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Leica just posted this teaser on their website for a new camera. The “Mini M” doesn't have an official name yet, but is shown sitting between the new M Typ 240 and the X2, which Leica apparently classifies as the Micro M. The announcement is set for June 11 and the only detail that is for certain is that the camera is made in Germnay, just like the X2 and M 240.

What could this camera be? We have a few guesses (and these are just guesses, trust us):

Leica's take on the Sony RX-1

Perhaps Leica will take the full frame 24MP MaxCMOS sensor from the M Typ 240 and put it into an LCD-only compact body with a fixed AF lens. This would effectively make it both a big brother to the X2 with a larger sensor but similar design sensibilities as well as a little sibling for the M, sharing the same sensor but without interchangeable lenses or an optical viewfinder.

A scaled-down M camera

Or, maybe the Mini M will be exactly that: a smaller M akin to the Leica CL with either a smaller rangefinder base or just live view and no optical finder. This camera might still take M lenses making it an effective second body or lower-end starter body for new entrants into the Leica world. If this is the direction Leica goes, it would be interesting to see if a cropped sensor would be used, or the same 24MP full frame chip.

An M camera without a rangefinder

And still another possibility is that Leica could come out with an MD version of the M Type 240. The cost could certainly be brought down without the complexity of an optical rangefinder/viewfinder system. In this case, an EVF could be put in its place. I'm not sure the “mini” moniker fits this approach as a camera like this wouldn't really be much smaller.

The reality is that these are all just guesses. We'll all find out for sure what the Mini M will be in less than three weeks. Expect full coverage and details here on Red Dot Forum.

In the meantime, Leica Store Miami is taking pre-orders for the new Mini M. Just email info@leicastoremiami.com to get on the list.

This summer Leica Store Miami is teaming up with photographer and workshop leader Adam Marelli for an unforgettable photographic experience in Prague, Czech Republic.

Adam Marelli is a New York City-based artist and photographer with a passion for teaching others how to develop their photographic eye. Adam's well-rounded background in the arts allows him to bring a unique perspective to photography during his workshops, which he hosts year-round in various cities throughout the world.

The Leica Store Miami + Adam Marelli: Prague Photography Workshop runs over five days and will focus primarily on rangefinder photography and the Leica M system. David Farkas and other Leica Store Miami staff members will be on hand to offer additional guidance. Between David’s technical expertise and Adam’s talent for teaching and inspiring others, this will be without a doubt an incredible opportunity you won’t want to miss.

To learn more, click here or email us

Today, we received a unique new product to test, which Dale Photo & Digital has now made available for sale: the Leica S Right Angle Finder. Prior to discovering this product, there was no reasonable way to use a right angle finder on the S or S2. Now, not only do we gain the ability to use the right angle viewer, but we can also focus more precisely as the finder features a switch that toggles between 1x and 2x magnification.

The finder is made from solid metal by M. Leibfritz in Germany. The product description on Dale Photo's site sums it up well:

A new product manufactured by M. Leibfritz in Germany, the Leica S Right Angle Finder mounts to your Leica S or Leica S2 camera to provide right-angle viewing, ideal for macro photography or low-mounted camera work. This product also features a built-in 2x magnifier; flip a switch to toggle between 1x and 2x magnification.

The viewfinder is made from solid metal and has a removable rubber eyecup. It attaches to the camera via the hot shoe; please be aware that with the use of this finder, hot-shoe mounted accessories such as a flash or radio trigger cannot be used.

At the moment, this item is made to order only. If we receive enough interest, Dale Photo & Digital will begin to stock this item. The finder can be viewed for purchase on our website here: Leica S Right Angle Finder. Email me with questions or inquiries!

Today, Leica has announced that there will be price increases on a number of products from the M, S, and compact camera product line. The new prices will be in effect on May 1, 2013. The major affected items:

• Leica Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 ASPH CS – $7,950 (previously $7,495)
• Leica Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 ASPH – $6,750 (previously $6,495)
• Leica Super-Elmar-S 1:3.5/24mm ASPH – $8,950 (previously $7,450)
• Leica Vario-Elmar-S 1:3.5-5.6/30-90mm ASPH – $10,900 (previously $9,950)
• Leica TS-APO-Elmar-S 1:5.6/120mm ASPH – $7,350 (previously $6,950)
• Leica S-System Professional Dual Battery Charger – $499 (previously $425)
• Leica Multifunction Handgrip S – $900 (previously $850)

