Leica Rangefinder M10 Rumors

Many of you may have heard, that Leica has scheduled an event for May 10th 2012. These events fuel the speculations of the things that may be announced. One of those things being a new Leica (rangefinder) camera called the M10.

Along with this rumor, everyone has (special) feature wishes / requests that this new camera should have. Some of those (IMO ridiculous) features include:

• Auto focus
• Electronic Viewfinder
• Build-in Flash
• Black and White only sensor

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Billingham Hadley Small Review

After I bought the Leica M9, I was in the market to get a new camera bag for the M9. The bag had to be small, versatile, and not scream '(expensive) PHOTO GEAR HERE!!!!'. Since I owned a Billingham bag before, my eye quickly fell on the smaller Billingham bags. Especially the Hadley Small looked very appealing. After checking the internal and external dimensions on the website I purchased the bag (Black FybreNite version) through Robert White in the UK. They had the bag in stock, and it was cheaper (with shipping included) than ordering it in the Netherlands. I also included the SP50 Shoulderpad, for additional comfort.

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Leica Blog

After I acquired a Leica M9 with peripheral equipment, I decided to document my M9 learning experiences on a seperate blog on my website. I don't know if I'll keep it like this. I might move the content to this blog. Don't know yet. Time will tell.

Anyway, in the mean time I've added some content to the new Leica blog. Check it out. I hope you'll find it usefull.

Nikon P7000 Review

Nikon Coolpix P7000Some of the readers may know that I used the Panasonic Lumix LX3 as a backup/compact camera for the times a dSLR isn't welcome (or practical). One of the places where a dSLR isn't welcome is your average (pop)concert. The Lumix LX3 was (and still is) an excellent compact camera with astonishing low-light capabilities. The only problem I had with the camera was that the zoom function only went to 60mm (35mm equivalent), and 60mm is a bit short when you're not standing directly in front of the podium....

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Billingham 225 Review (part 2)

Updated on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 22:07 by Willem

As promised, the second part of the Billingham 225 Camera Bag review. This part will be more on the experiences I had during my 2.5 week driving around in Spain (~5500km in total).

The bag is roomier than expected. There were roughly two configurations that I carries around;

• Nikon D300, Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 and a Nikon 85 f/1.8, Panasonic Lumix LX-3
  This was the 'easy-way-out' configuration.
• Nikon D300, Voigtlander 20mm, Nikon 35mm f/2, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon, Nikon 85mm f/1.8 and a Lensbaby Composer
  I used this configuration about 80% of the time, since those primes force you to think about composition etc. There's not always room to change lenses. The best example of this is an 'almost' Gigapixel creation I made of the cathedral in Toledo with my 35mm lens. To completely capture the cathedral I had to take 72 photos (result can soon be found in the Panoramas section of my website).

The bag is pretty safe in regards to pick-pockets, and prying fingers. All the zippers etc. protect your gear very well. Downside is that you need to open a lot of things before you get to your gear (every advantage has its disadvantage....)

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Billingham 225 Review (part 1)

Billingham 225As some of you might have noticed, I was looking for a new camera bag. Yesterday, the mailman delivered the Billingham 225 (Black/Tan version) I ordered at Kamera Express.
The reason for me getting this bag is that it holds more space, pockets, zippers etc. than my Crumpler Daily M. It's also safer in regards to prying fingers. Additional advantages are that the bag is less conspicuous, and looks way better than the Crumpler (I know... taste....).

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Getting a New Camera Bag

I intend to do some travelling the next couple of weeks, and for that I need a bigger/safer (more ergonomic) shoulder bag for my camera gear. Since I travel to some areas where people roam the streets that are extremely interested in what you carry around, I need a inconspicuous bag.

Domke F-5XZFirst inline was the Domke F-5XZ WaxWear bag. About the right size and according to the website convenient zippers to protect your gear from certain fingers.

When I received the bag (ordered it online) it turned out that there were no zippers, and also no convenient 'bottom zippered flap which allows easy access'. Two things that made me decide to get the bag weren't there. So I decided to sent that bag back.
I tried to get the non-WaxWear version of the bag (which has the zippers), but that one wasn't available (anymore). So, off to start looking at other brands.

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Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SLII Review

Updated on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 12:41 by Willem

For the last year I've been searching for a <24mm prime. I did have some requirements for this new lens;

1. It should be flare resistant.
   I hate flares on my wide-angle lenses (my Nikon 17-55mm, and Sigma 10-20mm)
2. It should be small (as small as possible).
   Not a 'look-at-my-camera-with-this-huge-lens' lens.

After much deliberation I bought the Voigtlander Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL II @ Robert White (direct link) in the UK.

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Point & Shoot Off-Camera Flashing

The general consensus on flashing is that you should take the flash of the camera (take the flash off the damn camera). It just results in better (more flattering) photos In some cases this is impossible. Especially when the flash is integrated. But there's hope. There are several point & shoot camera's (P&S) that feature a hot-shoe. The Panasonic Lumix LX3 [1] is one of those camera's.

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Really Right Stuff D300 L-Plate

RRS D300 L-PlateAfter getting the Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1, the next logical step was getting an L-plate for my camera. An L-plate is a camera plate that allows you to position the camera in landscape- AND portrait-mode on the ballhead. Normally you would use the drop-notch on the ballhead to position the camera in portrait mode. This drop-notch is available on most ballheads, but seriously limits the movement of the ballhead, and it puts the camera in a lower (and on most times in an awkward) position.

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