Leica cameras

Summary
Description A Leica IIIf with a 50mm f/1.5 lens on it, and the external viewfinder





The Leica was the first practical 35 mm camera. The first prototypes were built by Oskar Barnack at E. Leitz Optische Werke, Wetzlar, in 1913. Barnack used standard cinema 35 mm film, but extended the image size to 24 × 36 mm. Barnack believed the 2:3 aspect ratio to be the best choice, leaving room for a 36-exposure film length (originally 40 exposures, but some films were found to be thicker).

Barnack's words, "Small negatives—large images", would soon change the world of photography.

The concept was developed further, and in 1923 Barnack convinced his boss, Ernst Leitz II, to make a prototype series of 30. The camera was an immediate success when introduced at the 1925 Leipzig, Germany Spring Fair as the Leica I (for Leitz Camera). The compactness of the camera, and its reliability and excellent lens, made it a success. The lens was the 4-element Elmar 50 mm f/3.5 objective designed by Dr. Max Berek at Leitz, influenced by the Zeiss Tessar. The focal plane shutter had a range from 1/20 to 1/500 second and Time (marked Z for Zeit).

In 1930 the Leica I Schraubgewinde with an exchangeable objective system based on a 39 mm thread was produced, with a 50 mm normal lens, a 35 mm wide-angle lens and a 135 mm telephoto lens available.

The Leica II came in 1932, with a built in rangefinder coupled to the lens focusing mechanism. This model had a separate viewfinder (showing a reduced image) and rangefinder (showing a double image which was properly focused when it became one image). The Leica III added slow shutter speeds down to 1 second, and increased rangefinder magnification to 1.5× for more accurate focusing. The model IIIa, introduced in 1935, added the 1/1000 second shutter speed. Also significant about the IIIa is that it is the last model made before Barnack's death, and therefore the last model he was wholly responsible for. Leitz continued to refine the original design through to 1957. The final version, the IIIg, included a large viewfinder with framelines, similar to the M3 finder, but still with the separate viewfinder and rangefinder. These models all had a functional combination of circular dials and square windows that was quite esthetically pleasing, although somewhat busy in appearance. All remain perfectly usable today if serviced properly.


In 1954 Leitz unveiled the Leica M3, a bayonet lens model, considered by many to be a design miracle for its combination of simple appearance with functional flexibility. It combined the rangefinder and viewfinder into one large, bright viewfinder with a brighter double image in the center, and introduced a system of parallax compensation. In addition, it had a new rubberized focal-plane shutter, which is known for reliability and is probably the quietest focal-plane shutter ever made. This model has continued to be refined (the latest versions being the M7 (with time automatic) and MP (fully mechanical), both of which have viewfinder frames for 28, 35, 50, 75, 90, and 135 mm lenses which show automatically upon mounting the different lenses); but the basic quality and simplicity of design has not changed. In 2006, Leica Camera released the M8, a digital successor to the M3–M7. The M8 requires the use of an infrared filter when shooting scenes containing certain materials, most notably synthetic black fabrics, due to its high sensitivity to infrared light.

Leica also produced a series of SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras beginning with the Leicaflex in 1964, followed by the Leicaflex SL and the Leicaflex SL2. Each of the Leicaflex models featured a mechanical shutter and electronic lightmeter, initially with non-TTL ("through-the-lens") light-metering, but with TTL metering from the SL onwards. The Leicaflexes were followed by the Leica R series, starting with the R3, which were initially made in collaboration with the Minolta Corporation. All R-series SLRs have an electronic shutter, except for the all-mechanical R6, whose only electronic part is the lightmeter. The R8 was re-designed and manufactured by Leica, with a larger body and a new, distinctive look. The R9, first manufactured in 2002 and current as of January 2008, has an optional Digital Module back. The Leica SLRs were well-received, but less successful than the company's rangefinder models. The optics were excellent, but more limited in variety than those offered by Leica's Japanese competitors in the SLR marketplace. Leica's SLRs also lacked the newer features of many Japanese cameras; models with through-the-lens metering and auto-exposure arrived later than their competitors, and Leica never made an auto-focusing camera. These issues and the extremely high price of Leica SLR cameras and lenses made them unattractive to working photographers.

Leitz was the first company to use aspheric, multicoated, and rare earth lenses, and many other important innovations. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Leica competed with the German Contax camera to be the best camera on the market. Leica lenses developed a mythology—it was said that photographs taken with them were distinguishable from photographs taken with other lenses. There has been much controversy about this.

