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Viewfinder is the official publication of the Leica Society International, a nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Delaware. Copyright 2023. Reproduction or use of any material contained herein without permission of the Society if forbidden.
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ISSN 1543-8732
Knoble
leica store mexico city by Amitava "Chats" Chatterjee
endless
PRESIDENT
David Knoble Charlotte, NC
EXEC.VICE PRESIDENT William Fagan Dublin, Ireland
VP / TREASURER
Henry Berman Boston, MA
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Brad Husick Medina, WA
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
James L. Lager
Rolf Fricke
Bill Rosauer
APPOINTED OFFICERS
Viewfinder Editor Bill Rosauer Buffalo Grove, IL lhsaeditor@yahoo.com
24 pardise lost, paradise found by Adriana Loureiro Fernández
32 the leica m11-p by Jono Slack
42 late fall foliage:
Contributing Editors
James L. Lager Closter, NJ
S.R. Gilcreast Jr. Peterborough, NH
S. Willis Wright Port Washington, NY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Richard Rejino Dallas, TX
SENIOR DIRECTORS Gary Hough Woodinville, WA
Douglas Drumheller Pittsburgh, PA
Alan Weinschel Roslyn Heights, NY
Contributing Editors
James L. Lager Closter, NJ
S.R. Gilcreast Jr. Peterborough, NH
S. Willis Wright Port Washington, NY
ELECTED DIRECTORS
Class
Wilbur Norman Sante Fe, NM
John Pegouske Dearborn, MI
David Spielman New Orleans, LA
Class of 2025
Chris Herbert Tempe, AZ
Bill Royce Prescott, AZ
Hari Subramanyan Heidelberg, Germany
Kirsten Vignes Minneapolis, MN
Class of 2026
Sandra Eisert Redmond, WA
Susan Flaherty Boston, MA
Robert Levite Coral Gables, FL
Jonathan Slack United Kingdom
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
by BILL ROSAUER
week after the Celebration of Photography in Wetzlar this year, the LSI returned to Wetzlar for our annual meeting. If you missed being at the meeting this year, it was quite an event and was very well attended. Leica of course rolled out the red carpet for us, and we thank them and Andreas Kaufmann for his tremendous support of our organization. We had a number of first-time and younger attendees as well. It was great seeing so many old friends and meeting many new ones as well! Hari Subramanyam was responsible for making it such a success, and he has written a full report on the meeting in this issue.
In this issue, we feature the winner of the LSI Women in Photography Grant, Adriano Loureiro Fernández. Her article, Paradise Lost, Paradise Found, features her story and photography in her native land of Venezuela. As she puts it, Venezuela has always had a duality to it. “Breathtakingly beautiful while it is also heartbreaking”. Adriano is a self-taught photographer, and a photojournalist for the New York Times. I think you will agree that she well deserves winning this grant from the LSI.
Karine Nowak a new-comer to writing for Viewfinder, brings us her article, Endless Blue. I have been an on-line friend of Karine’s for several years, and I welcome her here, and I hope she will be a regular contributor here to our pages! In her article, she shares with us her photographic journey with the Leica, and how it allows her to achieve her vision.
Chats Chatterjee reports on the opening of the new Leica Store in Mexico City. The flagship Mexico City store is located in the upscale Polanco neighborhood. It combines space for Retail, a Leica Gallery and Akademie all under one roof. Karin RehnKaufmann led the festivities, and many of the Leica Store staff wore Day of the Dead make up. Magnum photographer Yael Martínez was the featured speaker.
Ed Schwartzreich reports on the new Light Lens Labs clone of the legendary Nocitilux 50/1.2 lens. The original Noctilux was a legend in its own time, and many stories have been told about it and how difficult it was to make. Because of the expense and difficulty of producing the original, it became a valued collector’s item achieving the status of “unobtanium” for even the dedicated Leica collector and user. Ed shares some of the background of this new lens from Light Lens Labs, along with some insight into their approach to making it by LLL owner, Mr. Zhou. It sounds
like this new clone is even closer to the original lens than Leica’s reissue of this legendary optic.
In this issue, we have Jono Slack’s write up of the new Leica M11-P, incorporating the typical upgrades the P model brings to the M series digital Leicas. More importantly, the latest model M incorporates Leica Content Credentials. This is the first camera, not only for Leica, but for the industry, to have this feature. I invite you to read Jono’s article to fully understand this new feature. In today’s world of AI forgeries and image theft, this is a very welcome development. We will have Jono’s review of the new close focus version of the 28/2 Summicron M introduced at the same time as the M11-P in the next issue of Viewfinder.
Albert Knapp and Ruth Oratz present “Looking Beyond Reality in Iceland”. In their article, Ruth and Albert go beyond their usual approach to their fantastic landscape photography, seeing the amazing natural reality of Iceland through the eyes of the Surrealists. We all need to push ourselves past our comfort zone in photography, taking chances if you will, to achieve some of our best and most memorable work. I think you will agree they have accomplished this with their images presented here.
Jim Lager writes about the dual scale universal finder VIOOH. In the days before the M camera and even the IIIg with multiple image frames in the finder, this accessory was indispensable when shooting with various focal length lenses. There is a bit of a mystery as to how these particular finders were engraved with their tiny feet and meter scales, and who did this. Aren’t riddles like these why we love our Leica gear!
Dick Gilcreast’s Tips and Techniques article on Late Fall Foliage, the Yellow Stage. Dick again shows us how to get the best out of a minimalist and very compact Leica outfit to get outstanding results.
Bis nächste zeit, Bill
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
by DAVID KNOBLE
Members of the Leica Society International, I hope this message finds you all well and immersed in the art of photography! Reflecting on our recent gathering in Wetzlar, Germany, affectionately known as "the Mothership," fills me with an immense sense of gratitude and excitement. It was truly a fabulous meeting, not just for the breathtaking insights into Leica Camera's history and innovations but for the invaluable connections we forged and rekindled.
It was heartening to see so many familiar faces and equally thrilling to welcome new ones into our fold. Remarkably, so many attendees were experiencing their first LSI conference, a testament to the growing vibrancy and appeal of our community. Thanks to our member Hari Subramanyam for pulling so much of that meeting together!
During this gathering, your Board of Directors also embarked on a significant journey, laying the groundwork for new initiatives aimed at broadening our avenues of connection across the globe. This endeavor is not just about enhancing our society; it's about enriching our collective experience and fostering deeper bonds within our global family.
Many of you enjoyed the lively exchanges on WhatsApp, which became a hub of conversation, laughter, and shared moments throughout the conference and in the weeks that followed. Encouraged by this, we are integrating WhatsApp into our regular communication channels. This platform will serve not only for meeting discussions but also for important announcements to our general membership, including a buy/ sell section and a place to challenge our everyday photography. Use the QR on the right to join the community and be part of the conversation!
In our continuous quest to bring our members closer, we are reinitiating our Zoom sessions, spearheaded by a dedicated team passionate about keeping our community engaged and interconnected. These sessions are more than just meetings; they are a space for us to share, learn, and grow together. Recorded, these sessions can also be rewatched if the timing is not convenient. Stay tuned as our task force puts this together!
Looking ahead, the planning for our next fall meeting is underway, and I can assure you, it's shaping up to be an extraordinary experience. The support and enthusiasm from Leica Camera and
our sponsors have been nothing short of overwhelming, and we can't wait to share more details with you.
In the interim, I encourage you to explore our sponsors and discover how their offerings might align with your interests and needs. They play a crucial role in our society, and their support enables us to bring you these enriching experiences.
Stay tuned for more updates, and in the meantime, I look forward to seeing more of the world through your lenses. It is your vision, your art, and your passion that make LSI so special.
In your service,
David M. Knoble President, Leica Society International
2023 Annual Meeting
WETZLAR
by HARI SUBRAMANYAM
Dear All, although it's been months since the LSI conference came to an end, it’s still fresh in the minds of so many of us! It was wonderful seeing many old friends and making so many new ones. The friendships we make last long after conferences.
It was almost exactly 5 years ago that Jono Slack, Chats Chatterjee, Evris Papanikolas and I were wandering around the Leitz Park premises, as attendees of the 2018 LHSA conference. Little did I know I would have the honor and the daunting challenge of organizing the Return of LHSA to The Mothership five years later. So much has happened in these 5 past years. We had to deal with a pandemic. We had to deal with wars. One aspect that kept me ticking was photography. As it has been for many of you too.
It was around 6 months ago when Brad reached out and requested me to consider organizing the return of LSI to Wetzlar. This sounded wonderful. After all the lockdown necessitated Zoom calls for years, I finally had a chance to meet like-minded folks in person! I started mulling about how to best gestalt the conference.
