What's New

Today begins a five-day workshop in Death Valley, CA, run by Phase One at the famous Furnace Creek Inn. I am among the group of teachers that includes Bill Atkinson, Claus Molgaard, Jeff Schewe, and Mark Dubovoy.

Kevin Raber, Phase One's US Vice President, is blogging the workshop this week and you can follow his blog, which will be updated daily, here.

The new Home Page photograph, taken with the Leica X1 (hey –  I'm ecumenical), was taken on Saturday evening on the way to the park.

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Adobe's raw processing programs; Camera Raw in Photoshop, and Lightroom 2 as well as Lightroom 3 Beta, all now allow users to create their own camera profiles using the free DNG Profile Editor. This program came out in the summer of 2008 and was reviewed here at the time.

Now xrite has introduced the ColorChecker Passport, a simple and inexpensive device and accompanying software, that allows us to create custom camera profiles quickly and easily in the field for any light conditions. My review is now online.

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There are still two seats available for An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, to be presented by Mark Segal in a couple of weeks.

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Please note that for administrate reasons no new forum registrations will be accepted from today until November 16. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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Many people are looking forward to my Leica X1 review, which is now schedule to be published here late next week. I spoke with Sean Reid at Reid Reviews, and he tells me that he will likely be publishing his report at the end of next week as well. Watch for both of these.

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If you have a Mac running Snow Leopard, run Photoshop CS4, and use the latest Epson printer drivers, you may have a problem creating proper printer profiles. In fact, it may be impossible to do so.

This problem has been driving people nuts for many weeks, and the Net is full of complaints, finger pointing, and half-baked solutions.

Last week Mark Dubovoy encountered the problem, and being a very fussy fine art printer as well as a scientist by profession, he set out to find the source of the problem and also a solution if possible.

He polled a wide number of the industry's top printing and colour management gurus, and a very intense round-robin email discussion ensued.

Adobe computer scientist, and avid photographer, Eric Chan, researched the issue, discovered the cause, and came up with a work-around which Mark and others have tested. It works.

The nature of the problem and how to deal with it is now detailed in a new exclusive tutorial titled Solving Recent Profiling Issues With Apple Computers, Epson Printers and Photoshop.

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UPDATE

DxO Labs has today announced DxO Optics Pro 6, a major new revision which includes higher ISO noise performance, new manual distortion controls for non-supported lenses, a simpler user interface, and support for a number of new cameras and lenses, now totaling more than 1,600. My preview is now online.

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I have been field testing a production Leica X1 camera for the past week and am currently working on my report. I expect to publish it here next week. The new Home Page photograph was taken with the X1.

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Panasonic knocked one out of the park last year with the Lumix LX3.

This camera combined small size, raw capability, a fast high-quality zoom lens, and fine image quality, all in a shirt pocket sized package.

Now Canon has issued its challenger in the form of the Powershot S90. This is the smallest and lightest pocket camera yet with a zoom lens and that shoots raw, and it's a worthy competitor. The S90 uses the same sensor and processing engine as the new G11, all in a much smaller and more convenient size.

What's not to like? Find out in my just published S90 Field Report.

UPDATE: It appears that some folks are upset that I used Lightroom 3 Beta rather than Canon's DPP when doing my review, thus supposedly not showing the S90's raw files at their best.

Not wanting to have disadvantaged the S90 in any way, I subsequently spent some time confirming what I had already seen: when default noise reduction and sharpening are zeroed out in both programs they perform quite similarly. It appears that some Canon users have simply become used to high default levels of noise reduction in DPP.

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Another small sensor pocket camera that you might find of interest is the Ricoh GRIII. Sean Reid at Reid Reviews has just published his review. Reid Reviews is a paid subscription site, but if you're an afictionado of fine cameras and a lens lover, it's well worth the price of admission.

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25% OFF

The holiday season is about to begin and that brings the question of – what gift to buy for photographer friends, wherever in the world they may live?

We have the answer – a multi-hour download video from The Luminous Landscape. These range in price from $15 to $50 at our regular prices, and most are available in SD as well as HD formats.