• Leica Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH – $7,250 (previously $6,995)
• Leica Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH – $7,250 (previously $6,995)
• Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH – $7,350 (previously $7,195)
• Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH (with Floating Element) – $5,150 (previously $4,995)
• Leica Summarit-M 35mm f/2.5 – $1,950 (previously $1,895)
• Leica Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5 – $1,650 (previously $1,495)
• Leica Summarit-M 75mm f/2.5 – $1,950 (previously $1,895)
• Leica Summarit-M 90mm f/2.5 – $1,950 (previously $1,895)
• Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 ASPH – $3,650 (previously $3,495)

• Leica D-Lux 6 EVF 3 – $399 (previously $349)

We are able to honor all current pricing on these items for the month of April, as long as they are currently in stock. If you pre-ordered an item with Dale Photo & Digital or Leica Store Miami at the old price before April 1, 2013, we will honor that price regardless of how long it takes for the item to arrive. This means if you wish to acquire any of these items before the price increase, they need to be currently in stock, and purchased before May 1, 2013.

Please feel free to call at 1-800-327-1776 or email us with any questions.

Leica Store Miami is kicking off its Grand Opening later this week with Leica Akademie photo walks during the day and talks by Magnum photographers in the evenings. With a store featuring just about every single Leica product on display, a rotating gallery showcasing noted photographers' work, a customer lounge with a large assortment of photo books and a flexible event space, the 2,000 sq ft Leica Store Miami is a Leica enthusiast's dream. The store is located right on Miracle Mile in the heart of beautiful Coral Gables, Florida, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM – 6 PM.

If you are in Miami or need an excuse to make a quick trip to sunny and warm South Florida, here are the details of the Grand Opening events:



Magnum Miami Lectures: “Postcards from America”

On March 22nd and March 23rd, come see two renowned Magnum photographers, Alessandra Sanguinetti and Bruce Gilden speak about their work, perspective, and experiences photographing for Magnum and being a part of the Postcards from America photographic series.

Light refreshments will be served, followed by book signings.

As space is limited, please email info@leicastoremiami.com to RSVP.

Alessandra Sanguinetti
Friday, March 22nd, 6PM to 8PM

See the event on Facebook

Bruce Gilden
Saturday, March 23rd, 6PM to 8PM

See the event on Facebook

Leica Compact Cameras Walking Tours

Join the Leica Store Miami and the Leica Akademie for this two-hour Photo Walk designed for anyone with a passion for photography in its purest form.

We will explore Leica compact cameras including the X2, D-Lux 6 and V-Lux 4, putting these powerful compact cameras to the test in real-world shooting situations. Don't forget to bring your own SD cards!

March 22nd, 3PM-5PM
March 23rd, 10AM-12PM

Space is limited. Please email info@leicastoremiami.com to RSVP.

Discover the Leica M-System

Experience the essence of Leica rangefinder photography during this unique Photo Walk in the heart of Coral Gables, Florida. Led by the Leica Akademie. This interactive, hands-on program provides an opportunity to take the highly desirable Leica M9, M-E or M Monochrom for a “Test Drive” and discover the capabilities and perspective that have made Leica rangefinders legendary.

Leica Store Miami also has the brand new Leica M available for demo in half-hour appointments. Please call (305) 921-4433 to make a reservation. Don't forget to bring your own SD cards!

March 22nd, 10AM-12PM
March 23rd, 3PM-5PM

Space is limited. Please email info@leicastoremiami.com to RSVP.

If you read Red Dot Forum or have an interest in Leica-related news, you know that Dale Photo & Digital recently had the privilege of opening Leica Store Miami, one of the first Leica store locations in the United States. You can read the official press release about our opening here. We are excited to share that Leica Store Miami will be running its first workshop: the Leica Photo Adventure in the Florida Keys and Everglades.

Join your favorite Leica Specialists David Farkas and Josh Lehrer (that's me!), along with award-winning Florida photographer and naturalist Paul Marcellini on a trip to some of the most unique and beautiful areas that South Florida has to offer. Paul is an expert in all things Everglades and Keys, and his incredible photography will inspire you to push your photographic boundaries and use Leica cameras in ways you never thought were possible.

The workshop runs over 4 days and includes stops at Everglades National Park, Bahia Honda, Key West, and Dry Tortugas National Park. For a full summary of the workshop, along with details about pricing and scheduling, visit Leica Store Miami's website. You can also email us with more questions.

At long last, the all-new Leica M (typ 240) has begun shipping in the United States. This highly anticipated camera was announced by Leica at Photokina in September of 2012 and features a host of improvements from the hugely successful M9 that should make this one of Leica's all-time most popular cameras.

As with nearly all new Leica products, initial shipping quantities will be small with deliveries expected to ramp up over the coming weeks and months. Of course we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to test this camera for ourselves and will post sample images as soon as we can.

Dale Photo & Digital is accepting orders for the Leica M, email us or call at 1-800-327-1776 for more information.

To learn more about the new Leica M, check out David's Photokina coverage.

As many of our readers know, Dale Photo & Digital is opening Leica Store Miami, which will be one of the premiere Leica store locations in the world. It features a 1,000 square foot gallery, workshop/studio space, and a high-end retail area that will display all current Leica products. The store will be open very soon, and we are pleased to announce our inaugural event, the Leica S-System Demo Weekend:

You'll be able to spend time with both our in-house Leica experts and Kelsey Fain, Leica S-System specialist from Leica USA. We will have the new Leica S, CS (central shutter) lenses, and both days will have professional photographer André Rowe on hand as well. Refer to the above poster for more details, and contact Dale Photo & Digital to RSVP for the Friday evening event!

Today, we received the official word from Leica USA that the highly anticipated Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH, originally announced at Leica's May 10, 2012 event, is now shipping in the United States. Initially delayed due to complex production requirements, the lens began shipping in Europe about a week ago, and usually the United States is not far behind. About the lens:

The Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 mm/f2 ASPH was designed like all Leica lenses with the aim of maximizing both contrast and detail even at full aperture. That aim is met in an incomparable manner. The latest milestone in the history of the M-system delivers previously unattained performance levels in terms of all technical parameters. The MTF curves, which describe the sharpness of the image, remain all the way to the edges, even with the aperture open, over 50% contrast. This level of performance has never been achieved previously and demonstrates the exceptional quality of the lens. This allows extremely sharp imaging in all scenarios, with optimal definition right into the corners, even for close-ups. This lens has an apochromatic correction feature which is a highly complex and sophisticated method of color error correction. It minimizes color fringing at sharp edges, so ensuring that all details are naturally depicted. This is achieved, among other means, by skilfully integrating glasses with anomalous partial dispersion into the lens design. All these qualities allow photographers to get the best possible image quality, especially for large prints. The Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 mm/f2 ASPH particularly in combination with high-resolution cameras such as the new Leica M Monochrom will offer photographers the opportunity to produce fine-art photography of a quality never before attained.

Like many newly-announced Leica products, availability of this lens will be limited at first. Dale Photo & Digital is currently accepting pre-orders; call us at 1-800-327-1776 or email us for more information.

Today Leica has made an official statement on the status of the CS lens upgrade program (the lenses which allow you to sync with external flashes at 1/1000th of a second instead of the current 1/125th) for Leica S system lenses. As the CS lenses begin to ship (as of January 2013 the Leica Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 ASPH CS is shipping with more lenses to follow soon) there have been many questions about the program. Here are the official details:

• The customer must have purchased a new Leica S-system lens without a central shutter on or before June 20, 2011.
• The customer has registered the lens in the Owner's Area on Leica's website.
• The customer has downloaded and printed out (or saved as a PDF) the CS Lens Trade-Up Voucher from the customer area of the Leica S-System website (see sample voucher later in this article).
• The customer takes (or emails) the the voucher to the authorized S-Systems dealer where the S-System lens was originally purchased and buys an S-System central shutter lens of the same focal length by paying the difference between the original purchase price of the non-CS lens and the price of the new CS lens. Customers must return to the original dealer to trade up to a CS lens.
• The returned lens must be in working condition, no scratches on the optical system, and include front and back lens caps and the lens hood. The original box and packaging must be included if available.

To summarize, any non-CS lens purchased brand new on or before June 20, 2011 can be traded back to the original dealer for a full credit of the original purchase price towards a CS lens of the same focal length. As there was a price increase on the S system lenses at the beginning of 2011, the amount credited towards the upgrade will be the actual price paid originally, as seen on the original purchase invoice. For example, if you purchased the 70mm lens at the 2010 price of $4,495, an additional $1,500 would be owed towards the CS version of that lens (which is $5,995). If you purchased the lens at the post-2010 price of $4,995, only $1,000 is owed towards the upgrade.

A sample of the CS upgrade voucher, in this case for a 120mm lens.

But what if you purchased a new S lens AFTER June 20, 2011? What if you purchased a used or demo lens? In that case, Dale Photo & Digital is still happy to accept the lens as a trade-in towards a CS lens, and we always provide fair trade values based on the current market pricing. Give us a call at 1-800-327-1776 or email us and we are happy to help how we can. This type of program is new for Leica and we are here to answer all your questions.

Today, we have received the official word from Leica that the new Leica Vario-Elmar-S 1:3.5-5.6/30-90mm ASPH lens has begun shipping in the United States. Like many new Leica products, initial quantities of this lens will be small, but I would expect to see deliveries ramp up over the next month or two.