Photo by Ashwin Ganesh Kumar
Photo by Michael "Max" Maximilien
Before then, LHSA decided it was the right time for metamorphosis and renamed itself to the Leica Society International. The new name makes it clear and emphasizes the change – that we truly are an international organization, and the time has come to retire the venerable Leica Historical Society of America name.
This not only came with mixed feelings, but also inculcated a sense of responsibility while planning the event.
LSI will always hold a rear-view mirror to the rich history of Leica. As an example: some of the most iconic and sought-after Leica M series Limited Edition cameras and lenses were designed by LHSA. Some of the most in-depth records of M cameras and lenses are recorded and maintained by our renowned LSI Historians.
And then some members don't have a deep interest in the legacy of LHSA and are more interested in the current and future state of the organization.
To keep the event captivating for all members, I tried to strike the right balance between the past and the future, responsibly packaged for the present. And of course, the right balance of talk, with activities and workshops. It took around 6 months of planning and execution to pull this off!
Photography is a potent medium that captures fleeting moments and freezes them into timeless art. Leica has been the tool of choice for so many famous photographers to capture these moments.
For photography aficionados, attending an LSI conference in Wetzlar is like a pilgrimage to the epicenter of photography.
In that vein, we were treated to see and hear the collective beating heart of Leica AG Karin Kaufmann, Matthias Harsch, Stefan Daniel, Peter Karbe, Stefan Schulz, Jesko von Oeynhausen and Andrea Pacella in person. Not only the stories they had to tell, but also the wit and humor with which they delivered the stories, for
Guest Speaker Steve McCurry - Photo by Arthur Petrillo
Photo by Greg Gallai
Photo by Michael "Max" Maximilien
Photo by Jonathan Slack
you, our LSI members. We remain grateful that they took time out of their busy schedules for us.
There really is no other camera company in the world that opens its doors and hearts to its beloved customers the way Leica does. I thank Andrea Pacella’s generosity once again for going above and beyond to make this such a successful conference.
Without Dr. Kaufmann’s continued patronage, the world would be a few notches poorer culturally. Andreas is passionate, hands-on and firmly grounded. The success of Leica under his leadership speaks for itself.
Our other speakers included a spell-binding presentation by the iconic Steve McCurry, which will remain unforgettable. I thank Jono Slack and Richard Rejino for their wonderful presentations. It's always difficult to follow a legend like Steve, but both presenters did an amazing job of captivating our attention. A big thank you to Jim Lager and Bill Rosauer for revisiting our history based on their rich experiences, and Bill Rosauer giving some of the back story to the LHSA Special Editions. And to Silvergrain Classics and Leitz Photographica Auctions - thank you for joining us and enriching the event.
I spoke to many participants during the conference and was overjoyed to hear such overwhelmingly positive feedback.
I thank all the members who participated in the anonymous survey and provided feedback. Both positive, as well as suggestions for improvement. Be assured, that we are an open and transparent group of like-minded people, and we will work on the feedback for improvement.
I am glad you had plenty of time to get to know each other and took advantage of it. Over lunch, over breaks, over walks and workshops, over dinner, and over many bottles of wine, well into the late hours. Farook, Gustavo, Röd, Scott and Subhash - the memories are hazy, but the roars of laughter are fresh.
I see a lot of activity on the WhatsApp groups by folks who are keeping the passion burning till we meet again! Those who haven’t joined yet - what are you waiting for!?
Thank you all for attending and making this such a successful event.
Brad and Richard, my dear friends, thank you for all the conversations and support, I couldn’t have done this without you. Brad - you couldn’t have asked for a more fitting transition.
David Knoble - welcome aboard as the President. What an amazing start to your tenure.
David Garcia - thank you for all the help, you are a star!
Kiran Karnani - you were missed. Really unfortunate you couldn’t make it, hope to see you behind the speaker’s stand in the future.
Dr. Kaufmann, we missed you and hope you are feeling better!
Looking forward to seeing all of you in LA or Porto soon, let’s extend a warm welcome to new members who will join us for the first time and make them feel at home!
Taking a bow - Hari
Photo by Jonathan Slack
Photo by Hendrik Staiger
LEICA STORE MEXICO CITY
Report from the Grand Opening by AMITAVA “CHATS” CHATTERJEE
Mexico City, DF, Mexico, November 18, 2023: I have been associated with Leica Camera’s Mexico City project from its earliest stages. While specifics will remain confidential, I am glad to be able to influence, in some small measure, what it has become. As such, it was brilliant to see in person. Leica Store Mexico City is in the uber-upscale Polanco neighborhood. Polanco is home to all the luxury brands you can think of. As such, greatness abounds. In the words of Matthias Harsch, CEO of Leica Camera AG, "This initiative reflects our intent to extend Leica's cultural commitment across the Americas, and I am confident that our presence in Mexico will serve as a vibrant destination to be immersed in the world of Leica."
On November 17, 2023, Day One, in typical Leica fashion, the Grand Opening was spectacular, with a red carpet welcome and plenty of photographers and videographers documenting the event. The crowd went crazy when Lenny Kravitz showed up. It was nice to finally see him in person. I was also invited to Leica’s 2019 “Drifter” event where Lenny’s book and camera were unveiled but missed it as the plane went inoperative as I waited to board for Flughafen Frankfurt. Got lucky this time!
Dear Dr. Andreas Kaufmann was unable to make the launch festivities in person but shared a recorded message with everyone present discussing the importance of Leica’s physical loca-
Grand Opening mit Red Carpet, Photographers und Videographers, mit Leica M11 und Leica Summilux-M 1:1.4/35mm ASPH. FLE.
tions and welcoming attendees to Leica Camera’s first multi-use location in Latin America and Mexico.
Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and Representative, Leica Galleries Worldwide, introduced us to Yael Martinez, a renowned Magnum photographer. Yael’s project titled “Latido incesante” (Incessant heartbeat) is currently on display in the second floor Leica Gallery. Several staff milled about the Store decked out in “Dia de Muertos” makeup, which is a very Mexican thing to do, and certainly reinforced to all present that we were indeed in Mexico. Karin shared, "We envision the Leica Gallery Mexico City as a platform that uplifts the narratives of local photographers while embodying the Leica spirit. We are excited to contribute to the city's vibrant cultural tapestry and look forward to engaging with Mexico's rich photographic tradition. The Leica Gallery is a meeting point for photo enthusiast to meet, talk, exchange ideas, and celebrate the importance of the humanistic approach to photography”.
Leica Store Mexico City represents the best of what Leica Camera offers its patrons: Retail (Leica product sales), Gallery (gorgeous spaces for artists to showcase their work) and an Akademie (space to educate patrons about photography with Leica gear). Retail displays are at street level,. Glass cases with the iconic red leather covered stands, white model designators, and exquisite cameras and lenses on display, along with bags, books, accessories and so on. Leica Gallery is on the second level. Yael is the first to be exhibited in this new location, #27 in Leica’s worldwide network of Galleries. Leica Akademie gets a beautiful space on the top floor in a room flanked by a custom-made wooden table, a giant
TV to anchor discussions with photographs on display, and even an outdoor deck overlooking the Polanco neighborhood. "Leica Camera North America President Mike Giannattasio expressed, "This space serves as the confluence of art, culture, technology, and innovation, to spark inspiration, conversation, and community."
On November 18, 2023, Day Two, Karin was again at hand to introduce Yael to the attendees present at the Grand Opening, and hosted a very cerebral Artist Talk. Karin’s passion for her galleries and the efforts she puts into selecting artists and their work clearly shows. Karin asked Yael a variety of thought-provoking questions pertaining to his past experiences, his first series, his Magnum engagement, and upcoming projects. I took and am reproducing some snippets of Yael’s quotes below:
(left) Dia de Muertos DJ and colleague mit Leica M10 Monochrom und Leica APO-Summicron M 1:2.0/50mm ASPH. Black Chrome LE. (right) Yael Martinez in conversation mit Karin Rehn-Kaufmann mit Leica M10 Monochrom und Leica APO-Summicron M 1:2.0/50mm ASPH. Black Chrome LE. (above) Volcanoes sighting while coming in to land in Mexico City. Leica M11 und Leica Summilux-M 1:1.4/35mm ASPH. FLE.
”My father taught me that art is life. Use photography to create a better understanding of reality. Employ photography for social use and to accelerate appreciation of art”.
”I am open to working with reality. As a documentary photographer, you need to be flexible and open to change. Follow the organic path by which life is giving you something, and make the most of it”.