We have four major tutorials available – From Camera to Print, Raw Processing in Photoshop, Guide to Lightroom 2, and Guide to Digital Asset Management.

There are also Issues 17 & 18 HD editions of The Luminous Landscape Video Journal available.

Between Now and December 25%
Everything in our Holiday Gift Store
is Available to Gift
at - 25% Off.

Give a Gift of The Luminous Landscape

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Our worst nightmare as photographers has got to be losing our image files. The question is not if a hard drive will fail – only when.

But, what's the best backup strategy? In an exclusive article, Geoff Baehr, previously the CTO of Networking for Sun Microsystems, offers some suggestions.

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UPDATE

RED has finally made a new announcement, with both good news and bad news. The Epic-X will appear slowly over the next few months, with priority going to existing RED One owners.

The Scarlet seems to have been further delayed, with more information apparently coming a month from now, on Nov 30.

The weakened economy as well as expected development issues and changing industry trends are to blame for the delays. Understandable.

But, I fully expect Canon to release a video camera using their full-frame sensor technology along with raw video processing capability early in the year, and that's going to put the cat among the convergence pigeons.

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One of the most popular raw processing programs among working pros for the past 10 years, especially for tethered shooting in the studio with Phase backs and Canon and Nikon DSLRs, has been Capture One.

Their newest edition, Capture One 5.0, was announced today and is now available for a free trial download as well as a paid upgrade for exisiting users. My preview is now online.

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The B3K Group is conducting an intensive one day seminar on Capture One 5.0 in Toronto next week; on Tuesday Nov 3. It is being conducted by Walter Borchenko, an expert in the software and one of Phase One's top trainers and evangelists. I'll be there. Hope to see you.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, to be presented by Mark Segal in November, still has a few spots available.

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I just finished going through again your recent seminar series on Where the #%*! Are my Pictures? with you and Seth Resnick, and I must compliment you and Seth on producing a great seminar.  I never learned so much in so little time and I have started implementing some of the strategies presented already.  

Your interviewing style seems to bring out the best in your seminar partners presenting the content as a story with a logical end.  DAM is an intimidating subject, but after watching the seminars, I walked away with a total understanding and how (with Seth’s experience) to increase my workflow process.

The Canon G11 has garnered a great deal of interest because, for what may be the first time, a major camera maker has reduced the pixel count on a new model. The G11 is 10MP while its predecessor, the G10 had 15MP.

I have been shooting with the G11 for a couple of weeks and have done some comparisons with the Canon G10 and also the Panasonic GF1, a more expensive camera but in the same weight class. My report and comparisons are now online.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, to be presented by Mark Segal in November, still has a few spots available.

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I don't often hand out endorsements, however, when I see something
unique, entertaining, educational and very reasonably priced
I must say something.
Your interviews with Jay Maisel and Jeff Schewe really helped me
understand the business ... and Antarctica .... 
Worth every penny and more, especially the HD version!

A beta release of Adobe Lightroom 3 is now available as a free download to anyone on both Macintosh and Windows platforms. You don't even have to own a previous version of Lightroom. My introductory look at this new release is now online.

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And when you're ready to really learn Lightroom, here's the most painless way to do so. Purchase and download our Lightroom 2 video tutorial and automatically receive a discount on our Lightroom 3 tutorial when it becomes available.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your LL guide to Lightroom 2 which I've just watched in a marathon single sitting while trying out the techniques demonstrated on a second monitor. Despite managing a database  of 40,000 images in Lightroom this is the first time I've really deeply understood this software. The tutorial was extremely thorough, clear and enlightening. I cant wait to incorporate this new knowledge into my daily work".

UPDATE

Canon has today announced the EOS 1DMK IV, a 16 Megapixel 1.3X factor DSLR with a new high sensitivity autofocus system, 10FPS capability, HD video with manual controls (the same video modes as the 7D), and of course (given last week's announcement of the Nikon D3s), ISOs up to 102,400. The 1D MK IV will retail for US  $4,999.

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The Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. is going to be requiring that all web sites, web authors, and bloggers that review products online disclose... "their connection, if any, with the advertisers; and also reveal the receipt of free products and or payments from the advertisers".

