choice, particularly because of the 28mm lens, for an exhibition.

It's a topsy turvy world. What is deadly dangerous one minute becomes safe the next. Our laptops and cameras have been shuttling around between cabin and hold for the past six months. But now, it seems, we've been doing it right for years.....

Finding a suitable strap for small cameras such as the Ricoh GR is a challenge. Mike's friend Steven Kwan has discovered the ideal solution: an index-finger leather loop to keep the camera in check while allowing comfortable operation. 

The popular blue book, the Leica Pocket Book has risen phoenix-like from the ashes under the aegis of its new owner, Red Dot Photo Books. If you don't already own a copy, here's a new chance to stock up on Leica lore with the 2018 reprint....