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April 3 - April 16, 2013
Lots to like at Leica store for camera connoisseurs By B O B K R A S N E R Did you hear the one about the $8,000 digital camera that only shoots in black and white? Funny, right? Leica, the revered camera manufacturer, doesn’t think so. Their M Monochrom is one of the more intriguing items in their new Soho location, which is filled with compelling merchandise for both pro and amateur shutterbugs. The store recently opened at 460 West Broadway, between Houston and Prince Sts. It’s a collaboration between the 150-yearold manufacturer and Elliot Kurland, a Leica enthusiast and former proprietor of Kurland Photo. While the brand name instantly conjures up images of film cameras for photographers of a certain age, the company has jumped almost completely into the digital market. Although they still sell two models which use that archaic format, their focus on digital is both a leap into the modern age and a nod to the past, using classic designs to house a contemporary format. The store’s minimalistic design space is filled not just with cameras, but books, magazines, accessories and a photo gallery. The place’s rear is designed to convert into a classroom as well. Customers are encouraged to test drive the wide variety of models available, and the extremely knowledgeable staff is more than willing to educate the consumer. Even the guy who came in and
asked, “How is a Leica different from my iPhone?” got a straight answer. One possible answer to that query is that Hermes and Paul Smith don’t make limitededition iPhones, as they do in collaboration with Leica. Of course, you may not be in the market for a $25,000 collector’s item, like the Hermes edition, but it’s still worth checking out the possibilities. One of the more popular items is the V-LUX 4, a midsize, point-and-shoot that has a fixed f/2.8 lens that zooms from 24 mm to 600 mm, with a surprising degree of sharpness at the long end. It sells for a more reasonable price of $800 (which includes Adobe’s Lightroom software). Smaller models designed for street shooting and medium format for studio work bookend the range of available equipment. One overwhelmed customer at the shop called his friend to inform him, “This is where I want to come to die.” (The management, for the record, discourages this). Unfortunately, according to Kurland, the supply does not always meet the demand and there is a waiting list for many of the more popular items. That is sometimes the case with the M Monochrom, that highend, black-and-white shooting machine. One of its more illustrious proponents is art photographer Ralph Gibson, a longtime favorite of ours who made his reputation
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rate a wide range of data,” Devon Puglia, an agency spokesperson, said in a prepared statement to Downtown Express. “We’re working extremely hard to develop great new schools in areas that have seen population growth, and we continue to work closely with these communities in that effort.” Julie Menin, the former chairperson of C.B. 1, said, “We’ve been saying for years that the problem with the population analysis by the Dept. of Education is it is not detailed enough.” Menin, a candidate for borough president, was not involved in the C.B. 1 report, but coincidentally she released her own proposal last week calling for a formal review of the borough-wide and community-wide needs for key areas like schools, parks and affordable housing. She said by studying and identifying each community’s needs before big projects are proposed, it will create more public pressure to get the most pressing needs met. “Rather than react when develop-
ers proposed something, we need to proactively look at what the community needs are,” she said. C.B.1’s Census analysis may point to other needs as well. When St. Vincent’s Hospital closed in the Village three years ago, Board 1 also raised objections because the closest hospital, New York Downtown Hospital, does not have a pediatrician in its emergency room. The new numbers and the recent takeover of the hospital by New York-Presbyterian might prompt a new look at the issue.
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Image courtesy of Bob Krasner
Holding their own: Soho Leica store staff with their favorite cameras, from left: manager Chris Durkin, with the ME; salesman Craig Williams, with the MP (film camera); salesman John Flanigan, with the Monochrom; and owner Elliot Kurland, with the M9-P Hermes Special Edition. The photo was taken with an M9 Titanium ($35,000).
creating beautiful, surreal images on blackand-white film. When asked for his opinion about the new camera, Gibson said: “I have been using the Leica rangefinder system exclusively for over 50 years and I can write with fullest confidence about the new Leica M Monochrom. I have travelled extensively
with the camera and my only complaint is that the user manual doesn’t explain how to set the camera down sometimes...” After spending just a half an hour with the Monochrom, we know just what he means. And if anyone is wondering, my birthday is in October.