2024 marks 40 years of M6 and 70 years of M3

[Datsch]

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The M60 was designed together with Audi.

Perhaps the M70 will be designed in partnership with Apple? Or Marc Newson? or Dieter Rams?

A shame Zaha Hadid is no longer with us ... that would have been quite a camera!

Who would be your favourite?

Edited February 23, 2024 by Datsch

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Al Brown]

7 minutes ago, UliWer said:

Your remembrance may be right, though I have some problems with Leica's. 

The first "Leica" came in 1925. 

First "commercial" one. And it is still 2024...

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited February 23, 2024 by Al Brown

[Al Brown]

11 minutes ago, Datsch said:

The M60 was designed together with Audi.

Perhaps the M70 will be designed in partnership with Apple? Or Marc Newson? or Dieter Rams?

A shame Zaha Hadid is no longer with us ... that would have been quite a camera!

Who would be your favourite?

Absolutely one of the best Leicas would be by mentioned Dieter Rams, the designer at Braun that Apple "borrowed" (sic.) so much from, using his 10 principles.
https://medium.com/@juergenhoebarth/braun-vs-apple-is-copying-designs-theft-or-innovation-2ffff1595fc0
https://uxdesign.cc/dieter-rams-and-ten-principles-for-good-design-61cc32bcd6e6

Edited February 23, 2024 by Al Brown

[Anbaric]

On 2/23/2024 at 9:33 AM, Datsch said:

The M60 was designed together with Audi.

Perhaps the M70 will be designed in partnership with Apple? Or Marc Newson? or Dieter Rams?

A shame Zaha Hadid is no longer with us ... that would have been quite a camera!

Who would be your favourite?

Kenneth Grange. He's well into his 90s by now, though not completely retired.  There was a functional modernist elegance to everything he did, and his work became ubiquitous, though few would have realised that so many familiar objects had a common designer. I was astonished to learn that the same man had designed the Parker 25 pen I used at school, the High Speed Train I used to take often, the new London taxi, modern takes on the Anglepoise lamp and the UK post box, familiar household objects from razors to food mixers to flat irons, and, yes, cameras (though his Kodak Instamatics and Brownies were at the opposite end of the Market to Leica).

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2011/jul/17/kenneth-grange-design-in-pictures

 

[Datsch]

On 2/25/2024 at 1:57 AM, Anbaric said:

l, the High Speed Train I used

Yes, I just read about that in British Rail: A New History by Christian Wolmar. (A much more fun read than it sounds by the way).

Grange realised that with modern braking systems and no need for shunting that buffers were not needed anymore, allowing for the sleek nosecone. He also added an extra drivers seat so the unions would not freak out about only having one driver, though of course one driver subsequently became standard.

[Anbaric]

2 hours ago, Datsch said:

Yes, I just read about that in British Rail: A New History by Christian Wolmar. (A much more fun read than it sounds by the way).

Grange realised that with modern braking systems and no need for shunting that buffers were not needed anymore, allowing for the sleek nosecone. He also added an extra drivers seat so the unions would not freak out about only having one driver, though of course one driver subsequently became standard.

There's a nice little piece here about the design process, which mentions these things and what they had to do to protect it from vandals and worse, as well as the surprising story behind its distinctive aerodynamic shape - it seems incredible now that this was apparently not in the original design!

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/sep/09/how-we-made-intercity-125

'I wasn't a rail person. I'd designed the Kenwood Chef and the Kodak Instamatic camera and was brought in to do a paint job: to put the BR livery on the engine. In those days, locomotives were big, ugly, blunt-nosed things, and the impact of what was basically a wall of steel entering a tunnel was damaging the brickwork. So without telling anyone, I decided to redesign it. The idea to give it a streamlined front came from racing cars, which were elegantly designed. It was more a question of what I thought would go fast rather than what I knew, but I worked with an aerodynamic engineer, we built a model and tested it in a wind tunnel. The photographs looked convincing, and the board listened.'

That was written in 2013, when Grange was 84, still taking 'his' train from Devon to London, and assumed the design would outlast him. Today, there are only four HSTs left in that part of the country, which will be used until the end of the year, and Sir Ken is fortunately still with us. Their Hitachi replacements have harder seats, a rougher ride and no dining car, and aren't nearly as nice to travel on.

[Al Brown]

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I am willing to bet that a special edition of such type will be coming out this jubilee year.

[RF’sDelight]

… 70 Anniversary anyone? 🤷‍♂️

Isn't it so typical Leica that they keep their fan crowd guessing and guessing? The communication around this anniversary is quite underwhelming at least for the last 8 months now. But hey, still 4 months left to surprise all of us. 🤞

[erl]

Oops! I think I have stumbled into a Collectors thread, based on what I am reading.

For me, for some time now, the acid test is; how will this new camera improve my photography?

Unfortunately (or fortunately) the answer is, it won't. So, how can I improve my photography? Hmm. That is not the topic of this thread so I'll get back to checking the light.