Leica optics are well-known for superior performance at large apertures, making them well-suited for available-light photography. In particular, the high speed Noctilux 50 mm f/1.0 lens is famous in this regard. It was introduced in 1976 and is still being made. The Canon 50 mm f/1.0L USM for the EOS system has been discontinued; the Canon 50 mm f/0.95 is marginally faster but notoriously less sharp. See the article on lens speed for further information.

A number of camera companies built models based on the Leica rangefinder design. These include the Leotax, Nicca and early Canon models in Japan, the Kardon in USA, the Reid in England and the Fed and Zorki in the USSR.

Conceptually bridging the Rangefinder Leicas and the SLR Leicas was the Leica Visoflex System, a mirror reflex box which attached to the lens mount of Leica rangefinders (separate versions were made for the screwmount and M series bodies) and accepted lenses made especially for the Visoflex System. Rather than using the camera's rangefinder, focusing was accomplished via a groundglass screen. A coupling released both mirror and shutter to make the exposure. Camera rangefinders are inherently limited in their ability to accurately focus long focal-length lenses; the mirror reflex box permitted the use of much longer lenses.
The earliest Leica reflex housing was the PLOOT, announced in 1935, along with the 200 mm f/4.5 Telyt Lens. This date is significant because it places Leica among the 35 mm SLR pioneers. Until the 1964 introduction of the Leicaflex, the PLOOT and Visoflex were Leica's only offerings using SLR viewing. A redesigned PLOOT was introduced by Leica in 1951 as the Visoflex I. This was followed by a much more compact Visoflex II in 1960 (which was the only Visoflex version available in both LTM screwmount and M-bayonet) and the Visoflex III with instant-return mirror in 1964. Leica lenses for the Visoflex system included focal lengths of 65, 180 (rare), 200, 280, 400, 560, and 800 mm. In addition the optical groups of many rangefinder lenses could be removed and attached to the Visoflex via a system of adapters, providing additional focal lengths at the cost of some loss of image quality. The Visoflex system was discontinued in 1984.




Leica's sometimes arcane catalogue of accessories belies a comprehensive if sometimes haphazard systems approach to photography. As an example, LTM (screwmount) lenses were easily usable on M cameras via an adapter. Similarly Visoflex lenses could be used on the Leicaflex and R cameras with an adapter. Furthermore, certain LTM and M rangefinder lenses featured removable optical groups which could be mounted via adapters on the Visoflex system, thus making them usable as rangefinder or SLR lenses for Visoflex-equipped Screwmount and M rangefinder cameras, as well as being usable on Leicaflex and R cameras. Leica also carried in their catalogues focusing systems such as the Focorapid and Televit which could replace certain lenses' helicoid mounts for sports and natural-life telephotography.

Very early examples of Leica cameras and rare accessories are highly sought after by camera collectors and can fetch extremely high prices. Cameras carrying markings that show they were issued to the German army or airforce carry very high premiums. As a consequence there are many fake Leica cameras, usually based on Soviet cameras, with the Leica name engraved on the top-plate. Sought-after models include the IIId (the first Leica with integrated self-timer, made in very small numbers), the IIIc with unusual red shutter material and the last of the line, the IIIg with parallax-adjusting viewfinder brightlines for 50 mm and 90 mm lenses.

Leica cameras, lenses, accessories and even sales literature are almost fanatically collected by enthusiasts. There are dozens of Leica books and collector's guides; perhaps the best known is the massive 3-volume Leica an Illustrated History by James L. Lager, a former Leica employee. The Leica Historical Society of America[1] is the largest Leica collector and user group, boasting 2,000 members.

In 1986, the Leitz company changed its name to Leica (LEItz CAmera), due to the strength of the Leica brand. At this time, Leica Camera AG became an independent company in the Leica Group and moved its factory from Wetzlar to the nearby town of Solms. In 1996 Leica Camera separated from the Leica Group and became a publicly held company. In 1998 the remaining Leica Group split into 2 independent units: Leica Microsystems and Leica Geosystems.

The Leica Camera company still produces a range of expensive, very high quality optical products, including compact cameras, M-System rangefinder cameras (direct descendants of the first Leica), R-system single-lens reflex cameras, professional digital cameras, digital compact cameras (in association with Panasonic) such as the Leica Digilux 2 / Panasonic DMC-LC1, the newer Leica Digilux 3, binoculars, and spotting scopes.

Review: Sony DSR-PD170 (DVCAM)

Designed to appeal both to the serious enthusiast and professional users, but is the VX2100's big brother DVCAM model worth the additional expense?
Unveiled in late 2003 at Amsterdam's IBC exhibition, Sony's DSR-PD170 DVCAM camcorder was designed to succeed the DSR-PD150P - a model which has seen huge popularity not only among serious video producers but also many TV documentary programme makers who have opted for the camcorder's ease of single-operator use and portability that lighter models bring. This model sits in the middle of the company's range of professional-quality DVCAM products and uses the higher-specification DVCAM format which takes advantage of specially-formulated tape to record a track-pitch of 15 microns as opposed to Mini-DV's 10 microns (SP). The increase in this track pitch brings about a reduction in recording time, and for that reason the PD170 will record only 40 minutes on a tape which can be used to record 60 minutes of Mini DV footage. The DVCAM format is preferred to Mini-DV by broadcasters, not least because the models in the range offer proper balanced XLR audio inputs and a higher degree of manual control over how they're managed.

Design and Layout
Both camcorders share similar physical characteristics and handling, though a short-barrelled directional mono microphone is provided in place of the VX2100's built-in stereo microphone, with the whole of the carry-handle's front assembly being taken over by the PD170's audio facilities. All other aspects of the camcorder's design and layout are virtually identical to the DCR-VX2100 (see our exclusive review), with the exception that the body is a darker shade of grey. Compared to the average single-chip consumer DV camcorder, the PD170 is much heavier and sports many more features as befits its professional status. The large non-detachable f1.6 zoom lens features free-spinning focus and zoom rings as well as a new lens hood with a built-in shutter-style lens cap, which is activated by a switch to the rear left of the lens hood itself. The main left side of the body houses a 2.5" 211,000 pixel colour LCD screen, in addition to a selection of manual switches controlling focus (manual, auto, infinity check), two-step ND (Neutral Density) filter, manual iris (exposure) thumbwheel, an index marker button as well as a Push Auto which gives the operator instant Auto functionality in an emergency. Fader, Back Light and Spot Light buttons sit snugly on the lower left of the body near the tripod plate level. At the rear of the main body can be found a range of manual controls for Gain, Shutter Speed, White Balance and AE Shift. These are modified using the now-familiar menu thumbwheel, once the Menu function has been selected by the button that nestles among other buttons that hide behind the recessed LCD screen. It's here where the Display on/off, Data Code, Title and Timecode/U-Bit buttons are found along with a range of Memory Stick related functions, too. It's here where the button to activate the PD170's Zebra pattern generator is found, too. Supplied with the camcorder is a Sony NP-F330 InfoLithium battery which looks lost in the deep battery recess that is provided on the PD170 (as it is with the VX2100, too). The viewfinder is a definite improvement over that of the PD150, and now sports a larger cupped rubber eyepiece which can be adjusted to suit the operator's preferences. The camcorder's viewfinder is B&W – which professionals tend to prefer – as opposed to the VX2100's colour viewfinder (which appears pixellated and less well defined by comparison). The viewfinder can be moved from a horizontal to a near-vertical position. One thing we should comment upon at this point is that the rubber eyepiece isn't rigid enough to be of any use if the operator needs to hold the camera tight to the eye (for stability). The eyepiece simply collapses, and is pretty useless in this respect.

The large zoom rocker switch is positioned above the tape-compartment and hand-grip, with almost all the external connectors being found behind a rubber flap just before the lens on the body's right side. An additional smaller zoom rocker is positioned on the top of the carrying handle along with the second of three Record buttons to be found on the camcorder. VCR playback controls can be found on the upper side of the body underneath the rigid carrying handle. A Memory Stick slot is provided at the rear of the camcorder (although, strangely, it isn't Memory Stick PRO capable, and no media comes with the camcorder). Audio levels can be set to auto or manual using the menu system, with manual level control being administered by use of the tiny menu thumbwheel at the back of the camcorder. A range of audio input functions are selected using a control panel on the inner front of the carrying handle. These include switchable Mic and Line inputs, independent input channel assignment and microphone 48-volt Phantom powering. Two XLR inputs are provided on the outside right of the main handle body, with a bracket to hold the supplied microphone in addition to other appropriate microphones.

