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| By Jem Kime Member of the Leica Historical Society | By Jem Kime Member of the Leica Historical Society |
| Marc Ribaud used a Leica for this iconic shotEnlarge Image It's about £3,000, comes without a lens and lacks some of the key features found in cameras costing a fraction of the price. Can Leica, one of the foremost names in modern photography, crack it in the digital market? | Marc Ribaud used a Leica for this iconic shotEnlarge Image It's about £3,000, comes without a lens and lacks some of the key features found in cameras costing a fraction of the price. Can Leica, one of the foremost names in modern photography, crack it in the digital market? |
| The photos are often iconic, even the photographers are sometimes household names, but the camera... | The photos are often iconic, even the photographers are sometimes household names, but the camera... |
| Who cares what brand of kit captured the soldier falling, mid-stride, to his death in the Spanish Civil War, or the hippy carefully planting a flower in the barrel of a National Guardsmen's gun during an anti-Vietnam protest (see image above)? | Who cares what brand of kit captured the soldier falling, mid-stride, to his death in the Spanish Civil War, or the hippy carefully planting a flower in the barrel of a National Guardsmen's gun during an anti-Vietnam protest (see image above)? |
| Yet without Leica, these moments of history, frozen forever in time, might never have been recorded. | Yet without Leica, these moments of history, frozen forever in time, might never have been recorded. |
| For much of the 20th Century, Leica was the last word in reportage photography; to serious photographers what Kodak was to happy-go-lucky holiday snappers. | For much of the 20th Century, Leica was the last word in reportage photography; to serious photographers what Kodak was to happy-go-lucky holiday snappers. |
| Henri Cartier-Bresson, perhaps the most famous photographer, was inseparable from his Leica rangefinder. | Henri Cartier-Bresson, perhaps the most famous photographer, was inseparable from his Leica rangefinder. |
| By Royal Appointment - Leicas have fans in high placesThe rangefinder has always been at the core of Leica's identity - employing a viewfinder through which the photographer looks to compose their image, rather than a more bulky SLR (single-lens reflex) system that provides a view through the lens itself. | |
| Crucially, in the days before miniaturisation of technology, the rangefinder stood for compactness and quality. | Crucially, in the days before miniaturisation of technology, the rangefinder stood for compactness and quality. |
| But the "invasion" in the late 1960s of affordable, quality SLR cameras from Japan shunted Leica from mainstream to niche camera maker. | But the "invasion" in the late 1960s of affordable, quality SLR cameras from Japan shunted Leica from mainstream to niche camera maker. |
| Digital has since signalled a second revolution in photography, and caught some of the "old guard" on the hop. Last month, Eastman Kodak reported its eighth quarterly loss in a row as it battles to fully adapt to the digital age. | Digital has since signalled a second revolution in photography, and caught some of the "old guard" on the hop. Last month, Eastman Kodak reported its eighth quarterly loss in a row as it battles to fully adapt to the digital age. |
| Now Leica, which has also struggled to adjust, has launched its first digital rangefinder, the M8. | Now Leica, which has also struggled to adjust, has launched its first digital rangefinder, the M8. |
| The mass production of silicon chip sensors and the world of fine mechanical and optical engineering have come together and could create a renaissance for the financial fortunes of the ailing German brand. | The mass production of silicon chip sensors and the world of fine mechanical and optical engineering have come together and could create a renaissance for the financial fortunes of the ailing German brand. |
| Hand crafted - the Leica "production line" of oldBut will the M8 - the successor to the M7 film rangefinder - sell? Will photographers who have used film and mechanical cameras all their lives wish to buy the latest "new-fangled" device from their favourite camera maker? | Hand crafted - the Leica "production line" of oldBut will the M8 - the successor to the M7 film rangefinder - sell? Will photographers who have used film and mechanical cameras all their lives wish to buy the latest "new-fangled" device from their favourite camera maker? |
| And if so, will they shell out £3,000+ for a camera without a lens? | And if so, will they shell out £3,000+ for a camera without a lens? |
| Could younger, more contemporary, photographers really be expected to sacrifice the benefits of seeing through their camera lenses and give up auto-focus - yes, the Leica is a manual focus only - to invest in a range of lenses which are the most expensive on the market? | Could younger, more contemporary, photographers really be expected to sacrifice the benefits of seeing through their camera lenses and give up auto-focus - yes, the Leica is a manual focus only - to invest in a range of lenses which are the most expensive on the market? |
| Though Epson and Cosina combined to present a digital rangefinder camera some two years ago, it has not been a marketing success. | Though Epson and Cosina combined to present a digital rangefinder camera some two years ago, it has not been a marketing success. |
| Leica's rangefinder devotees tend to be serious (often documentary) photographers whose needs are not as pressing as a newspaper photojournalist. So for them, the immediacy of digital is less alluring. And who knows how long today's digital formats - the M8 uses the familiar JPG format - will last? | Leica's rangefinder devotees tend to be serious (often documentary) photographers whose needs are not as pressing as a newspaper photojournalist. So for them, the immediacy of digital is less alluring. And who knows how long today's digital formats - the M8 uses the familiar JPG format - will last? |
| Traditional film has the longevity and stability. Pop a 150-year-old Fox-Talbot negative in a standard darkroom enlarger today and you could make a print of it. How digital will fare seems less certain. Look at your current computer, if it has a floppy drive then that's unusual these days. | Traditional film has the longevity and stability. Pop a 150-year-old Fox-Talbot negative in a standard darkroom enlarger today and you could make a print of it. How digital will fare seems less certain. Look at your current computer, if it has a floppy drive then that's unusual these days. |
| Three grand to you guv - the new M8Remember those early five-and-a-quarter-inch floppy discs? Where could you read one of those files now? We have solid state memory of 4Gb and more these days. Will your CDs still be readable in 10 years' time? Who knows? | Three grand to you guv - the new M8Remember those early five-and-a-quarter-inch floppy discs? Where could you read one of those files now? We have solid state memory of 4Gb and more these days. Will your CDs still be readable in 10 years' time? Who knows? |
| So is there really a need to replace a camera that works well? Indeed a camera that works so well it is known as the best in the world. | So is there really a need to replace a camera that works well? Indeed a camera that works so well it is known as the best in the world. |
| Of course the Leica M8 will sell, and like most digital cameras will be quickly updated and then shortly after; undoubtedly out-dated. | Of course the Leica M8 will sell, and like most digital cameras will be quickly updated and then shortly after; undoubtedly out-dated. |
| Whether it will rescue Leica is to be seen. Realistically, it could be just a blip towards the firm eventually becoming a badge within a larger company. Like Ford has classy Jaguars and Aston Martins, Panasonic may soon have "classy" Leicas. | Whether it will rescue Leica is to be seen. Realistically, it could be just a blip towards the firm eventually becoming a badge within a larger company. Like Ford has classy Jaguars and Aston Martins, Panasonic may soon have "classy" Leicas. |
| Failing that, Leica could give up pretending to compete in the digital market and concentrate on its core strength: the making of unparalleled mechanical cameras and superb optical lenses suitable for photographers who realise the enduring quality of a 35mm film format that still offers results equivalent to around a 60 megapixel camera! | Failing that, Leica could give up pretending to compete in the digital market and concentrate on its core strength: the making of unparalleled mechanical cameras and superb optical lenses suitable for photographers who realise the enduring quality of a 35mm film format that still offers results equivalent to around a 60 megapixel camera! |
| Jem Kine is a member of the Leica Historical Society. | Jem Kine is a member of the Leica Historical Society. |
Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |