New product announcements represent a bright digital future for still photography enthusiasts and professionals.
It was as close to heaven as I’m ever likely to get. Sitting in a room ten stories above Columbus Circle, I was surrounded by photography writers, street photographers and photojournalists and almost everyone was carrying some kind of Leica. There were M2’s, M7’s, MP’s, M8’s, even a few Leicaflexes. It was nice to be in the company of fellow believers.
And although I was sworn to secrecy, I knew what was coming. An insider informed me a few weeks earlier that full-frame digital Leica rangefinder camera, the M9, was imminent. You can read my first impressions about the Leica M9 here. It’s a beauty, and unlike the problematic M8, the M9 seems to have all the technical kinks worked out, and fits right in with other classic Leicas.
That was Wednesday, a day that will be remembered as a watershed event for documentary photographers, photojournalists, street shooters and many others who are dedicated to the fine art and craft of creating truly memorable photographs and will, at $7,000 per camera body, spare no expense to get simply the best tool there is for what they do.
What about cameras for the rest of us?
OK, so you don’t have $7K to spend on a camera. No problem; the last two weeks saw several new product intros. Let’s start with the Panasonic GF1. Like the Olympus E-P1, the GF1 is an interchangeable lens compact camera that uses the Micro Four Thirds mount, and is built around the same size sensor as can be found in Olympus DSLRs. Two new lenses are being introduced along with the camera, which will sell as a kit with camera and choice of lens for just under $900. But it also has one thing the E-P1 lacks: An optional eye-level electronic viewfinder.
Generally, Panasonic cameras such as the G1 have very short lag times and the shutter click is virtually instantaneous when running in manual focus and exposure modes. If the GF1 carries over this kind of quick performance, it would also have an advantage over the E-P1, which has shown to be a bit pokey on the AF and shutter lag front.
Leica’s surprise announcement of the X1 means the “System Compact” category continues to grow in unexpected ways. While I was hoping for an interchangeable lens camera, the X1 is built over an APS sensor and the fixed 35mm (equivalent) f/2.8 lens is a good general-purpose photojournalism lens. The X1 will certainly give Sigma’s DP-1 and DP-2 some healthy competition. How responsive is the X1? We don’t know yet…the demo cameras at the press conference weren’t final. Will people spend $2,000 for it? If it’s capable of serious results—which is what Leica promises—then maybe.
Both cameras, while pricier than the typical compact, indicate an exciting new direction in camera design. Comparing, contrasting, dicing and slicing these cameras in the coming weeks and months should be fascinating. The winners, of course, are photography enthusiasts who have been clamoring for a neat, compact little camera with DSLR flexibility and quality.
But wait…there’s more (or at least, we think there is)
As if these new product intros aren’t exciting enough, the rumor mill has been churning at full speed. Samsung, we’re hearing, has dropped all DSLR production plans so they can put all of their effort into the NX system, which is expected to offer interchangeable lenses and short flangeback mounts like the micro Four Thirds system, but the Samsung will be built around an APS sensor. Sony is also hinting that they’re working on a competitor to the Olympus EP-1, but that their camera will also offer multimedia functionality with unique Sony features. Hmmm. Pentax? Nikon? Canon? They’re probably burning the midnight oil coming up with their new categories of cameras.
With each new introduction, we’re getting closer to the camera that can deliver quality still photos with little or no lag time. In there meantime, these two weeks generated a lot of new technology and innovations that we'll be discussing, testing and shooting with for a long time to come.
