The Ace Café has become a landmark of motoring and youth culture in Britain and beyond. Opened in 1938 as a practical 24‑hour rest stop for drivers, the Ace evolved into an iconic meeting place for motorcyclists in the Fifties and early Sixties. It closed its doors for the last time in 1969; however, decades later, it was revived in the 1990s, both as a working transport café and as the inheritor of its legendary past.
Light Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 Double Aspheric: Long-term review
I have some history with 35mm M lenses. I currently own a number of them, and my collection would be even larger if I had not, regrettably, parted company with several others. So, when I learned of the Light Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 Double Aspheric, an homage to one of Leica’s legendary lenses, it was difficult to resist adding yet another example to my 35mm collection.
Hasselblad Masters 2026 Competition: Finalists announced
Hasselblad today announces the 70 finalists of the Hasselblad Masters 2026. The selected works are distinguished by creativity, fresh perspectives and conceptual strength in visual artistry.
Labour of Love: How Mike wrote 5,000 articles for Macfilos over 18 years
At a conservative estimate, our editor Mike Evans has written over seven million words for Macfilos in 5,000 articles over the past 18 years. In quantity, if not quality (Mike would say), this is a staggering example of dedication. It’s ten times more words than the Bible, eight times more than Shakespeare, 1.6 times more than Charles Dickens. The only individual I can find who has been more prolific is the British author Charles Hamilton, with his reputed 100 million, including the Billy Bunter series under the pseudonym of Frank Richards. Good luck to him, says Mike.
Is the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative? Here comes the real-world review
These similarities are certainly no coincidence. The Fujifilm X-E5 looks like a rangefinder camera and seems to deliver much of what users expect from a Leica M. But is the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative to the Leica? As a long-time rangefinder photographer, I put it to the test.
Panasonic expands Lumix S9 ecosystem with new finish and compact 40mm prime
Panasonic is adding a Lumix Black Titanium S9 edition to the range of options for its compact full-frame camera. In parallel, the company is introducing a new, compact 40mm f/2 L-Mount prime, in matching finish.
Leica joins with Chinese sensor manufacturer, aiming for new levels of imaging quality
Leica announced on Monday that it will introduce new sensor designs for future models, thought to be the M12, Q4 and SL4. The company has formed a strategic partnership with the Chinese manufacturer, Gpixel, a leading global provider of CMOS image sensors based in Changchun in north-east China. The move will enable Leica to collaborate in their design and will provide the ability to tailor new high-performance imaging sensors for the next generation of Leica cameras.
The Answers: Choosing between monochrome and colour conversion images
For the whole of last week, Macfilos focused on the joys of monochrome photography. John Shingleton rediscovered the joy. We looked back at the career of James Jarche, the Fleet Street photographer who captured Wallace Simpson and the future King Edward VIII in public. Jono Slack helped us revisit one of the great monochrome cameras, the Leica M11 Monochrom. Mike Evans recalled the astonishing career of Don Morley, who seemed to be right at the centre of many of the great photographic opportunities of the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties.
41 Days with the Leica M EV1: Love at first sight, but is it a long-term relationship?
I am not a rangefinder user. I find manual focusing and the limitations of the traditional rangefinder frustrating. But after the Leica M EV1 was unveiled in October 2025, I looked into the camera’s design features before making the momentous decision to take the plunge. It also meant buying a lens — no helpful kits with the M EV1. The camera, lens, and accessories were in stock, and two days later I was in business. Was it the start of an unbreakable bond, or would it turn out to be a mistake? That’s what I’m going to answer.
Can you tell the difference between a pure monochrome image and one processed from colour?
If you were around in the late 70s and early 80s, you may have seen a quite dramatic advertising campaign for Memorex cassette tapes — Whatever happened to Memorex? The campaign featured a man sitting, almost reclining, in a chair, his hair blown back while listening to loud music. The tag line was “Is it live or is it Memorex?” The implication was that you could (hardly) tell the difference. And that challenge is inherent in digital B&W or monochrome photography today: “Can you tell the difference between an image from a dedicated monochrome camera and an image shot in RAW and then post-produced?”
The story of Don Morley: Shaping press photography over the decades
Over 60 years ago I worked with Don Morley, a life-long Leica enthusiast, a professional photo journalist of repute and an outstanding photographer. In those days, he was one of the staffers at Dorset House, home of a multitude of technical magazines including Amateur Photographer, Flight, Autocar and The Motor Cycle where I was a young journalist. I was the bane of his life, constantly asking for ever more impressive riding shots of the latest Triumph or Honda as I circled the roundabout at the southern end of Waterloo Bridge.
Review: Leica M11 Monochrom after eight months of testing
Normally, one expects around a five-year product cycle from Leica, but It’s only just over three years since the release of the M10 Monochrom and only just over a year since the release of the M11 itself. Yet, we now have the Leica M11 Monochrom to tempt us. Leica has decided that the Monochrom is important enough to bring it further forward in the product cycle, which is no surprise when you realise how popular the previous Monochrom cameras have been.
How I rediscovered monochrome after 15 years as a non-believer
For more than forty years I was a monochrome photographer, with only occasional forays into colour when finances permitted. I had a home darkroom with a Leitz enlarger and did all my own developing and printing. Despite this long-term involvement with monochrome, when colour photography became so much more accessible financially with the advent of digital, I enthusiastically switched to being a colour-only photographer.
Timeless: Through the Lens of John Goldberger
Leica Camera, in partnership with Ernst Leitz Werkstätten, will stage a curated photographic exhibition at the Leica Store Geneva, to be held during the renowned Swiss international horology fair this April. Entitled Timeless: Through the Lens of John Goldberger, this exhibition is the result of a creative collaboration with Auro Montanari alias John Goldberger, distinguished watch collector, author of eleven books and Leica photographer.