Manolo Márquez, Curator, Leica Gallery, Mexico City, elaborated that “a good picture connects one’s mind, heart, and body, and triggers emotion. In that regard, Yael’s work reflects this in spades, and this is second nature for him”. He also expressed joy at the opportunity to showcase Mexican Artists, while also being able to bring others from Europe and elsewhere to exhibit their unique perspectives, creating a learning experience for all of us who are passionate about photography, and Leica in particular.
Yael’s talk reminded me about the meaning of photography. A great picture stirs one’s soul, and interestingly, when we remember, we tend to recall moments in time visually. All of us know iconic images such as Nick Ut’s Napalm Girl. It, and other memorable photographs have either helped alter the course of history, or documented poignant moments worth reflecting upon like Yael’s ”Latido incesante”. A photograph is a moment in time immortalized forever.
Amitava “Chats” Chatterjee ("Chatsphotog") is very active in the global Leica community. A board member of Leica Society International (come join us!), he is published in The Viewfinder and its Associate Editor/proofreader-at-large. He reviews pre-release Leica cameras and firmware, frequents various Facebook Leica Photography groups and believes he is the founder of the IG hashtag #ChasingLeitz.
You can find him at:
website www.chatsphotog.com facebook @Chatsphotogpilot instagram @Chatsphotog medium @Chatsphotog
(left) Perusing Yael Martinez’s work on display mit Leica M10 Monochrom und Leica APO-Summicron M 1:2.0/50mm ASPH. Black Chrome LE.
(right) Dia de Muertos makeup on display mit Leica M10 Monochrom und Leica APO-Summicron M 1:2.0/50mm ASPH. Black Chrome LE.
by KARINE NOWAK
encounter with photographic language occurred during a trip to Siberia in ice skates on Baïkal Lake. Siberian people, frozen landscapes, and the beauty of ice textures has literally immersed me in photography as a vital and natural way to share emotions.
Before, I wasn’t practicing photography, but I asked for advice from my husband Serge. As a French Navy nurse specializing in medical radiology, he has extensive experience in photography and film development. He has been surprised and amazed by the pictures I brought back, even if unfortunately, my camera (a digital compact) has resisted quite badly to the Siberian winter. He encouraged me to continue photography... and life decided that it couldn’t be otherwise!
A few months later, health reasons brought me to a turning point in my life. I was nurse and worked in oncology, specializing in palliative care. That profession would no longer be possible for me, and I had to consider a professional retraining.
Serge offered me my first “true” camera, a Leica M8 with a Summilux-M 75mm. We both decided to train at the French National Audio-Visual Institute (I.N.A.) in Paris. Since then, Serge is always present by my side, and he accompanies me in my reflection and my practice of Photography.
My first words when I discovered the Leica M were, “It’s a Stradivarius!”. But it was obvious to me that it is not enough to have the best instrument in the world in your hands to become a musician...
I immediately fell in love with this camera. During my childhood, I have been fortunate to practice piano, violin, dance, and painting. It has probably developed my sensitivity to art. When I held the Leica M in my hands for the first time, it gave me the same, very special feeling I had with my piano and my violin. The nature of this feeling was the same as when I experimented during my childhood: musicality, rhythm and phrasing are also essential in photography!
My relationship with photography has turned into a real philosophical journey over time. I explore everyday life at its most ordinary and try to highlight what makes things and places unique and extraordinary. Shooting everyday life at its most mundane can mean facing silence, absence, and vacuity. It's looking at a frame where nothing appears to be happening. Nothing "special" anyway. Nothing sensational or exciting. Just life in all its fragility, its destitution, and its beauty.
Photography has significantly increased in popularity and become widespread over the last few decades. A myriad of events have happened in France and abroad based on image: exhibitions, festivals, conferences etc. They are attended by several professional and amateur photographers to present work they've done all over the world. You can come back with breath-taking shots from countless places around the globe but is it because we're seeing a far-flung place that we find it beautiful, and it has a greater effect on us?
Photography is its own language with universal reach. Every shot is a vital element, just like a word has its place in a sentence. Side by side the images should come together, break each other down and mirror each other to create a specific rhythm and phrasing. I opted for a digital rangefinder camera equipment with a prime lens. I create my shots with a manual focus. The features of lenses are what define my bond with the subject. That means I have limitations, but it forces me to seek out the image and think about its composition. That said, what is it that makes you press the shutter button at that very moment? The framing, lighting, and mental construct that you see in a subject, even when you're not too sure where you're going. Things always come together beforehand, deep inside us, where the best part of photography happens - in our emotions.
My M camera with my favorite Summilux-M 75mm deeply forged my sight. I’m fully aware of my luck to have beginning and exclusively practice Photography with that equipment!
ENDLESS BLUE
"Endless Blue" is a contemplative evocation of the Normandy coastline. Balancing emotion and subjectivity, I realized that my shots consistently took me to the sea, nature and color. Over the seasons I explored the coastal paths and Cotentin beaches with no specific route. I set my sight on both the shore and horizon, the near and far. You can see man's presence everywhere here. I didn't try to force encounters, I just left things to chance and let my imagination loose. The sea has its own rhythm beaten by the tides, its own melody from the backwash. When it goes out and leaves a water mirror on the sand, it reflects the sky in all its infinite glory. At first, I didn't realize it, but I had found a central theme: it was blue. In Normandy more than anywhere, history has sculpted the landscapes. Our beaches are where Europe's fate moved to hope and freedom on the morning of June 6, 1944. What's left of that day reminds us of the cost in human sacrifice.
The sea can express turmoil and tranquility in equal measure and echoes every human passion and contradiction. Nowadays we soak up the peace, sunshine, sports or seaside holidays, simply, naturally, almost comfortably. The sea creates a sense of freedom intrinsically linked to this endless blue stretching into the horizon as far as the eye can see. This imaginary and symbolic line has a powerful and irresistible pull on the human soul.
In recent years, climate change has seen record high temperatures and sunshine in the Channel. The sea and sky were a powerful and abnormal azure blue at the time. For capturing these stunning hues of blue, I used a polarizing filter on my Summilux-M 75, and I lightly under-exposed my shots with the 35mm. For me, film and digital photography are not opposite but instead are parts of a natural continuity. The memory of the Kodachrome 25 film is my reference for its vivid and saturated colors.
During more than five years, I have captured the coastal landscapes of the Normandy Landing Beaches. Behind very simple pictures of daily life seaside, there are several degrees of storytelling. The climate changes with this attractive “endless blue” weather, on the one hand, and the perception of the fragility of freedom and peace, on the other hand. These are the foundations of my work. I paid a special attention to capture the vaporous character of the mist, the sun, and the wind. The technical specificities of the Leica M in manual mode and the special signature of the Summilux lenses allowed me to play with the suspended particles.
Family and familiar scenes of activities by the sea coexists with the memory of the World War II. The sacrifice of the past generation, on June 6, 1944, allowed tomorrow to be possible. A lot of things have been done, particularly here in Normandy, to document history and war; but maybe not everything has been done to document peace. I shot joy, insouciance, the good life, uncovering the mirage of the bond between mankind and its environment.
The following equipment was used to shoot the photos:
• Leica M240, M10, M10R, M11
• Summilux M 1: 1,4 75mm
• Summilux M 1: 1,4 35mm asph
• Elmar R 1: 4 180mm (Visoflex EVF + Leica R adapter M)
ABOUT KARINE
Trained at the I.N.A. (French National Audio-Visual Institute) and member of the Professional Photographers Union, I turned to professional photography in 2007. I use a digital Leica M to produce my shots as well as the fine art printing of my photographs.
My first photographs were published in Le Monde 2 magazine. I have exhibited my work in different Museum and published a photobook with my husband Serge: Poesea - Des bateaux et des hommes (French language only).
In 2017, I have been shortlisted to exhibit at the 44ème Salon de la Marine at the Musée National de la Marine (Palais Chaillot, Paris). My work was celebrated by a congratulatory letter from the Chief- of-Staff of the French Navy.
Since then, my photographs have been exhibited in London and shortlisted by the Juries at the Leica Fotografie International-LFI Gallery and LHSA-The International Leica Society.
(image 1) Horses, Highlands, Iceland. Leica Q2 Monochrom shot at f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100.
REALITY IN ICELAND
by ALBERT B. KNAPP MD & RUTH ORATZ MD
Surrealism - beyond reality – was born in the minds of French poets and artists in the early 20th century. The avant-garde writer Guillaume Apollinaire first used the term, but it was Andre Breton who defined surrealism in his manifesto: “to express, either verbally, in writing, or by any other manner, the real functioning of thought.” The move -
ment sought to liberate the artist from convention, unlock the subconscious, reveal dreams, unleash creativity by “plunging deeply into the human mind,” said Salvador Dali. The surrealists experimented with imagery, and technique, abstraction, strange juxtapositions of familiar objects, hyper-realist or hallucinatory.