Features
Not only does this model offer a Colour Bar generator, but it also has a Zebra pattern generator (75%, 100% switchable) which provides a visual guide to peak white exposure, and the all-important ability to manually set Timecode in both Rec Run and Free Run modes. The former sees timecode being generated in the familiar sequential mode, and running only when the tape is rolling. The latter mode, also known as Time of Day mode, means that the timecode runs all the time, with the relevant time being recorded to tape when it's running. This is particularly useful when more than one camcorder is being used to record an event and where the timecode start points have been synchronised. The editor can synch the cameras by comparing and synching the relevant code for any given sequence. Also available is a U-Bits (User Bits) function, which enables the operator to embed additional alphanumeric information to tape as a means of identifying and tracking the source tape.

We shouldn't go much further without mentioning the PD170's image features, of course. 16:9 widescreen is now offered as an alternative to the conventional 4:3 aspect ratio shooting. It should be noted that the camcorder doesn't possess one of Sony's newer wide CCDs, but instead uses anamorphic lens techniques to squeeze a 16:9 aspect ratio picture into the 4:3 format recording. Played back on a conventional TV screen the picture will appear vertically stretched, though it will display as intended on a suitable widescreen TV. When some test footage was captured via FireWire into Adobe Premiere Pro, the resulting image size was 1024 x 576 pixels, which we successfully edited and burned to DVD. As with the VX2100, the PD170 also has Progressive Scan, but don't get too excited; although it combines the otherwise interlaced fields that make up each PAL frame at 25 fps, it's best used as a means of grabbing sharp still frames from video. Neither the PS nor variable electronic shutter can be used with the widescreen recording mode, it should be noted.

We found the Guide Frame feature useful, too. This superimposes a rectangular framing box into the centre of the viewfinder and LCD frame, making it useful for the framing of features that must sit in the safe area of the frame. It's also a rough guide to the positioning of subjects in frame when shooting 16:9 but where footage might later be ARC (Aspect Ratio Conversion) modified to play back on 4:3 screens. The cam also has a Spot Light (known, mysteriously as Back Light on other Sony camcorders) which over-rides the exposure in favour of foreground objects when framed against strong background light. The 2-step ND filter is very useful, especially when shooting in bright light. It has the effect of reducing the overall light level whilst maintaining image quality. Setting 1 effectively reduces light levels by 1/4, whereas Setting 2 gives a reduction of 1/32. An indication of the mode is given in the viewfinder. The addition of a Sony VCL-HG0758 0.7x wideangle conversion lens will also be a welcome addition to many serious and professional users of the PD170. At its most useful when shooting in confined spacious and where not only a wide field of view is required but also an increase in depth of focus is required (such as when shooting a conversation between people in a small room), the WA lens sits in place of the lens hood, although the casing which holds the lens element itself also acts of a lens hood.


Performance
The PD170 is not without its faults. For a start, the rubber eyepiece mentioned earlier can be a major niggle when needing to get hand-held shots quickly. Many serious users won't like having to operate the tiny thumbwheel every time a fairly basic function required changing, either. This was the case with the colour bar utility, which proved to be difficult to access when the LCD screen wasn't in use and when we were forced to navigate our way through the menu system. Switching audio, wide recording, and timecode generation modes requires a similar knowledge of the menu system – and that's where the PD170 (and, for that matter, its predecessor) doesn't match the performance of its bigger cousins. That said, picture performance is stunning for a camcorder of this calibre. Shooting on a crisp winter's morning beside a frozen lake under a blue sky, the PD170 gave us pictures that bore very accurate colour representation and whose general resolution was impressive when recording under fully auto as well as manual control.

Although the PD170 is aimed at professional users, it should be noted that there are some aspects of this model's design that betray its consumer roots. It's difficult to comprehend why Sony continues to feature such little-used (or perhaps even useless) functions as featured on its consumer models. Neither professional users nor serious enthusiasts use the title, fader or digital effects functions, so why does Sony continue to offer them? Don't all professionals use computer editing packages to add this stuff anyway? We'd like to see the Fader button being replaced with a Colour Bars button for a start. Two functions lead to a lot of fiddling and fumbling, namely the setting of Timecode and User Bits, which have to be done within the menu system. We had a great deal of trouble getting the U-Bits entry to work properly, and we couldn't set the Rec Run Timecode to run from 01 hours (a common method of identing a roll) for love nor money without it resetting to zero. Neither do we like the means of regulating audio input manually by use of the thumbwheel. Sure, the pro operator will probably take a stereo sound recordist's feed via twin XLR and fix the input levels accordingly, but if you're looking to manually control the mic onboard whilst looking through the viewfinder, forget it. Sony should really take a leaf out of Canon's book as with the XL1S and XM2 in this respect.

If you're serious about this cam, set aside some extra funds for higher-capacity batteries because the F330 won't give you more than 40 minutes recording. Even with the niggles, the DSR-PD170 is still a lovely beast that handles well on the tripod and in hand-held mode, and will undoubtedly gain a substantial market.

Conclusion
The DSR-PD170 doesn't come with sufficient new features to persuade existing users of the PD150 to trade up. Placed side by side with the latter, it would be hard to tell the difference at twenty paces - and only the enlarged rubber eyepiece is an immediate giveaway as to its identity. The camcorder itself is a joy to use and produces images and sound to a quality that will satisfy many users. The presence of balanced, switchable, audio inputs and other professional features like colour bars, zebra, ND, user-definable timecode and U-Bits means that the PD170 represents excellent value for money for the serious video producer.

Specifications: Sony DSR-PD170 DVCAM Camcorder

CCD: 3 x 1/3"
Exposure: Auto/Manual
Lens: f1.6 - f2.4
White Balance: Auto/Manual
Filter Diameter: 58mm
Program AE: Auto + 6 modes
Optical Zoom: 12x
Headphone Out: Yes
Digital Zoom: 48x
Microphone In: Yes
Movie Resolution: 3 x 400,000 effective
Still Photo Mode: None
Stills Resolution: n/a
Media Card: Memory Stick
Connectivity: Full DV & AV in/out
Bluetooth: No
Audio: PCM 12-bit/16-bit
Image Stabiliser: OIS
USB Streaming: None
Widescreen: Yes
LCD Screen: 2.5" Colour
Movie Light: No
Viewfinder: 0.24" Monochrome
Dimensions: 133x180x456 (W/H/D)
Focus: Auto/Manual
Weight: 1.7Kg

Review Summary

Points for: The DSR-PD170 has great design and handling, wide-angle lens supplied as standard, XLR balanced audio inputs, good manual lens functions, 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, great record quality.
Points against: Rubber eyepiece collapses on contact with eye, too many professional features buried in thumbwheel menu system, LCD screen could be 3.5". Timecode & U-Bits something of a fiddle to get right. No USB connection or Memory Stick PRO. Still not significantly different from the DSR-PD150.
Conclusion: Great professional-quality cam at the price. It will interesting to see what Sony comes up with in 12 months' time

Review: Panasonic DMC-FZ18

Review based on a production Panasonic DMC-FZ18

Barely half a year after the introduction of the DMC-FZ8, Panasonic added another model to its popular range of compact 'super zoom' Lumix cameras in the shape of the FZ18. Although obviously based on the FZ8 (they are externally almost identical), the FZ18 doesn't replace it; it's a sort of 'big brother' with a bigger zoom, more pixels and a smattering of new features.

The biggest news is the optically stabilized lens, which has 'grown' at both ends and now sports a whopping 18x (28-504mm equiv.) zoom, putting the FZ18 into direct competition with Olympus' SP-550UZ (now updated to the SP-560UZ) and Fujifilm's recently announced FinePix S8000fd.

Almost inevitably the FZ18 squeezes even more pixels onto its 1/2.5-inch sensor, although the increase has been fairly moderate from 7.3 to 8.3 megapixels. Other new features include a dedicated AF/AE button, Face Detection and a new Intelligent Auto mode which integrates Image Stabilization, Intelligent ISO, Face Detection and Scene Detection into a 'Super' Auto Mode.

Despite the usual noise issues you would expect from a tiny sensor/big zoom camera (and our dislike of Panasonic's approach to noise reduction), overall we were pretty impressed with the FZ8 when we reviewed it a few months ago. This was to a large degree due to the superb LEICA lens. So let's find out how Panasonic have tackled the noise challenge - and if the new lens, with it's much more ambitious zoom range, can match its predecessor, starting with a look at what's changed:

Major differences to DMC-FZ8

18x optical zoom (28-504mm equiv.) - FZ8 has 12x (36-432mm) zoom
Smaller maximum aperture at long end of zoom (F4.2 vs F3.1)
8.3 megapixel sensor (vs 7.2 megapixel)
Face Detection
Intelligent Auto mode
Manually selectable ISO 1600
ISO 6400 High Sensitivity mode
AF/AE lock button and dedicated AF/MF button
1cm macro (was 5cm)
Custom mode and extra scene modes (plus 'advanced scene modes')
Five level Noise reduction (was three level)
Slower continuous shooting (burst)
Heavier and slightly larger

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 specifications