I believe that this is an excellent rule, and even though I am located outside the U.S., I fully support this move. In the past I have tried to be clear about my commercial relationships, but have never made a statement about it in a single place.

I have now done so here, and this page is permenently linked on the site's side panel, found on the left side of every page.

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If you have been sitting breathlessly, Platinum Visa card in hand, waiting for Leica to ship the S2, you'll now have to wait a bit longer. In the company's own words...

"Because pre-orders are at a higher level than anticipated, Leica AG has therefore decided to adapt the S-System production lines to a higher daily output without compromising quality. However, this cannot be done during a running production and this intricate process calls for further testing and optimization at various stages. Therefore, Leica AG will postpone the start of serial production the S-System. First deliveries will be made in the 2nd week of January 2010.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, to be presented by Mark Segal in November, still has a few spots available.

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I just finished going through again your recent seminar series on Where the #%*! Are my Pictures? with you and Seth Resnick, and I must compliment you and Seth on producing a great seminar.  I never learned so much in so little time and I have started implementing some of the strategies presented already.  

Your interviewing style seems to bring out the best in your seminar partners presenting the content as a story with a logical end.  DAM is an intimidating subject, but after watching the seminars, I walked away with a total understanding and how (with Seth’s experience) to increase my workflow process.

Epson dominates the photo-quality printer market, and with good reason. The company has been the industry leader when it comes to new head and ink technologies, and arguable has done more to develop and perfect inkjet printing that anyone else.

The 3800 printer has been the most popular desktop photographic printer among pros and serious amateurs now for several years. This month it is finally being upgraded to the 3880, with new K3 with Vivid Magenta inks, new head coating technology, and new dithering techniques.

I've been using the 3880 at my studio for the past few weeks, and my Epson Stylus Pro 3880 hands-on report is now online.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, to be presented by Mark Segal in November, still has a few spots available.

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Memory cards continue to get bigger, faster, and less expensive on a per Gigabyte basis. There are now 32GB SD cards and 64GB CF cards shipping, and they're fester than ever.

But will they work with your camera? Today I report on a new brand called PhotoFast.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, to be presented by Mark Segal in November, still has a few spots available.

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UPDATE

Nikon has announced the D3s, an evolution of the two year-old D3, this time with 720P/24 HD video and sensativity up to ISO 102,400. Black cats in coal mines beware.

Australian photographer Marcus Bell has spent a few days shooting with the D3s, and shares his impressions on his blog.

If you'd also like to see how a talented photographer blends stills and motion, have a look at this video by Marcus.

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For those that have watched my recent videos shot at the Leica factory in Solms, Germany, but still haven't had enough, Wired Magazine now has an online essay and photo story about their recent tour of the Leica factory.

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I don't often hand out endorsements, however, when I see something
unique, entertaining, educational and very reasonably priced
I must say something.
Your interviews with Jay Maisel and Jeff Schewe really helped me
understand the business ... and Antarctica .... 
Worth every penny and more, especially the HD version!

Here's wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday to all our Canadian readers.

In the Muskoka / Algonquin region of southern Ontario, where I've spent the past week shooting and vacationing, we have had one of the most intense and colourful fall foliage displays in a generation. Reason enough for thanks if you're a photographer.

The new photograph on the Home Page was taken just yesterday, and is my homage to Canadian Thanksgiving.

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REMEMBER
Our 25% OFF SALE on all download video tutorials
as well as all 18 Video Journals end tonight.

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Virtually every DSLR and medium format back on the market has a Bayer Filter array. This is what allows them to produce colour images. But, what if you want to shoot monochrome? You can always convert in post-processing, but we do lose some resolution to the Bayer matrix.

And what about those that need to shoot in the infrared and ultraviolet ends of the spectrum, or who need to use narrow bandpass filters for scientific applications? Almost every camera also has an Infrared blocking filter.

The Phase One Achromatic Plus back is a solid (though expensive) solution to these challenges, and my world-exclusive review is now online. This back has no Bayer Matrix, no IR blocking filter, and no Anti-Aliasing filter; simply a sensor covered by a piece of plain glass for physical protection.

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Our 25% OFF SALE on all download video tutorials
as well as all 18 Video Journals has been extended
until midnight on Monday.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, and presented by Mark Segal, still has a few spots available.

Our Store was off-line for part of yesterday due to a server problem. It's now back up and we want to make up for lost time. So, for the next 48 hours everything in our Store is On Sale at 25% Off!

Update – The sale has been so well received that the server has slowed and some people have been having trouble placing their orders. We are therefore extending the sale through Monday evening, so that if you find the store slow to respond, just wait a while and try again.

Find Out More

Our Store and Forums have now been restored to normal functioning after a hardware crash last night.  The main site (which runs on a different machine) has been working normally throughout.

Some Forum postings from last night have been lost, but otherwise everything should now be back to normal.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

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Pentax K7 Update

My Pentax K7 review of a couple of days ago has not been well received by some of  the Pentax faithful.  I am actually surprised, because I found the camera to be quite competent, and said so. But I also said that I didn't find it a very compelling camera personally, because it doesn't have any one aspect of its design or performance that makes it stand out.

In any event, e-mails pro and con are currently running about 4:1 supportive of my evaluation, and that's by those that have tried the K7, so I guess I'm not alone in the wilderness.

Pentax is one of the venerable names in the camera marketplace, though in recent years they have been eclipsed by the major players.

Their new K7 is a strong contender, though not as compelling a choice as prospective owners might wish. My hands-on report on the K7 is now online.

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An Introduction to Digital Image Processing, a seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Studio, presented by Mark Segal and first announced here on Monday, still has a few spots available.

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If you doubt the eventual convergence of stills and video, especially in commercial work, you'll likely be more than interested in this article – err, video.

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I don't often hand out endorsements, however, when I see something
unique, entertaining, educational and very reasonably priced
I must say something.
Your interviews with Jay Maisel and Jeff Schewe really helped me
understand the business ... and Antarctica .... 
Worth every penny and more, especially the HD version!

This is to announce a brand new workshop at the Luminous Landscape Landscape Gallery and Print Studio in Toronto, on the weekend of November 21,22.

It is titled An Introduction to Digital Image Processing and is presented by Mark Segal, along with the participation of Michael Reichmann.

There are just 20 seats available, and this will likely sell out quickly. The weekend costs CDN $595, including taxes, and also includes a catered breakfast and lunch both days. A comprehensive illustrated training manual that summarizes and details all of the material that is covered in the seminar will be provided to each participant.

If you live in southern Ontario or up-state New York, or anywhere else for the matter and can make it here for that weekend, this will be a very enjoyable and productive learning experience. I hope to see you here next month.

The winner of our just-concluded Win a DSLR Contest is Serge Polevitzky of Marina, CA. Congratulations Serge!

Our next contest has already started. We're just not telling you what it is yet. But, every purchase made from our store (even just registration) is an entry. Past prizes have included cameras, workshops, and seminars, usually worth thousands of dollars.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your LL guide to Lightroom 2 which I've just watched in a marathon single sitting while trying out the techniques demonstrated on a second monitor. Despite managing a database  of 40,000 images in Lightroom this is the first time I've really deeply understood this software. The tutorial was extremely thorough, clear and enlightening. I cant wait to incorporate this new knowledge into my daily work".

If there is an icon in the camera industry, it's the M series Leica. More than half a century has gone by since the M3 was introduced, and nearly two generations of photojournalists and other photographers have used it and the subsequent M4, M5, M6, M7 and M8 to take some of the world's greatest photographs.

Now the new Leica M9 is shipping. Is it the digital M3? Read my Leica M9 Field Report to find out.

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Photographer on The Dunes – Michael Reichmann

I announced here back in July, that along with renown photographers and educators Jeff Schewe, Bill Atkinson and Mark Dubovoy I would be teaching a field workshop for Phase One in Death Valley, California in early November, part of the company's Digital Artist Series.

That workshop sold-out within a couple of days, as we expected it would. But now, a few of the attendees have had to drop out due to personal scheduling issues, and we have re-opened this workshop to registration.

Find out more here. If you want to spend five days shooting with a 60 Megapixel Phase One medium format camera system in one of the planet's most remarkable photographic locations, learn from four of the most experienced photographic educators, and spend time talking with Claus Mølgaard, Phase One's Chief Technology Officer and Vice President R&D, one of the world's leading experts on digital imaging, then this is the workshop for you.

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This Is The Last Day To Enter!!

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Please note that we will be updating our video and store server later today (Wednesday) and it therefore may be down for a few hours at some point. This means that access to the on-line Store, and the ability to download tutorials and videos may be interupted at some point. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The main site server will not be affected.

The Micro Four Thirds format continues to gain strength with recent new models from both Olympus and Panasonic.

The Panasonic GF1 caught my attention because I was already an enthusiastic owner of both the G1 and GH1, and based on its specs at least it seemed to trump the Olympus EP-1.

Panasonic managed to get a production GF1 into my hands just the day before I left for a week-long trip to Paris earlier this month. I shot with it extensively, as well as with a full production Leica M9, which I had purchased after my visit with Leica in Germany last month.

My Panasonic GF1 Field Report is now online, and my Leica M9 field report will appear here before the end of this week.

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Both Hasselblad and Phase One have announced new cameras within the past few days.

Hasselblad's offering is the H4D-60, with 60 megapixel back and a number of innovative new features. Among these are some unique focusing technologies.

Phase One has announced the Phase One 645DF, along with three new high performance Schneider leaf shutter lenses, 55mm, 80mm and 110mm, all f/2.8. These lenses are a result of close collaboration between Phase One, Mamiya Digital Imaging, and Schneider Kreuznach.

The 645DF is claimed to now be the only 645 medium format camera which supports both focal plane and leaf shutters, though the forthcoming Leica S2 does as well (though not strictly speaking a 645 format camera).

Among the enhancements to the new 645DF are improved autofocus speed and pre-defined custom shooting modes.

The 645DF and leaf shutter lenses are scheduled to become available over the next few months.

I expect to soon have one of the new Phase One cameras for field testing.

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ONLY TWO DAYS REMAINING

Enter Now To Win
And Support This Site!

We've all done it. There's a photograph or a 100% crop of an image online, taken with a camera or lens that we're interested in, and we judge its image quality capabilities (at least in part) on the basis of that screen image.

Wrong!

In The Fallacy of Judging Image Quality Online I look at why, though many people do it all the time, it's really a very bad idea.

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And, speaking of image quality, one of the biggest factors in getting the most out of your digital camera's images is learning how to sharpen properly. Jeff Schewe's newly updated book, Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom is now available. It is the ultimate reference on the subject of sharpening and well worth your attention.

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My friend Nick Rains, the well known Austrailian photographer, writer, and photographic educator, is the guest lecturer on what sounds to be a fantastic cruise, a sub-Antarctic Wildlife Adventure beginning on December 1. If you've got the time and the money, this sounds like a great trip. Tell them Nick sent you and you'll get a discount.

I just finished going through again your recent seminar series on Where the #%*! Are my Pictures? with you and Seth Resnick, and I must compliment you and Seth on producing a great seminar.  I never learned so much in so little time and I have started implementing some of the strategies presented already.  

Your interviewing style seems to bring out the best in your seminar partners presenting the content as a story with a logical end.  DAM is an intimidating subject, but after watching the seminars, I walked away with a total understanding and how (with Seth’s experience) to increase my workflow process.

Canon has finally given its flagship prosumer DSLR a major facelift in the form of the EOS 7D. The competition in this segment is getting tough and Canon needed to really pull out the stops. The 7D is also likely the basis on which Canon will build a number of future models so it is well worth a look.

In my 7D First Look I describe what this new camera is like to work with, but because it is still a pre-production model I have not commented on image quality at this time.

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PhotoPlus Expo is on in New York City in just under a month from now. I have been invited by B&H Photo to give a talk at the B&H Event Space on Thursday, Oct 22 from 10am – 12pm. This is a free two hour lecture. All you need to do is register in advance. But, space is limited so if you'd like to attend register online now.