On our most recent trip to Iceland, Albert and I felt untethered from the normal coordinates of time and space. Daylight was long and the nights were lit up by the fiery dance of the stars. We seemed to be on another planet absent of trees and shrubs and wildlife, far from the constraints of human constructions where the landscape was open and barren, phosphorescent and gleaming, the ground either black gritty lava or spongy pads of moss and lichen. How to capture in a photo the enormity of these vistas, the delicacy of the details? We walked in close, stood further back, spun the camera around, shook things up, over-exposed and under-exposed, set up on the tripod to slow down motion or dive into the light hidden by darkness and in so doing we hoped to tap into our feelings more than our thoughts about the surreality of the Icelandic landscape. Our trip started in Reykjavik, headed up to the Highlands and then looped back along the Southern Coast from Hofn returning to the capitol. The variety of locations, weather conditions, and ultimately atmospheric moods was stunning. Albert brought his Leica SL2 kit along with his Thambar and Ruth her Q2 and Q2M.
Iceland was once verdant and mild, covered with trees. But glaciers in the last Ice Age encased the island, dredging deep and craggy scars into the land while massive volcanic eruptions
spewed burning lava everywhere, wiping out flora and fauna, leaving the island with majestic canyons, ravines and gullies curving around the Highlands. Rivers and floods, glacial water and springs run through these. There is a sense of surreality everywhere – unexpected, strange, eerie yet also recognizable. Even in the cities, Icelanders embrace an edgy sense of reality.
In Reykjavik claw like graffiti fingers grasp the roof of a building about to crush a half open window, making us wonder if a monstrous giant is storming through the city. (image 6) At 122 meters high Haifoss waterfall, The Tall Falls, the first of many we will stand in awe of, thunders down in sharp blades of light exploding into a steamy boulder rimmed cauldron below. We know the water is icy cold, yet we feel the burning fire of its powerful cascade. (image 2) Arriving in the Highlands, the landscape turns to moonscape. This black lava sand field is illuminated by an early morning ray of light sneaking between the clouds, transmitted from above the stratosphere, transporting us to another universe. In monochrome it is even more ghostly. (image 4) And then as we are driving along, the dust kicks up and a pack of horses gallop from out of nowhere - off to somewhere - and we have no idea where they come from or to where
(left) image 2 - Haifoss, Iceland. Leica SL2 & APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm shot at 112mm, f/9, 1/80 sec, ISO 400. (right) image 3 - Reynisdranqar, Iceland. Leica SL2 & Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm ASPH shot at 84 mm, f/7.1, 1/15 sec, ISO 100.
they are going - but we jump out and marvel at their magical appearance and disappearance. (image 1, title page)
Heading out of several surreal days in the Highlands we traverse endless expanses of dry unpopulated terrain, off-road on rocky paths, fording rivers in our 4-wheeler, and climbing nothing more than a gravel trace, especially on the steepest hairpin turns around the Highland peaks. The vehicle stops and we walk out towards a ledge. A gaping canyon yawns open, dozens of waterfalls spout from the inside walls, and in a moment an angular sunbeam gilds a single triangular patch as if Gustav Klimt had arrived from the heavens with his easel and brush. Sunset at Sigöldugljúfur, also known as the Valley of Tears, comes and goes in a brilliant flash. (image 7, following page)
We leave the Highlands returning to the southern coast. The palette remains somber on the Black Sand Beach of Reynisfjara near Vik. Flecks of brightly colored rain jackets pick out individuals sheltering in the caves and staring up at the massive formations rising from the sea. (image 3). On Diamond Beach chunks of chiseled glacial ice sparkle against the jet granules – taking the form of an ancient wild wolf. (image 5)
(above) image #6 - Reykjavik, Iceland. Leica Q2 shot at f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO 400.
(left) image #4 - Veidivotn, Highlands, Iceland. Leica Q2 Monochrom shot at f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO 400. (right) image #5 - Ice, Diamond Beach, Iceland. Leica Q2 Monochrom shot at f/8, 1/250sec, ISO 400.
(image 7) Sunset, Sigoldugljufur, Highlands, Iceland. Leica SL2 & Super-Vario-Elmar-SL 16-35mm shot at 32 mm, f/8, 4 sec, ISO 100.
At the Jokulsarlon, the ice lagoon takes on a range of cool blues, aquamarines, chilly whites. As the Vatnajokull glacier receded this lake, now the deepest in Iceland, was formed. Massive slabs of ice get caught as they break off from the main glacier and drift out to sea. Through a Thambar lens a family of swimming ducks punctuates the dreamy and utter silence. (image 8) By shaking and spinning the camera a surreal view of the same landscape emerges. (image 9)
At last, we are on our way to the capitol city. Rain falls heavily as we are driving on the main road, so we pull over to stop and then step into yet another fairy tale. The Eldhraun Lava Field was created by one of the most devastating eruptions in recorded history. In 1783 – 1784, the Laki fissure and Grimsvotn volcanoes poured out 14 cubic km of basalt lava and noxious gasses continuously for more than 8 months. Everything in its wake was destroyed, more than half of Iceland’s livestock died, nothing grew on the land and famine set in killing almost a quarter of the human population. More widespread effects resulted in weather changes as far off as freezing along the Mississippi River and ice floes in the Gulf of Mexico. A cloudy haze of volcanic ash darkened Europe’s skies leading to drought and crop failure extending even to the Nile Basin in Egypt. The thousands of deaths caused by hunger led to poverty and social unrest, ultimately a major factor in the rise of the French Revolution. Today the Eldraun Lava fields are surreally peaceful, serene and soft. Our feet sink into the pillowy moss, thick and spongy as we squish along. For miles around the land is wrapped in all shades of green, lights and shadow creating elfin figures and trolls sitting up on iridescent lookouts. (image 10) Looking in closely tiny magic mushrooms nestle inside an emerald city ground cover. (image 11)
Yon Medina dives from an abandoned oil structure in the green waters of Lake Maracaibo, covered in algae blooms. Cabimas, Venezuela - November 2019
Paradise Lost, Paradise Found
MY PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY by ADRIANA LOUREIRO FERNÁNDEZ
WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY GRANT RECIPIENT
(top) Neighbors play board games under a sky lit by gas flares. Punta de Mata, Venezuela - November 5, 2022.
(bottom left) On February 28, 2015, a demonstrator stands in front of a barricade, protecting the entrance of the Los Andes University in the city of San Cristóbal, Venezuela.
(bottom right) Victoria Ramirez and her boyfriend kiss during a concert. The couple reencountered at the festival after Ms Ramirez migrated a year before. Caracas, Venezuela - December 15, 2019.
Tear gas canisters were flying across the sky. People ran screaming all around. Four had already been wounded by tear gas canisters falling on their heads and faces. I crouched, surrounded by a cloud of gas, as I tried to recover my breath and wipe the tears puddling in my eyes, so I could get a clearer sight. As I tried to focus, I saw the sun setting behind a tree and the sky turning clear blue with hints of orange. Then, amidst the chaos, I suddenly felt at ease. Venezuela has always had that quality. It is breathtakingly beautiful while it is also heart-wrenching. This duality, being able to not only accept it but highlight it, became clear to me that day, in that moment. It has guided my photography ever since.
TAKEOFF
Against my mother’s wishes, I bought a bus ticket to the bordering city of San Cristobal, Venezuela. The city was the epicenter of violent political protests led by students who demanded the return to democracy. I was about 26 years old and back then, no newspaper would take the risk of sending a woman by herself to a place ruled by violence and anarchy. I had to take my own risks if I ever wanted to make it as a photojournalist. The decision to go there by myself, to take the risk, not only to prove that I was qualified but mostly to understand how much of this I could handle, cemented my career. I always say I didn’t choose photojournalism — it chose me.
I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, at the dawn of a self-denominated revolution, forged amidst political and social unrest, relentless violence, hunger, and poverty. My country eventually became an autocracy that fueled a humanitarian crisis and one of the world’s largest migration crises. I was never able to just accept the context that I was born into, so I became a photographer.
In college, I remember reading Milan Kundera, and a passage from one of his books was cemented in my memory: “The first step in liquidating a people,” said Hubl, “is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long the nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was. The world around it will forget even faster.”
I read this as I saw it happening in present tense, so I decided to devote my work to preserving our collective memory as best as I could. It’s always important to remind ourselves why we choose our path, because so much of it comes from ideas that can only be fostered early on in life, when we are better at being dreamers.
