November 2015

Wesentliche.Means the essential. The gist. To the point. The nitty gritty, if you will.Leica as manufacturers have often had products that fitted this description. The first Leica A cameras - the Leica M cameras - and, dare we say it, the Leica reflex camera of the 1960's - the Leicaflex SL1. We might not have thought of it as wesentliche at the time but history has shown us different.At the time of the SL1, Leica made magnificent rangefinder cameras and lenses - the M series system*. If you wanted the highest quality 35mm portable camera in the world, it was the Leica M. But the design of the M as a rangefinder meant that 135mm was about the limit in focal length that the camera body could swing in its basic form. You could add devices like a mirror box and pentaprism and end up with a film SLR - but you needed to operate a lot more things on it to get the best out of Leica 1800 and 240mm optics. This writer knows because he had just such...

No?Motor over to Shoot Photography Workshops next door to the shop and catch a brilliant talk by Megan Lewis on the subject of mindful photography.As she is an award winner who uses a camera system - Fujifilm - that I thoroughly endorse, I think it will be well worth hearing her.Contact the shop or SHOOT this afternoon for more details....

And do Leica have news for you!Last week saw the demonstration night for the Leica SL camera and the new 24-90 f2.8 lens made for it. Two of our management people went to Germany for the big initial launch, three of our senior staff went to Melbourne for the Australian initial launch, and the rest of us just had to wait here in town until the circus pulled in.There was a bit of speculation in local minds about the size of the camera - based upon the DP review preview pictures. It looked like a very big body in very small hands and the size of the zoom lens was also exceptional. Yet...

Yep. I seen it all right.Right out there in front of a crowd of people. Just as plain as day.Leica's National Sales Manager with a brand new Leica SL camera and 24-90mm lens and a glass of tap water. National Marketing Manager Rachelle held a dish pan underneath it. He shot a few shots off with the camera then proceeded to pour the entire glass of water over the body into the dishpan.Then he shot a few more shots off. And wiped the thing dry with a tea towel. And carried on lecturing about it as if nothing had happened. He had the crowd's attention, I can tell you...

Some of you that read our Facebook page and are on the mailing list may know this news already but there are others who only read the blog - turning to it faithfully each morning with their cornflakes.Well pour the milk, chew fast, and get your credit card out of the bottom of the sugar caddy. Tomorrow  is the day to spend some money.Friday, 13th of November is tomorrow - on Friday the 13th. Just as well, all the calendars have been marked with the date...

There are few products on the modern photographic shop shelves that will strike fear into the hearts of evil-doers. Mind you, there's a couple of new cameras that will cause you to blench and hold your wallet tighter, but that is not quite the same thing.  Here is a genuine Super-Hero product.No, it's not that brand of cameras. I said Super-Hero. I'm talking about the ME FotoA35W monopod.It works through the normal day as a mild-mannered camera support for a major newspaper - but when danger threatens Metropolis or Gotham City or Attadale and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are all off on vacation the terrified citizens can call on ME Foto Man to protect them - because he has one of these monopods.The secret is not in the leg of the monopod - that is a five-part aluminium tube with heavy twist locks and rubberised grips. Extends out to 1.5 metres at the longest to support a heavy camera and lens close to the eye. The secret is in the solid-metal knob at the top.Collapse the smallest tube into...

"Well, I'm heading out east of Eucla in the car. Now it hasn't been serviced since I bought it four years ago and I'm gonna be all by myself out there but I'm sure nothing can possibly go wrong and my vacation will be perfect and I won't be disappointed at all. "Yeah. Sure. Said no-one ever...