As the first zoom lens for the Leica S system, the 30-90mm has been highly anticipated since its formal announcement in 2012 at Photokina, and even before as Leica previously mentioned they were working on such a design. David and I are both very excited to use this lens, and compare it to some of the superb fixed focal length S lenses that are already on the market. Stay tuned!

To learn more about this lens and view its technical specifications, check out the Leica Vario-Elmar-S 1:3.5-5.6/30-90mm ASPH on Dale Photo & Digital's website.

The new Leica M Monochrom 2013 Calendars are now available! The M Monochrom wall calendar features images from this year’s Montreaux Jazz Festival. All calendar images are double perforated so that they can be separated from the calendar. All images were taken by Michael Agel with the M Monochrom at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

This is a LARGE calendar, measuring 16.5 inches in width by 28.7 inches in height. A few images of the calendar itself, including one with an M Monochrom and Noctilux for size comparison:

An image provided by Leica of all 12 months' images.

For size comparison, an M Monochrom with Noctilux attached.

A close up of the date section. As with any good photography calendar, the images take up most of the page!

The month of February. The print quality is excellent.

The calendars are available for purchase online at Dale Photo & Digital.

Leica has announced that they are now offering customers the ability to have their Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 ASPH lenses 6-bit coded. This is a first for Leica, as previously all 135mm lenses were sold without the coding, and there was no option provided by Leica for coding even post-purchase. Leica will begin to offer the conversions starting January 15, 2013.

If the lens was purchased AFTER September 1, 2006, Leica will charge $200 for the coding. If the lens was purchased BEFORE September 1, 2006 the cost of coding will be $300. Any lens purchased after September 1, 2012 will be coded free of charge.

To learn more about the benefits of 6-bit coding, visit this page on Leica's website.

In addition to the 6-bit coding service, Leica is also offering customers the ability to purchase an 18 month certified pre-owned warranty for $50. The certification is valid for 18 months from the time of conversion and includes all lens functions tested on factory equipment and complete cleaning of the external surfaces of the lens.

To have your 135mm lens (or any other M lens) 6-bit coded, contact Dale Photo & Digital to arrange the service.

As of today, December 17, 2012 we have received word that the new Leica S cameras have begun shipping in the United States. This is great news for a product that Leica announced in mid September at Photokina, and we are excited that we will be receiving our first shipment before 2012 is over.

David was able to spend quality time with the new Leica S at Photokina in Germany and you can read his show reports here. Once the new camera arrives, David and I will be conducting a thorough review, especially focused on comparing the camera to its predecessor, the well-loved Leica S2. Anyone who reads Red Dot Forum knows that the S2 is a personal favorite of ours, so we are excited to get our hands on the new S and experience all of its new and improved features.

We are happy to accept suggestions from our readers if there are any particular comparisons they would like to see versus the S2. Of course we will be testing image quality, ISO performance, focusing speed, etc. Stay tuned!

Today, Leica has released a new firmware update for the S2 and S2-P, version 1.0.4.2. From Leica:

Leica Camera has released a new firmware update (FW 1.0.4.2) for the Leica S medium-format system.

The […]

Today, Leica has informed us that the new Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH, announced on May 10, has been delayed due to the “extraordinary technical requirements” of this unique lens. Since its announcement, the APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH has been highly anticipated and when it does finally ship, sometime in 2013, it will deliver the finest optical quality that users have ever seen from a 50mm Leica M lens.

David was fortunate enough to be able to use a prototype of this lens in Berlin while testing out the Leica M Monochrom (which was announced at the same time). To see some images that show what this lens can do, check out his Leica M Monochrom review. The lens' performance shines through when using the Monochrom, given the extremely high demands of that camera's unique sensor and lack of interpolation.

As of now, we don't know specifically when the lens will ship, or how long the delay will be. When we learn more specific information, it will be shared here on Red Dot Forum. Feel free to Email or call us anytime at 1-800-327-1776 with questions.

Join Dale Photo & Digital for a Leica compact camera photo walk in South Florida on Saturday, December 1. We will have the full range of Leica compact cameras available to test including the D-Lux 6, V-Lux 4, <a […]

At Photokina this year, Leica introduced an incredible new book which assembles images representing the cultural phenomenon that is Leica Camera. This book, called Ninety Nine Years Leica, limited to less than […]

Ever since its announcement, Leica’s new V-Lux 4, the successor of the much loved V-Lux 3, has been turning heads. The super-zoom “SLR-type” compact camera boasts a 25-600mm lens with a constant aperture of f/2.8 […]

Today, Leica has announced that the price for 6-bit coding an M lens through their service department will increase to $300 (from its existing price of $240). The change goes into effect December 1, 2012. On […]