Violence was pervasive and sneaky, it became a part of everything we experienced, from day to day interactions, to social unrest and increasing political persecution. So fear was always present, one way or another. Frustration was also building up because life itself felt outside the control of our generation of young adults. That’s the context in which I got my first camera. And it quickly became
my vehicle for so many things: a camera keeps pushing us outside of our comfort zone, it keeps facing us against our fears, it forces an understanding of others, and their pain and their struggles. At the same time, it transforms us into a vehicle for memory.
I taught myself how to photograph because Venezuela doesn’t have any formal photography education. I studied journalism instead, which seemed close enough. Through trial and (so, so much) error, I became a photographer.
For my first project, I documented my daily life. With time, and after thousands of rookie mistakes, it took on a life of its own. That project, which I started as a teenager, was my first lesson in long-term documentary practice and the importance of documenting what’s closest to us. Even if it felt unremarkable back then, everyday life, especially at a young age, is really magical. Because that’s when we’re discovering the world, and discovery is always adventurous.
MY LEICA JOURNEY
My early work was done with a Canon 5D Mark II (which I still use). Initially my go-to lenses were a 50mm and a 35mm. Then I got the Nikon Award at the Eddie Adams Workshop, which was my first experience with a mirrorless camera and a 24mm, mounted on a Nikon Z7. A few years ago, I got my first Leica, an SL2-S with a 24-70mm. It’s the one I currently use and love.
To me, a 24mm and generally wider angles are a homage to the reportage style. Because it is much harder to cut things out of the frame, or isolate them, I feel I can let life happen before the lens, with as little interjections as the technology allows. It also forces me to move closer to people and events — it forces interaction, communication, negotiation and understanding. It also made me learn how to compose a frame using three or more elements, which has been fun and challenging.
Now, I am honestly wanting to go a bit back to the tighter frames, like the 50mm. Not because I want distance, but because tighter lenses allow for more emotion and detail to come through. And emotion is more important at this stage of my practice.
LSI WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY GRANT
We see so much darkness and despair in photojournalism, and there are so few occasions in which we get to witness the more inspiring sides of humanity. The Leica Society International Women in Photography Grant, with its focus on the human spirit, has given me the opportunity to find balance in what I photograph.
I was honored to be the first recipient of this grant. With it, I finally get a chance to showcase true resilience in a country that has seen so much darkness. When I am not on assignment, I get to spend time with people behind amazing projects aimed at rebuilding a
After school, children walk among the remains of 17 houses that were accidentally set on fire during a blackout in Petare,
Caracas' biggest barrio. Caracas, Venezuela - April 8, 2019
Two boys dive from an abandoned oil structure in the green waters of lake Maracaibo, covered in algae blooms. Cabimas, Venezuela - November 2109
The
is
Attaiz Bellorin, 33, digs the sand in search for gold while children play around her. Guaca, Venezuela - November 30, 2020
Children play among the remains of a fishing dock surrounded by crude oil. Cabimas, Venezuela - September 19, 2020
fishermen’s bay
covered with a thick layer of crude oil that extends for miles along the coastline.
(top) Saida Bravo, 45, who suffers from Huntington’s disease and acute malnutrition. Maracaibo, Venezuela - August 2, 2019
(bottom left) Kely Vicuña and Darwin Contreras sleep on their eighth bus, as they head to Peru’s border with Chile. Kely and Darwin are asylum seekers who escaped Venezuela after being political prisoners in 2017. Venezuelans now top every Latin American list for asylum requests. Tacna, Peru - July 5, 2017
(bottom right) Luis Javier, 9 and Luis David, 8, play on the shores of lake Maracaibo, stained with algae blooms and crude oil. Cabimas, Venezuela - November 24, 2019
broken country. This grant will allow me to highlight them and hopefully bring change to a country that desperately needs hope.
In many ways, the Leica Society International Women in Photography Grant is taking me back to what sparked my interest in photography: Photographing what feels close, and maybe unremarkable to some, but that has all the potential to become amazing, much like my first documentary project ever.
Thom Yorke once said in an interview: “I am still trying to create beauty from nightmares. You’ve got to weave in some beauty because that’s where you live; that’s where your spirit’s got to live.” That’s what I am hoping to create with my project, Paradise Lost, and with the help of this grant.
People working in Venezuela are rebuilding the country against all odds, and in a severely hostile context, they truly demonstrate the human spirit. I believe they should be seen and celebrated. I am not a fan of the word “resilience,” because I know many people living in hardship have no other choice but to continue suffering. The idea of enduring pain has always troubled me. But rebuilding what is broken, moving forward despite the past, that idea is different and is ultimately inspiring to me. I intend to use this new chapter of Paradise Lost as a platform for that.
Paradise Lost is my ongoing project documenting the collapse of my home country, Venezuela. It began very intuitively in 2014, as student protests were on the rise.
Political and social unrest became part of our daily lives and I was a young adult trying to understand my path forwards within photography but also within my country. Photography became my path forward here.
In the beginning, Paradise Lost did not have shape, form or borders; it was a personal photographic journal that I made for my own recollection. Bits and pieces of our daily life as a country, framed by decay. Most of the early work in the project are portraits, mostly depicting political and social violence; during this period I also realized that I was able to work under tension and in very dynamic environments.
As the economy and the country collapsed and the personal experience of it all became more poignant, the project took form. For nearly five years I have been working on Paradise Lost in chapters. For each chapter I chose a topic that felt like the most relevant one in our collective experience as a country. So I have devoted chapters to hunger, violence, autocracy, migration and womens’ issues. I traveled with a young couple that had escaped political prison and wanted to request asylum. (bottom left) We crossed five borders in about ten days, mostly walking and taking buses. That was in 2017, when we had one of the highest migration waves in our history. That was also the year when Venezuela became a man-made humanitarian crisis and one of the darkest years in my memory.
Many of the images that have endured the endless rounds of edits are images that have impacted me greatly, or that resonate on a much deeper level with what we are as a country. For some images included in Paradise Lost, I have spent weeks or months visiting a community so that I can, not only build a relationship of trust, but most importantly an image that respects human dignity while conveying the direness of the situation. In that sense, it has become crucial to my work to be able to blend tenderness or beauty in a situation that seemingly has none.
In 2019 Venezuela went through a national blackout that lasted between five and seven days (depending on the region). It was extremely symbolic to me that during our darkest years, the country went physically dark. It was also one of the most traumatizing experiences we have had collectively as a country. For that chapter, I visited the west of the country – the most heavily impacted by the blackout. There was mass looting, while entire towns were a ready dying from starvation. That was quite literally the darkest chapter of the project and what remained was this image of Zaida Bravo (top left) who was severely malnourished, as her neighbor opened a window for her to see the sunlight.
A lot of the personal work that is now part of Paradise Lost has stemmed from my assignment work as a photojournalist for The New York Times.
My work for The New York Times has allowed me, not only to travel to corners of the country that would otherwise be inaccessible, but it has also grounded the way I think about Venezuela and our collapse throughout the years. Most of the work that I have done, specially in the last two years, would not exist without them. As working conditions worsen with a more constraining autocracy and one of the world’s highest inflation rates, photojournalism has never been more challenging but also more necessary in Venezuela.
All the pieces that constitute what we understand as a collapsed country and what it means to be part of something that is falling apart, that is what Paradise Lost wants to be. But within the chaos, a new version of the Venezuelan identity is emerging. In the last few years many migrants have returned and many of those who endured our darkest years, decided to build something from the carcasses of what is left.
ONJune 21st, 2011 Leica announced the M9-P. This was the first of the modern 'P' variants and was followed by the M-P (typ 240), the M10-P and now the M11-P.
The original analog MP was based on the M3 from 1954. It was black paint with a Leicavit winding system and was released in the late 1950's.
Traditionally the 'P' variant has a sapphire crystal rear LCD (better for scratch resistance and clarity). The top plate is engraved with the Leica lettering and the Red Dot is replaced with a more discreet screw. As the changes are fundamentally cosmetic rather than functional, I haven't usually written about them.
This time however there is also an improved 256gb Internal Memory (as opposed to the 64gb on the M11).
More importantly than all of this, is the introduction of Leica Content Credentials, which is a method of ensuring the authenticity of images. The Leica / Adobe system adheres to the CAI (Content Authenticity Initiative) open-source standard (there are other new standards coming up)
In addition to all of this, the M11-P marks the introduction of Firmware v2 for the M11 series of cameras.
Traditionally, and perhaps even more this time around (the M10-R having been such a success), lots of Leica users wait for the 'P' model before upgrading from the previous iteration. On that basis, I will first look back briefly at the changes from the M10 camera before looking at the new features in more detail.
THE LEICA M11-P
by JONATHAN SLACK
The Leica M11-P with 35mm APO-Summicron-M f/2 ASPH.
Superficially the M11-P looks like an M10-P with much higher resolution, but actually, it's quite a revolution in terms of image quality, connectivity, and functionality. To sum up:
• The new base improves weather sealing and strength
• The new black paint option is very resilient with a grippy finish
• Aluminium top plate makes it the weight of an M6
• Button layout is now the same as the SL2 and Q2
• 3 New programmable function buttons: Fn, Top Plate & Thumbwheel
• New battery with 700 shot CIPA standard (this has proved modest)
• 64/256gb of very fast internal memory
• Brand new and faster Maestro III processor
• New 60mp BSI CMOS sensor with excellent dynamic range
• Full-time off-sensor metering (much more accurate & no extra shutter lag)
• Electronic Shutter up to 1/16,000 sec
• USB-C Charging
• PTP and Apple MFI connectivity using USB-C port
• Direct connection from camera to Lightroom via USB-C cable
• New well-constructed EVF with a bigger and brighter image (like Q2)
• LCD Display with double the pixel count of the M10
• Image stabilised monitor on the EVF and LCD (not the sensor!)
• Combined Quick Menu and Status Screen
• Menus changed to be even more compatible with Q2 and SL2
• Improved menu system for uncoded M lenses
• Digital Zoom mode with framelines for 1.3x and 1.8x crops
• Variable DNG size (18.4 mp, 36.5mp and 60.3mp)
SPECIFIC M11-P ADVANTAGES OVER THE M11 ARE:
• Sapphire Crystal LCD cover (rather than toughened glass)
• 256gb of very fast internal memory (as opposed to 64gb)
• Unobtrusive design without Red Dot
• Leica Logo on the top plate
• Leica Content Credentials
(top) The Leica M11-P with 35mm APO-Summicron-M f/2 ASPH. (bottom) Fishing Boat. Leica M11-P & 35mm APO-Summicron-M f/2 ASPH.
If you would like to read more details about these changes, then you can look at my article about the M11 by using the QR Code to the right or by visiting https://www.slack.co.uk/leica-m11.html.
PART 2 LEICA CONTENT CREDENTIALS
The Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) is an association founded on November 2019 by Adobe, the New York Times, Twitter and others with the intention of curbing disinformation. The idea is to promote an industry standard for provenance metadata for files defined by the C2PA.
The C2Pa is the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, co-founded by Adobe with Arm, BBC, Intel and Microsoft, and many more - so you can see that big guns are involved in this.
Whilst the C2PA is tasked with the formulation of an open, royaltyfree technical standard for metadata, the CAI sees its task in the dissemination and promotion of the standard.
The idea is to add an additional set of metadata to a file containing information about its provenance and edits which may have been made using compliant software. This could apply to a photo, a video, or a text file.
The base information added to the metadata by the M11-P shows: the Photographer, the Device, and the Location & Time of the Recording.
If you edit the file in Lightroom CC, Photoshop 2024 or another compliant program, then the provenance of any edits are also recorded. NB this is not yet installed either in Lightroom Mobile, or Lightroom Classic, but it will be in the future.
Leica are the first camera company to implement this in a camera. Sadly, the first step is a hardware chip, so it won't be possible to make this backwards compatible for previous Leica cameras.
You can check the Content Credentials of any file using the free CAI website at https://contentcredentials.org/verify.
Just drop any file onto the web page and the content credential information will be shown. Or, if you see the CR pin on an image in the internet then you can click on that for details.
If the image is edited in any non-compliant software, such as Topaz AI at the moment, the Content Credentials are destroyed. Some generative AI programs (currently by Microsoft and Adobe) will also add Content Credential information as seen in the penguin picture above.
The CAI Website https://contentcredentials.org has some excellent pages showing how this actually works. (QR Code Opposite Page)
Currently, you have to be quite determined to get it all working properly. First of all, in Settings / Preferences you need to enable Content Credentials.
HOW TO USE CONTENT CREDENTIALS IN PHOTOSHOP
AN EXAMPLE
This image was created in the Leica M11-P and then opened in Photoshop. It was then exported as a JPEG file, which was in turn opened in Photoshop, modified, and exported. You can see the various generations of editing. (left)
Then the image was opened and edited in Topaz AI and saved again. Using the verify tool, you can see that the information has gone. (right)
See how it works at https://contentcredentials.org
It then becomes available in the Window Menu. Then you need to export the image and you need to enable the Content Credentials and choose whether to attach it to the file or publish to Content Credentials Cloud.
Here is a list of the improvements. I'll go into the most important ones in some detail below.
• Bluetooth Shutter & Settings - With the new FOTOS Update you will be capable to connect the camera via Bluetooth only to get a much faster Initiate Remote Control function.
• FOTOS Shutter Release via Bluetooth
• Edit File Name - Now the user can change three letters of the file name.
• Touch Mode ON/OFF - Some users wished for an option to disable the touch mode because it was accidentally used with the nose.
• Zoom / Focus point on display re-centred after Off / On of display
• Copy INT → SD + Play Mode - After copying, you can see the images directly in Play mode.
• Tethering with Capture One and Lightroom - A plug-in for this function in LR can be downloaded. C1 already supports this function.
• Empty Battery Message - If the capacity drops under 3%.
• Extended Dynamic Range for JPEG files
• Self-timer option is not in Drive Mode anymore
• Shutter closed when lens is detached
• Camera is no longer attaching outdated geotags to images
• Freeze improvements
• Other smaller bug fixes
CHANGES IN FOTOS
Fotos has been developing steadily and quietly over the past year or so into a really useful app for controlling the camera and interacting with social media.
The new firmware update adds faster Bluetooth connectivity, including the option to release the shutter via Bluetooth (you don't see the image on the device screen though, which would be nice) EDIT FILE NAME
This is great - you can now have a three letter prefix to the file name. Any combination of three letters is possible and they can be saved back to the individual user profiles.
I currently have my M11-P set up with DAY, NIT and MAN for three different user presets: Day, Night and Manual. There are lots of possibilities - this isn't going to float everybody's boat, but certainly it's useful for me.
ZOOM / SPOT METERING POSITION RESET
This is something which has irritated lots of us over the years. If you inadvertently moved the zoom / spot pointer to the corner of the display, then it would remain there until you moved it back to the centre. Now, it will automatically recenter itself after the display goes off and on again (same with the EVF). Hooray!
TETHERING WITH LIGHTROOM & CAPTURE ONE
I don't shoot tethered, but this is obviously a useful addition. The Lightroom plugin can be downloaded from Leica's website.
SELF TIMER MOVED FROM DRIVE MODE
The Self Timer has been moved from the Drive Mode menu to its own menu position - which certainly seems sensible to me.
SHUTTER CLOSED WHEN LENS REMOVED
When the lens is removed, the shutter closes. This obviously helps reduce the likelihood of getting dust on the sensor. It's an extremely useful new function.
GREATLY IMPROVED GEOTAGGING
The Geotagging function when connected to FOTOS via Bluetooth has been greatly improved. This is something I got quite involved with during the development, and whereas once it was a bit hit and miss, it now seems to be really good. And, of course, it's better to have it in conjunction with your phone than having a chip in the camera using power.
IMPROVED DYNAMIC RANGE
This new option uses local tone mapping to adjust highlights and shadows to enhance the contrast of the image as a whole, and to preserve details in the shadows and highlights. Leica feels this makes the image correspond more closely to the way the human eye would view the scene. It can only be used with JPEG files and can be set to Off, Medium and High in the JPEG settings.
CONCLUSION
In the tradition of the 'P' series, this camera offers a cosmetic update to the original camera with the Leica lettering on the top plate, and the removal of the Red Dot together with a tougher sapphire glass rear display.
But in this case, it offers a lot more, in particular the hardware chip to allow Content Credentials to be added to images. This is an important first step towards transparency and traceability.
Although still in the beta phase, it is gaining momentum and many important organisations are embracing it. It promises to be a really significant help in fighting against disinformation and theft of images, whether literal or developed in AI,
In addition the M11-P has 4 times as much internal storage space as the M11. When the M11 arrived I was inclined to think that they would have been better to have two SD card slots (like most other cameras). Apparently there wasn't room, so they settled for the internal memory. Now I much prefer the internal memory - it would be nice if you could use Mass Storage to connect, but it works well anyway. With the extra memory in the M11-P there is enough to hold over 3,000 large RAW files, which is sufficient for the biggest wedding, or a whole holiday (for me anyway!).
Leica have used the release of the M11-P to significantly improve the firmware from the M11, both in terms of adding new features and sorting out bugs. It's great that this is also available for the previous M11 cameras.