[a.noctilux]

5 hours ago, erl said:

So, how can I improve my photography?

Erl, do you really need improving your photography ?

[erl]

2 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

Erl, do you really need improving your photography ?

Well, yes I do. All my life I have wanted to make one photograph that the world will remember when I am gone. This is probably unattainable, but as long as I dream towards it, I might improve incrementally.

[Anbaric]

On 2/26/2024 at 6:46 PM, Datsch said:

Yes, I just read about that in British Rail: A New History by Christian Wolmar. (A much more fun read than it sounds by the way).

Grange realised that with modern braking systems and no need for shunting that buffers were not needed anymore, allowing for the sleek nosecone. He also added an extra drivers seat so the unions would not freak out about only having one driver, though of course one driver subsequently became standard.

I was sorry to read today that Sir Kenneth Grange died last month at the age of 95. There's a nice obituary in the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/jul/26/sir-kenneth-grange-obituary

Sadly, the author of this, Fiona MacCarthy, also passed away back in 2020, which goes to show just how far in advance these things are written.

[Anbaric]

10 hours ago, erl said:

For me, for some time now, the acid test is; how will this new camera improve my photography?

I'm not sure that Leica has made any changes to their rangefinder cameras that might help improve their users' photography in the past 40 years, or arguably the last 70.

[TomB_tx]

17 minutes ago, Anbaric said:

I'm not sure that Leica has made any changes to their rangefinder cameras that might help improve their users' photography in the past 40 years, or arguably the last 70.

I remember when the Leica Rep joined in a photo outing in the late 1960s at our campus, and he was using a new Leicaflex SL. As we saw the evenness of exposure on his contact sheets compared to the others, we realized what a benefit TTL limited area metering was, compared to the clip-on meters and "Spotmatic -type" meters the others used. So I'd argue that integrating such metering into cameras was a clear improvement (in the technical area of exposure) for most photographers. But I'd say film equipment reached its plateau at that time. (Since I dislike autofocus, etc.)

[erl]

9 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

I remember when the Leica Rep joined in a photo outing in the late 1960s at our campus, and he was using a new Leicaflex SL. As we saw the evenness of exposure on his contact sheets compared to the others, we realized what a benefit TTL limited area metering was, compared to the clip-on meters and "Spotmatic -type" meters the others used. So I'd argue that integrating such metering into cameras was a clear improvement (in the technical area of exposure) for most photographers. But I'd say film equipment reached its plateau at that time. (Since I dislike autofocus, etc.)

Yes, I agree, but, the 'improvement' you refer to is technically not with the camera, but with the interpretation of exposure settings. In fact my 70+ years old Leica 111f is totally capable of exposures and images equal to my M10. Pedantic, I know, but think we are on the same page.

[Vlad Soare]

On 8/12/2024 at 5:54 AM, erl said:

For me, for some time now, the acid test is; how will this new camera improve my photography?

Unfortunately (or fortunately) the answer is, it won't.

Leicas today aren't necessarily about improving your photography, but about improving the way you feel while photographing.
My M-A improves my photography in a very simple way. Because I love using it, I tend to take it with me and to use it more often than I would otherwise. The best camera in the world, which makes the best photographs, is the one you have with you. My Bessa can take exactly the same pictures, but not if it stays at home.

You could argue that an Alfa Romeo won't take you from one traffic light to the next faster than a cheap Korean econobox. No, it won't, but who cares?

 

Edited August 13, 2024 by Vlad Soare

[Al Brown]

9 minutes ago, Vlad Soare said:

Leicas today aren't necessarily about improving your photography, but about improving the way you feel while photographing.
My M-A improves my photography in a very simple way. Because I love using it, I tend to take it with me and to use it more often than I would otherwise. The best camera in the world, which makes the best photographs, is the one you have with you. My Bessa would take exactly the same pictures, but not if it stays at home.

You could argue that an Alfa Romeo won't take you from one traffic light to the next faster than a cheap Korean econobox. No, it won't, but who cares?

 

+1 on Leicas doing nothing much to your photography but rather to your experience around it. The only thing that improves your photography is persistence. There are tons of talented jobless photographers out there, but very little persistent ones. TBH, just two types of folks will make it: the lucky ones and the persistent ones.

[Vlad Soare]

5 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

The only thing that improves your photography is persistence.

Exactly. But you're more likely to be persistent if you have an exquisite tool, which you love holding in your hand. Therefore that tool will actually improve your photography. 🤓

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Mute-on]

1 hour ago, Vlad Soare said:

Exactly. But you're more likely to be persistent if you have an exquisite tool, which you love holding in your hand. Therefore that tool will actually improve your photography. 🤓

Precisely 

[a.noctilux]

On 8/13/2024 at 8:11 AM, Vlad Soare said:

Therefore that tool will actually improve your photography

Tool ?

Not freezing or film scratch "tool" as we read often here.