I look forward to seeing you there.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your LL guide to Lightroom 2 which I've just watched in a marathon single sitting while trying out the techniques demonstrated on a second monitor. Despite managing a database  of 40,000 images in Lightroom this is the first time I've really deeply understood this software. The tutorial was extremely thorough, clear and enlightening. I cant wait to incorporate this new knowledge into my daily work".

Ray Maxwell has written a reminder about how to best set your camera when shooting raw, in a brief tutorial titled Proper Settings for an Accurate Histogram.

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My week-long vacation in Paris has now drawn to a close and I'm on my way home. Along with too much good food, some great art, and miles of walking and people watching, I had time to shoot about a thousand frames with my new Leica M9 and also a pre-production Panasonic GF1. I'll have reports here on both cameras within the next week or so.

The new Home Page image was taken with the M9 earlier this week.

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During my visit last month with Leica in Germany for a preview of the soon to be announced M9, S2 and X1, there also was an opportunity to interview Leica's head of optical design, Peter Karbe.

There is now a 35 minute long video of that session online during which we primarily discussed the new lenses for the S series camera.

This concludes my coverage of the recent Leica product launches. We've had six featured product reports and videos in the past eight days. It's now time for me to take a break.

I'll be on vacation for the next week, and likely not online much, so you can catch up with any of the new material that you haven't yet read, or some of the more than 3,500 pages of essays, reviews, tutorials and articles on the site.

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Adobe has released updates in the form of Lightroom 2.5 and Camera Raw 5.5. These include support for several new cameras, including the Nikon D300S, Nikon D3000, Panasonic DMC-GF1, and Olympus E-P1.

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It isn't often that there's a new medium format camera announced, but today we were surprised by the Hartblei Cam, which looks to offer a hybrid lens / camera / back integration system.

Whether this turns out to be a real product, and when it might come to market, remains open at the moment. More as it becomes known.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your LL guide to Lightroom 2 which I've just watched in a marathon single sitting while trying out the techniques demonstrated on a second monitor. Despite managing a database  of 40,000 images in Lightroom this is the first time I've really deeply understood this software. The tutorial was extremely thorough, clear and enlightening. I cant wait to incorporate this new knowledge into my daily work".

In addition to an opportunity to work with the new Leica M9 and S2 during a visit to Leica in mid-August, we were able to spend considerable time chatting and exchanging ideas with some of the company's senior executives.

The M9 Product Manager, Stephan Daniel, was kind enough to allow me to video record our introductory session with him about the M9, and that 70 minute long interview is now online.

I just finished going through again your recent seminar series on Where the #%*! Are my Pictures? with you and Seth Resnick, and I must compliment you and Seth on producing a great seminar.  I never learned so much in so little time and I have started implementing some of the strategies presented already.  

Your interviewing style seems to bring out the best in your seminar partners presenting the content as a story with a logical end.  DAM is an intimidating subject, but after watching the seminars, I walked away with a total understanding and how (with Seth’s experience) to increase my workflow process.

In mid-August, 2009, together with a small group of web journalists, I visited Leica's Solms, Germany headquarters for a preview of the new Leica S2 and M9.

We were given unprecedented access to shoot stills and video in Leica's manufacturing and testing facility, and during our three days there I produced three videos – including interviews with Leica's M9 Product Manager Stephan Daniel and Peter Karbe, the company's head of lens design.

Today's video, running 18 minutes in length, is a tour of the M9's final assembly and testing clean room – astonishing for the amount of manual work involved.

The two interviews will appear here over the next couple of days.

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Over this past weekend there have been rumours circulating on various web forums that the first shipment of Leica M9s have been recalled.

I spoke with a senior Leica executive in the U.S. on Sunday morning and he subsequently spoke with representatives of the company in  Germany. I have been told that these recall reports are completely false and groundless.

The facts are that the first M9s have been on sale in Europe since the middle of last week, and U.S. and Canadian dealers will start to receive initial shipments toward the end of this week.

It's also clear that demand for the M9 is turning out to be very high, and so it may be some time until the initial feeding frenzy can be satisfied. When you've watched my video of what's involved in final assembly and testing you'll understand why. No robots, no mass production – just careful and therefore slow hand work and meticulous testing. No wonder Leicas cost what they do.

The Leica S2 is the third entry in that company's trifecta of product announcements this week. We've known about it since last October's Photokina, but now it's real, and about to ship.

During my visit to Solms, Germany last month I had the opportunity to shoot for a day with an S2 system. My first impressions report is now online. I expect to have a full production S2 camera for testing later this month or early October, and of course will provide further analysis and reporting here then.

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If you want some insightful Leica M9 reporting, have a look at David Farkas' blog. David was one of the members of our August visit to Solms. A great read.

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Come back on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week for three exclusive video reports...

– A 44 minute long interview with Leica's chief lens designer Peter Karbe.

– A 69 minute long interview with Leica's Product Manager, Stephan Daniel.

– A look at the final assembly and testing process of the M9 at Leica's Solms factory.

I've shot with M Leicas, both professionally and personally, for more than 30 years. After working with a production Leica M9 in Germany last month I was taken by how that company has finally and successfully transitioned from film to digital with this new model.

While the Leica S2, (to be reviewed here tomorrow) is a fresh from-the -ground-up digital design, the M9 attempts to carry forward the essence of what made the M series – among the finest cameras ever made – into the digital realm.

The M8 and M8.2 were steps in that direction, but had their failings. But with the M9 I believe that Leica has nailed the transition. With an 18 Megapixel full frame sensor, no AA filter, no need for IR filters, and the ability to take virtually every lens that Leica has ever made over the past 75 years, the M9 has what it takes to satisfy the traditionalist as well as the most demanding digerati.

No, it's not inexpensive. But the world's best of anything never is. But, at about US $7,000 the M9 is the smallest and lightest full frame 35mm camera available, and I believe it will challenge the Canon 1Ds MKIII and Nikon D3x in terms of image quality. Not as many gizmos and features, to be sure, but it does so for a comparable price. And for some photographers, in some situations, ultimate image quality along with discrete size and low weight will trump the bricks which we call "Pro" DSLRs.

As the saying goes – "You pay your money and you make your choices".

My Leica M9 First Look Report is now online.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your LL guide to Lightroom 2 which I've just watched in a marathon single sitting while trying out the techniques demonstrated on a second monitor. Despite managing a database  of 40,000 images in Lightroom this is the first time I've really deeply understood this software. The tutorial was extremely thorough, clear and enlightening. I cant wait to incorporate this new knowledge into my daily work".

Leica has announced today three new cameras. The basics are as follows…

– Leica M9: full frame 35mm; same body size as the M8; 18.2 Megapixels CCD sensor, no antiailiasing filter, no IR filters needed on lenses.

– Leica S2: a new medium format camera system with a 37.5 Megapixel CCD ensure, weatherproof body and lenses, focal plane and leaf shutter lenses; 1.5 FPS

- Leica X1: pocket sized camera with a 1.5X APS-C sized CMOS sensor and a 24mm f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH lens (non-interchangable)

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In mid-August I was invited to join a small group of journalist on a visit with Leica at their headquarters in Solms, Germany. The purpose was to preview three new cameras, the M9, S2 and X1. We were able to spend time shooting with the S2 and M9 and also had unprecedented access to Leica's executives, product development team, and engineers over a three day period.

In addition to shooting in a studio and afield with the M9 and S2 we met with a wide range of Leica executives, including the CEO, department heads, product managers, design engineers, and project leaders.

I have reviews ready of the M9 and S2, and also three in-depth video interviews with senior Leica engineers and executives. Because I don't want to put everything online all at once, I will be spreading these out over the next week, and in keeping with agreements that I and other journalists made with Leica about publication dates. 

Here's the schedule…

Today: Leica X1 Preview

Thursday, Sept 10: Leica M9 Production Camera Review

Friday, Sept 11: Leica S2 Pre-Production Camera Hands-On Report

Monday, Sept 14: Video

An interview with Stephan Daniel, Product Manager for Leica Camera – regarding the M9 camera. 70 minutes in length.

Tuesday, Sept 15: Video

An interview with Leica's chief optical designer, Peter Karbe. 44 minutes in length.

Wednesday, Sept 16: Video

Leica factory visit – building the Leica M9