The M11 is a brilliant camera, well worth the upgrade from the M10-R in so many respects, and the M11-P is another significant upgrade. Leica is going from strength to strength.
See more of Jono's M11-P images by using the QR Code above or by visiting https://www.slack.co.uk/articles/the-leica-m11-p.html
The later fall foliage turns mostly yellow here in southwestern NH, often lasting beyond the first snowfall. As before, during the red and orange phase, the small bag of gear carried around was as simple as possible, with one or two Leica SM film cameras, and a minimum of lenses consisting of 35 & 50. plus a 90 or 135, with their individual brightline finders, and not much else. All the shots seen here were made with either the 35 or 50mm lenses.
Viewing individual trees means moving around on foot. Usually a single camera and lens is all that is needed for the purpose, making it easier to walk around in long grass or over stone walls (or in snow!) in search of a particular scene or tree. And so, with no delay or interference caused by extra gear or lens changing, I can make a composition with the lens I have on the camera, and then go on looking for more. However one of these shots, that of the old stone-arch bridge, required a tripod to be grabbed out of the car to hold the camera for a short time exposure at a smaller aperture, smoothing the flow of the water in the foreground, and allowing the greater depth of field to sharpen the yellow background.
The film usually used has been Kodak color-negative ISO 200 or 400, either one fast enough for available light indoors when wanted, yet sharp and with full gradation outdoors in very bright light. Another reason for using film is that I can look up remembered scenes in my color-negative files which consist of 4x6 mini contact sheets of the prints - plus a CD disk - of all the photos made from that roll. In the files the CDs are cross-indexed as to subject, as well as date, making it easy to find a remembered picture from those files, which can then be easily reprinted. In contrast to that, in the digital worldwithout a lot of home-based electronic equipment availableretrieving a remembered digital image means having to take one or more SD cards to the camera store, and sorting through the hundreds of pictures on each one, while viewing them all at once on the print-ordering screen! So, at least for my non news-gathering purposes, film seems a reasonable way to go, helping to partially offset the extra expense in shooting each roll.
The Newest Nocticlone
When Leica reissued its fabled 50/f1.2 Noctilux in 2021, I had my heart set on getting one. F/1.2 was quite shallow enough DOF for me these days, and beatific bokeh beckoned. So did the smaller size and weight than my Noctilux f/1.0. I envisioned selling that and sort of slipping into an old but new groove, fairly economically. It was only when I saw current images from both the older and new Noctilux f/1.2 that I wavered and then abandoned my fantasy. The reason? The f/1.2's, both of them, seemed simply too soft wide open for me. What may have been the cat’s whiskers in the 1960’s versus the competition was unfortunately now to me a type of lens I could not see myself using for ascetical reasons very often, whereas my f/1.0 was sharp when I needed speed and the effects of a very shallow DOF.
Such was my reasoning then.
After the 2019 LSI Annual Meeting in Boston, Kevin Xu, then Light Lens Lab’s roving ambassador, told me that he had three lenses he wanted LLL to re-make: the 8-element 35/2 Summicron, the 50/2 ELCAN, and the 50/1.2 Noctilux. The first two have been made successfully, and indeed I use them regularly. Now, LLL’s current North American contact, David Yu-Heng Chen, informed me in January 2023 that, yes, they are making a clone of the Noctilux f/1.2 as well, and that I will get to test one should I want. What was most intriguing in what David said was that their lens was sharper centrally than either Leitz / Leica lens, but “retained characteristics”
of the original’s bokeh. I was shown side-by-side images, and such seemed to be the case.
Of further fascination was LLL’s back story, at least as forwarded to me through David from LLL’s owner, Mr. Zhou. His company said they had dissembled one lens from each Wetzlar batch –original and copy – and found what they felt were deficiencies in the current Leica lens, presumably optical ones in their opinion. So, as you will read below, they ultimately decided to try to remake the original in much the same way that Leitz itself had done it in the 1960’s.
Recall the urban legend (but likely true) that for the f/1.2 that there was only one Leitz employee, Gerd Bergmann, who could successfully operate the special grinding machine for making its two aspherical surfaces, and that there were many rejects, so that only 1000 lenses, plus or minus a couple hundred, were manufactured (per Erwin Puts); or perhaps double that amount according to others. Well, a scarcely-believable story in this day and age: LLL says they have decided to do much the same thing. They are hand-grinding, with machine, the aspheric surfaces in the lens elements after having first made the spherical blanks for this by CNC. Therefore, they do not expect a huge production run, any more than Leitz did. David adds: “Quality control-wise, we are looking at the ... [lens] elements on a microscopic scale ...”.
Per Mr. Zhou, in translation and excerpted: “As of now, the majority of camera manufacturers have the ASPH process. However, there are only three significant suppliers the ASPH CNC polishing and grinding machines. One is LOH (which is Leica’s proprietary machine), Schneider Kreuznach, and Lockheed Martin (which is not for civilian use). The spherical grinding and ASPH polishing machines cost millions of dollars apiece to purchase... Light Lens Lab’s ASPH and spherical elements are produced instead using a polishing/ grinding process that is proprietary to our country...
“We use laser and probe machines to test and quality-control our grinding and polishing processes (such as determining the thickness of the elements), making our product more consistent in its rendering... Every ASPH element must have an exact configuration in diameter, size and thickness... We have now acquired machines to measure data for each spherical / ASPH element, and we use that data during our assembly to ensure a more precise product. Also, these data will be used during our testing/quality control procedure before shipping to ensure our tolerance will remain consistent...
“However, there are still quite a substantial number of defective elements. First, the initial spherical element process (grinding/ polishing) produces its own initial small batch of rejects. Then, the remaining spherical elements are subjected to the even more demanding ASPH grinding and polishing process. The two steps create a massive number of defective elements that cannot be recovered. Assembly and mounting of the lens can also lead to defective lenses as we need to mix and match each element to attain the lens’ specifications. All defective lenses are processed and destroyed...
“We should also discuss polishing “grooves” at the submicroscopic level and their effect on the overall rendering of lenses. Unfortunately, with most ASPH element grinding and polishing methods, especially with molded optics, such is unavoidable. Every single optical manufacturing company, including Leica or companies that specialize only in methods of grinding/polishing ASPHs will have a specific “groove” problem. These tiny grooves can result in harshness in bokeh (commonly known as the “onion-ring effect”) under specific lighting conditions. While these tracks are unavoidable, modern optical producers like Light Lens Lab have a system in place of computerized tolerance control. This takes these microscopic grooves into consideration as a factor during lens assembly for a more minimalized and consistent result.
“Because we strive for creating optical excellence, we found we could improve upon the original 1966 design’s visual performance, raising the central sharpness by a small margin with our modern production methods, improved coating, and computerized quality control/selection”.
But successfully grinding aspheres is only one-half of two intertwined problems that face any attempt to re-make the 1966 Noctilux. The other, not usually mentioned in articles on the 1966 lens, is making or finding the very special glass type needed for
the aspheres in the lens’ design. Both that special glass, and the aspheric element production, had allowed Leitz to make an f/1.2 lens that was much smaller in diameter and more ergonomic than others of its era. Without both the special glass and the aspheric grinding, the result would have been inappropriately bulky for an M camera, if indeed it was possible at all at that time.
Per Mr. Zhou: "There are two practical reasons for the 1966 lens’ exceptional look/unique performance: 1.) The special 900403 glass and 2.) The first use of ASPH elements in a commercial Lens"
Therefore, as part of their huge retrograde effort, LLL states that they had to reverse engineer glass type 900403. 900403 is a very special glass that has a refractive index of 1.9005, and an Abbe Number of VD = 40.3, and was developed in Leitz’s own research lab but manufactured for them in small batches by Corning in France. 900403 has too high a melting/softening point to be able to be molded into an aspheric shape, hence it must be ground as it was in 1966. LLL studied 900403’s aspects from the ground up using historical documents and research done by lens enthusiasts worldwide on the chemical properties of various Leica lens elements. Then they hired a glass chemical specialist to research and recreate the glass, using as reference an Italian research document which listed its chemical properties, refractive index number, and Abbe number. LLL’s attempt to recreate 900403 took over two years of non-stop research, development, and manufacturing prototypes with different rare element chemical inclusions before they finally got an acceptable product.
An interesting historical wrinkle: Mr. Zhou states that it was more the limited availability of the 900403 glass, rather than the failure rate in grinding, that caused Leitz to stop making its 1966 Noctilux. They had ceased production due to the high costs / outof-stock situation of this special element. 900403 glass is allegedly not used in the current Leica replica.
My thoughts, while waiting many months for a prototype of the lens to appear: not owning either of the German f/1.2 lenses, I cannot run an A:B test with them. What I plan is first to compare this new lens to my own f/1.0 Noctilux, with both at f/1.2, and then secondly to use the LLL Nocti clone for actual shooting, to get an idea of its capabilities.
Finally, in mid-July 2023 the lens arrived. Two finished lens prototypes were made by LLL, of which I received No. 1 for testing. It is beautifully finished, with an impressive clip-on shade and its on-camera handling is flawless. It weighs 487g with shade, 438g without, (which is close to what my all-brass LHSA Special Edition 50/2 APO Summicron Aspheric weighs!) The original f/1.2 weighed 450g. My f/1.0 weighs 632g for comparison. The front ring on the LLL lens says: “Noctilucent 1:1.2/50 ASPH 1966 Prototype 01 Light Lens Lab”. Filter size in E49. The hood is also threaded to take a Series 7.5 (I believe) drop-in filter.
The MTF plots sent by Mr. Zhou of the three lenses are quite interesting, and look to my eyes as though the apparent rigorous attempt by LLL to duplicate the signature of the original 50/1.2 has succeeded, at least graphically. My interpretation of these curves: for the original lens and the LLL replica at f/1.2, there is similar slightly reduced contrast wide open and loss of the very finest detail, but otherwise the lens performs well, with coverage that is fairly even, and the LLL lens appears to have less astigmatism. The 2021 Leica lens has a slightly different fingerprint.
For those not immediately in the know, 徕卡 means “Leica”.
Right off, I ran side-by-side tests with my f/1.0 Noctilux set at f/1.2. The results were not dissimilar by much, but understandably the historically later f/1.0 lens (if we assume that the LLL f/1.2 is a close copy of Leitz’s original f/1.2) seemed to have slightly more central sharpness at f/1.2, and less smudging of fine detail in the field when tested at f/5.6. Satisfied that my direct comparison really would not be helpful for anyone who wants the LLL lens, I proceeded to my step two: making pictures with LLL’s replica wide open.
What I found is that reasonably often one can get quite acceptably sharp center detail (also into the field at the distance being focused upon centrally) with the LLL lens wide open. It shows almost no flare and some vignetting at f/1.2, and possible minor colorfringing off-axis (with a digital sensor). I am no bokeh expert and therefore lack the usual reviewer’s refinement and their winetaster-like vocabulary to describe a lens’ bokeh, but mostly I found what I got from this lens pleasant and not obtrusive. The lens can give a nice pictorial feel and a nice “Leica glow” similar to what I saw from images made with Leica’s own re-issue, but it may be a hair sharper. Such an opinion is subjective, since I cannot A:B the two lenses.
As with the Noctilux f/1.0, one needs some practice to “hit” focus, and I made several shots for many of the ones shown here,
to get this just right. The DOF of the f/1.2 is so narrow that often one gets "apparent" softness; for example, in photographing a face, even at a distance of a few feet, the nose may be in focus, but not the eyes. Therefore, psychologically, the face looks unsharp as we are used to looking at eyes. [N.B. This is what I was likely experiencing when I looked at images from Leica’s recent replica lens and found it wanting.] In the photo of our dog Molly being held, her face appears modestly unsharp and one initially wonders about movement artifact, or simply lens softness. However, upon magnification, one side of her nose and the hairs around her mouth are quite sharp. The DOF is the culprit, if one is being picky. (right)
(top) Hanging garlic. There is more softness to this image than I like. I made multiple attempts at f/1.2 but could not get this sharper-appearing –focus was on root hairs. Still, the image is evocative and succeeds, I think. (bottom) The author's dog, Molly.
Yet for me, the resulting “softness” in immediate OOF areas is not obtrusive when one understands this. There is a relatively short but smooth transition from sharp to OOF , unlike the more abrupt one in the f/1.0 Noctilux"
The LLL lens seemed to rangefinder-track correctly, as shots made with the Viso attached to my M10s were not different from my RF-focus attempts.
With the f/1.0 Noctilux, wide open, occasionally I could get what for me were remarkable images. It is sharper at f/1.0, I feel, than the f/1.2 is at f/1.2, but not by much. I append an image of
a dog’s eye, taken at a focus of 1 meter with the f/1.0 on the RD-1 camera when this first came out in 2005. (above) I do not think that any of the f/1.2s would equal this, but that is not the issue here. With the LLL f/1.2 we have both a piece of photographic history, lovingly remade, and a sharp enough lens with its own flavor and signature.
I must say that as I continued to photograph with it, this lens’s way of drawing drew me in. I am at a loss to find words to describe that exactly, but I feel first that my learning curve towards predicting what likely will happen technically with it at f/1.2 was fairly short, unlike what happened for me with the Noctilux f/1.0. Many lenses are not predictable enough for me without much experience with them, to anticipate such things as when one might get flare, how important out-of-focus portions of the image appear (not bokeh, but when you “nail” focus, how do nearby picture elements look?), and related focus drop-off steepness. They have a longer or steeper learning curve. I found this lens very predictive. I think this lens will be easy for me to use reliably, even at the widest apertures, and more so than my f/1.0. Secondly, it is a beautiful piece of equipment and using it is a pleasure. I get almost exactly what I previsualize, and it is as sharp at f/1.2 as I would ever need. It has that Leica glow. Because DOF is so shallow, there is tension between a true grab shot with it and taking just a bit of time to ensure correct focus. And yet many slightly OOF areas are beautifully rendered. So, one’s mileage may vary.
“Leica glow” on daylilies. 1 meter distance.
Those who read my reviews already know that, historically, I would see very fast lenses only from the point of view of their utility and believe (still do) that such was their original rationale. Therefore, I tend to believe that the 1966 50/1.2 can best be considered a steppingstone towards the later even faster Noctiluxes. Leitz’s consideration of aspheric lens elements was also given a boost with this particular lens, even if making aspheres economically required further work/development. The f/1.2 was the very best that Leitz could accomplish in 1966. That later photographers admired its particularities (and its rarity and backstory) is another matter, and of course the rationale for current reissues of this lens.
Please enjoy the various images made at f/1.2. I have not included images made at smaller apertures. All of the images are hand held, many would be considered grab shots, and most are full frame. Post-processing has been only levels and occasional cropping or removal of small obtrusive items in the image; there has been no sharpening. The lens has its own character.
From what I can tell, the initial preorder of this lens has already been filled, but Light Lens Labs' website advertises the lens in various metals (aluminum, brass, titanium,) and in chrome (over brass) and black paint (various). Prices range from $2,199 to $2,599.
(above) There is obtrusive background to this grab shot, but it shows clearly how OOF material in the background appears. The subject really loved this shot.
(opposite page, top) Leica RD-1 & Noctilux f/1 for comparison. Taken in 2005.
(top) This shot, made at sunset, shows clearly both the shallow DOF and the vignetting wide open.
(bottom, left) Parts of this image of our letter carrier are very sharp, but not her ‘shades. This was the result of having time for only one grab shot, but it points out the shallow DOF issue well. PS was also used to remove some distracting issues in the image, and it is cropped by approximately 1/3. Again, the subject really liked the image.
(bottom, right) Her right eyelashes are sharp. The checkerboard shows the smooth gradation to OOF.
DUAL SCALE VIOOH
by JIM LAGER
The Leitz Wetzlar universal viewfinder VIOOH is an essential accessory for those who employ screw mounting Leicas and rangefinder coupled lenses. Focal lengths accomodated are 35mm to 135mm. Addition of the TUVOO adapter covers the 28mm lenses. Normally the VIOOH parallax scale is calibrated in feet or meters.
During my research I have encountered several specimens calibrated in both parameters. The distance engravings did not look like typical Leitz work. The numerals were tiny and crowded together. Unexpected and unusual to say the least. I have always wondered who engraved the dual scale. Recently I inspected the Spring 1948 issue of the E. Leitz, Inc. New York Leica Photography magazine. On page 9 it states that the latest model of the universal viewfinder has a parallax compensator calibrated in both feet and meters. Page 18 shows a VIOOH with the dual scale. Leitz New York literature #1345 June 1948 and #1345R1 March 1949 illustrate and discuss the dual scale feature. Two late style (slope sided) VIOOH’s with dual scale are shown on page 23 of my Volume III- Accessories.
Nearly 75 years have passed and I cannot determine with certainty the engraver. Wetzlar? New York? An independent? You may want to inspect your VIOOH (or possibly IMFIN) viewfinders. Are they dual scale?
( top left ) Brochure #1345 June 1948
( top right ) Late style VIOOH’s ( page 23, Volume III - Accessories)
( left, middle ) Text from #1345
( left, bottom ) VIOOH with dual scale (rear of #1345)
