Lights, camera, action

Scarlett Johansson has a new album with Tom Waitscovers out and stars in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the coming Woody Allen-film that was shown in Cannes recently. She also has good taste in cameras.

Those who think about the future of Leica might have some guidance from an interview with Andreas Kaufmann, CEO (Popphoto). For example:

Personally I don’t think that cramming, say, 12 megapixels into the sensor and then tweaking the image with software is the way to go. We want to deliver a pure image to the sensor and let the photographer decide. That’s why you may see some exciting point-and-shoot developments by the end of next year that reflect the Leica tradition. I’m sorry I can’t say more about it now.

Does this indicate something along the lines of the Sigma DP1?

Personally, I do not lay awake at night thinking about how the engineers and marketing people in Solms will survive in a digital world, and whether Kaufmann’s words will turn into material objects we can buy and use to take pictures or if the stuff he hints at is vaporware. Instead, I regularly take my M 3 for a walk around town. It feels good.

The other day, Leica announced an upgrade program: for a substantial amount of money - but still less than the price of a new camera - M8 owners will get a quieter shutter and improved display window. The programme, which will start this coming autumn, is interesting in itself; it is good customer policy. There are surprisingly few, or rather none at all, upgrade programmes in the DSLR field: people should instead buy wholly new cameras every other year or so, to stay up to date with the rapidly developing digital technology.

Now, the latest rumour to come out of the PMA is about a possible full-frame sensor for the Leica M8.