The Leica Files I

The good folks at LFI Magazine in Germany have made me an offer I couldn't refuse: the loan of their Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera plus the use of three of their finest lenses - the 21/2.8 Elmarit-M, the 35/1.4 Summilux-M and the 90/2.0 APO-Summicron-M ASPH. In total it is about 20000 US$ worth of kit which they have entrusted me with.


Whilst I am getting familiar with this camera, the differences to my trusted Canon EOS kit could not be greater: the Leica is manual focus, centre-average metering only, with a simple but slightly cumbersome settings menu on the back, a small buffer for shooting series of images, and a maximum burst rate of 2 frames/second. But it is - if you compare it to watches - like wearing a Rolex after you've grown up with a Casio.


In a single word, the optical quality of the Leica lenses is superior. Period. I don't have the time or the space to go into elaborate comparisons, highlight examples of its image quality in tiny image crops enlarged to 100% or otherwise list the Leica's many fine qualities - there are other places for that (such as DP Review, Luminous Landscape, Ken Rockwell, Digital Journalist and many others.

Instead, I feel compelled to talk a little bit about how this camera feels, how it makes you respond to everyday scenes on the street, and how the images look. Given its classic Leica rangefinder design, the all-metal camera is both lighter and smaller than its SLR cousins. The manual focusing system does not lend itself to point-and-shoot actions, which means you generally have to think more about your focus, exposure and composition before pressing the shutter. In short, it is not a camera for beginners, but it makes you take different pictures (especially if you're used to shooting with SLRs).


I have now completed post-production of the first 100-odd images selected from my various trips into central London, and the results blew me away! Whilst the images are of everyday things in London, their technical quality is outstanding. The optics allow for even sharpness from the centre into the corners, vignetting and distortion is negligible and needs to be added in post-production if desired. Despite their overall sharpness, each of the lenses shows a wonderfully creamy bokeh in the out-of-focus areas that gives photos their signature 'Leica' look.

Colours are fairly neutral, reds need to be subdued a bit, and overall contrast is moderate - that means you can add a punch at the processing stage without wrecking the shadows or highlights. Even at high ISO settings, there is no discernible noise in the images - whatever noise there is, it looks like film grain and adds some grit to those night-time pictures.

I could go on and on, but think it best to add a part II to the Leica Files at a later stage, and let you see some of the images for yourself below:

Tarnished Earth opens in Sheffield

Tarnished Earth exhibition opens at The Moor in Sheffield. More details here.

Fiesta - a documentary by Bjoern Goettlicher

Last week, my friend and fellow photographer Bjoern Goettlicher published his latest documentary project: Fiesta. It's a show-stopping take on a small local celebration involving a bull, a ring and some fire. Although bullfighting has been abolished in Catalonia, this particular community is attempting to have their traditional fiesta recognised by UNESCO.

Anthropologist Alberto de Jesus Rodriguez explains the controversial nature and symbolism of bulls and their role in Iberian culture. Like it or hate it, this fiesta is a firm part of the rural fabric and the story is wonderfully told and shot. 


Subtitles are only in German so far, but an English version is scheduled for release soon.



Fiesta, by Björn Göttlicher from Björn Göttlicher on Vimeo.

Rainbow Warrior III in London

Yesterday afternoon I met her for the first time: I'd seen plenty of pictures, heard some stories, met some of the extraordinary people who had built her and talked to some of those who sail her. We are of course talking about the new Greenpeace flagship, the Rainbow Warrior III.

The ship is currently on its maiden voyage which started in Hamburg to Amsterdam, from where she sailed to London. The next stops will take her to Stockholm, Barcelona and Marseille before she crosses the pond and visits the USA early next year.

To celebrate the occasion, Greenpeace UK organised a concert by Damon Albarn and Clash founder Paul Simonon’s band The Good, The Bad and The Queen which was performed on the heli-deck of the vessel. Needless to say, it was a memorable occasion and I am glad to have been there.

David Shairp interview

I've barely arrived back in London and the phone rings: "Erm, we hope you're in London... you see, this morning there is an interview, and we forgot to book a photographer...

Sound familiar? Well, welcome to my world. So of course you drop whatever you had planned for the day, forget breakfast, actually forget the shower too whilst you're at it. Get your gear, check batteries, take some spares, and off you go. Rush rush rush so that you can wait at the destination.

Once I made it to JP Morgan Asset Management, I was treated to some coffee and a wait for David Shairp whose schedule was running about 20 minutes late all day. Nevermind. Once we all got into the room, I told him to just 'ignore' me, as we were after candid portraits for the article. Mr Shairp seemed somewhat perplexed by my request, but after the initial flashes during set-up, he settled into the interview just fine... The meagre pickings of a half-hour interview you can view below: