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Today at Photokina, Leica has announced the new Leica VARIO-ELMAR-S 30-90 MM F/3.5-5.6 ASPH. for the Leica S system:

Solms, Germany (September 17, 2012) –Leica Camera presents the first zoom lens for the […]

Today at Photokina, Leica has announced the new Leica S medium format digital SLR, successor to the ground-breaking Leica S2:

Solms, Germany (September 17, 2012) – Leica Camera presents a new camera in the […]

Today at Photokina, Leica has announced the new Leica V-Lux 4 superzoom point and shoot camera, successor to the Leica V-Lux 3:

Solms, Germany (September 17, 2012) – Leica Camera presents the Leica V-Lux 4, […]

Today, Leica has announced the Leica D-Lux 6 point and shoot digital camera, the successor to the D-Lux 5:

olms, Germany (September 17, 2012) – Leica Camera presents the latest model of the successful Leica […]

Today, Leica has announced the new Leica M digital rangefinder, the successor to the popular Leica M9:

Solms, Germany (September 17, 2012) – Leica Camera presents a groundbreaking milestone in the nearly 60 […]

With Photokina 2012 now less than a week away and speculation continuing to grow regarding new product announcements from Leica, I thought many would find this Q&A session with Stefan Daniel, Leica’s head of p […]

The doors to Photokina open in just one week. As always, anticipation is high for Leica's latest round of product announcements. With the huge success of the M9, will Leica deliver the goods with a new M camera? What about new lenses? Compact cameras? And,what does the future hold for the S-System?

My guess is that this is going to be a very important show for Leica. Their huge booth in Hall 2.1 apparently wasn't big enough this time around, so they moved to Hall 1 – the entire show hall! Yeah, Leica will have one of the largest exhibits at Photokina. They must have something big planned.

Well, yours truly will be heading to Germany again for full coverage of all things Leica, and I can't wait to see how my expectations and all the rumors will match with the new offerings.

I'll be tweeting (follow me here) with quick up-to-the-minute updates and posting in-depth articles with analysis and interviews here on Red Dot Forum. Be sure to check back often, and make sure to follow the Twitter feed for the latest news and info. It's also a great way to reach out to me and ask me questions. I'll do my best to get the answers if I don't already have them.

First up is the September 17 Das Wesentliche event (yes, the same name as the May 10 event in Berlin), where Leica is expected to make all their big announcements. Of course, I've got my invitation, and I will be sure to get a good seat with mobile devices at the ready.

Then, the following day, I'll be making a beeline for the Leica stand to get hands-on with all the goodies and have follow-up conversations with the product managers.

So, stay tuned right here for updates from Cologne!

It has been a universal truth that for the past few years, shortly after the Leica M9 began shipping in late 2009, almost all Leica M lenses have been extraordinarily difficult to acquire. Wait times for […]

The highly anticipated Leica M Monochrom has begun shipping to Leica dealers in the United States as of August 24, 2012. The camera will initially ship in very small quantities, however we are hoping to see […]

As regular readers of Red Dot Forum may recall, last year we had a Leica APO-Telyt-Modular R 400mm f/4 permanently converted to a Leica S mount. Given that the longest focal length currently available from Leica […]

Today, August 17, 2012, Leica Camera USA has announced a special promotion on brand new Leica M9 and M9-P bodies. If you purchase a new Leica M9, you will receive a $500 Leica gift card, which can be applied […]

Leica has announced a special promotion allowing owners of Leica M8 and M8.2 cameras to have Leica Camera USA clean, calibrate, and test their cameras for only $350. This service usually costs $475. From […]

Today, we received our first shipment of the new Leica S-Case, designed by Leica to fit the entire Leica S-System securely and make it easy to transport. The generous new owner of the case allowed me to open it up and check it out, and I am impressed! The case comfortably holds just about every S-related item one might need on a shoot, and then some.
The Leica S Case provides space for the following products:

• 1 Leica S-Camera Body
• 1 Leica Multifunction Handgrip S
• 1 Leica Summarit-S 35mm/f 2.5 ASPH
• 1 Leica Elmarit-S 30mm/f2.8 ASPH
• 1 Leica Summarit-S 70mm/f2.5 ASPH
• 1 Leica Apo-Macro-Summarit-S 120mm/f2.5
• 1 Leica Apo-Elmar-S 180mm/f3.5
• 1 Quick Charger
• 1 Professional Battery Charger S
• USB-Cable S
• Focusing Screen S
• 2 x Battery S
• 1 X Remote Release Cable S

The case by itself weighs 12 pounds, and fully loaded with a body, five lenses, and all the accessories it weighs in at 30 pounds. Not bad considering what is inside, and the large rubber handle combined with sturdy wheels make it easy to travel with. It comes new in its own box, and a nifty guide that shows you exactly where each item belongs:

The included guide which shows where each item belongs. Very convenient!

It is very easy to slide lenses in and out, they fit snugly and remove easily thanks to two small notches around the lens where you can grasp it with your fingers (for the 120mm and 180mm, which do not have rectangular hoods). The top half of the case has matching cutouts that assure the lenses do not move around during transport. There is a section underneath the slot for the pro charger which can hold either a USB tethering cord, or any other accessory you might need to carry along that does not have its own designated slot.

With the case empty, you can see the various slots along with cutouts on the top section which assure a secure fit. And a cool Leica logo!

We will definitely be adding this case to our demo inventory. Not only does it allow us to safely travel with the entire system (which we often do) it makes shipping our system for test drives that much easier.

To place an order for the new Leica S-Case, follow the link to our website or contact us at 1-800-327-1776.

Today, Leica Camera has announced firmware version 1.196 for the Leica M9/M9-P. This firmware features the following updates/improvements:

1. Performance improvements:

As of July 16, the Leica S-Adapter H has begun to ship in very small quantities in the United States. This is great news for S system users looking to expand their options for lens selection. Personally, I […]

Leica has announced Hasselblad H lens profiles for the Leica S2 for their Adobe software suite of products, including Adobe Lightroom 4.1 and Adobe Photoshop CS6. This follows the announcement of the Leica S-Adapter H which allows the use of Hasselblad H lenses on the S2. From Leica:

To ensure the best possible image quality when using Hasselblad H lenses on Leica S-cameras with the aid of the Leica S-Adapter H, we have provided a set of lens profiles as a free download for installation in Adobe image processing software packages.

The lens profiles are compatible with the following Adobe software:
– Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 4
– Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 and above

Further information can be found in the installation guide at the owners area.

To download the lens profiles and instructions for installation, visit the Leica Camera Owner's Area. Please note that if you are working within Windows 7, you will have to have “Show Hidden Files and Folders” turned on to see the appropriate folder. The instructions from Leica do not have the proper destination folder for Windows 7, it is as follows: C:/Users/Username/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/CameraRaw/LensProfiles/1.0.

Once the adapters are available in the US we will be testing the profiles here to see how they compare to uncorrected images, and the existing Leica lenses in their S-system lineup.

Today, Leica Camera has announced firmware update 1.1 for the new Leica X2 digital camera. This firmware update features a few improvements:

1. Improved noise from ISO 1600
2. Improved automatic white […]

Today, Leica has announced the new Leica S-Case, designed to securely carry and transport the Leica S camera system. The case is weather and dust sealed and designed to meet the carry on regulations of most airlines. From Leica:

Leica Camera is pleased to introduce the Leica S-Case which provides an elegant and professional way to store and transport the Leica S-System safely. This case will be available in North America at the end of June.

The case comes with an inlay and is made of high quality materials. There is also a valve in the bag which allows for automatic pressure compensation. The case is also dust and water proof. The case meets most airlines’ regulations on hand luggage.

The Leica S Case provides space for the following products:

• 1 Leica S-Camera Body
• 1 Leica Multifunction Handgrip S
• 1 Leica Summarit-S 35mm/f 2.5 ASPH
• 1 Leica Elmarit-S 30mm/f2.8 ASPH
• 1 Leica Summarit-S 70mm/f2.5 ASPH
• 1 Leica Apo-Macro-Summarit-S 120mm/f2.5
• 1 Leica Apo-Elmar-S 180mm/f3.5
• 1 Quick Charger
• 1 Professional Battery Charger S
• USB-Cable S
• Focusing Screen S
• 2 x Battery S
• 1 X Remote Release Cable S

Technical Data:

Dimensions: approx. 21 5/8 x 14 x 9 inches (545 x 350 x 230 mm)
Weight: approx. 11 ½ lbs. (5.3 kg)

For users who need a secure, dedicated place to store their S system, and who travel with their gear, this new Leica S-Case should be the perfect solution. We will certainly be using this case to transport our S system; keep an eye out on Red Dot Forum for more photos and details.

To pre-order, visit the product page for the Leica S-Case on Dale Photo & Digital's website.