91145 01/2006 LEICA C-LUX 1 Perfect for Fun Photography: Leica's New Digital Camera _ P. 4 FOUR THIRDS FORUM Leica Supports the Open Standard for Digital Photography_ P. 8 R ANGEFINDER The New Rangemaster CRF 1200 ­ an Experience Report _ P. 10 Heine/Lenz/Zizka n U ped equip o be d als ent to, an the dif fer . Would nt it u wa a look at à la car te ay yo e the w u can tak your Leica gurator at st nf i ok ju aler, yo for an lo he co oice e era c a car te d e your ch nd? See t cam l mak ica à oreha ica M al Le t your Le ather, and tions bef rson ina ts. A of le n pe comb r y ow q u i r e m e n b l e t y p e s ssible e u r ve a il rr po yo Now ing to you el the ava an 4,000 th rd y fe ore acco , actuall th e m s ption to tr y out .com. o ar te ike yo u l i c a - a - l a - c .le www ta is m le ab k 10 RANGEMASTER CRF 1200 07 LEICA LENSES in a digital world 04 A life-size view of the LEICA C-LUX 1 Dear friends of Leica, Spring and summer with their fresh, green colors are particularly attractive seasons for photography and nature watching. There are signs of new life at Leica, too. The LEICA DIGITALMODUL-R is now fully available and is being put to excellent use by more and more R photographers. Our digital compact camera LEICA D-LUX 2 was such a success that it was sold out after only a few months. In this issue of Leica World News we are introducing the new LEICA C-LUX 1, the first model in another ultra compact and elegant series of digital compact cameras. Don't miss it! There are exciting developments in the legendary Leica M system as well: The eagerly awaited digital Leica M camera is to be launched in the second half of the year. This means a difficult decision for many a Leica M customer: Should I start putting money aside for the new camera or snap up one of the high performance lenses first as they can just as easily be used for digital photography? Another article in this issue describes our involvement in the so-called Four-Thirds Standard, which will pave the way for furDr. Ralph Nebe, ther attractive digital products from Leica. International Sales and Leica Sport Optics, used by our nature-loving customers every Marketing Director day, will be catering for hunting enthusiasts in particular this summer. In this issue of Leica World News you can find out all about the new extra powerful LEICA GEOVID 15 x 56 BRF with 15x magnification and our new compact rangefinder LEICA RANGEMASTER CRF 1200. As the new International Sales and Marketing Director, I am pleased to be playing a part in shaping Leica Camera AG's bright new future. I am especially looking forward to the dialog with you. Incidentally, we are opening a new website this summer which should make communication even more effective! With kindest regards, 04 LEICA C-LUX 1 Constant companion: A new extra compact digital camera from Leica 07 LEICA LENSES No mistake: Leica optics are still the best and all ready for digital photography 08 FOUR THIRDS SYSTEM Embracing the future: Leica Camera joins the consortium for the new standard 09 LEICA GEOVID 15 x 56 BRF The first 15 x 56 with an integrated rangefinder: Roland Zeitler put it to the test 10 RANGEMASTER CRF 1200 New laser rangefinder: High performance without the weight ­ the Rangemaster in everyday use 12 UNIVERSAL LENSES Well equipped: Two ultra compact zoom lenses for the Leica R system cover a wide variety of photographic situations 14 LEICA M SYSTEM Always at your service: Useful accessories for the Leica M Dr. Ralph Nebe Leica World News 3 LEICA C-LUX 1: AN ELEGANT ALL-ROUNDER In terms of pure enjoyment value, Leica Camera AG's new ultra compact high-performance digital camera is hard to beat. Equally suitable for everyday use, leisure and sports, the LEICA C-LUX 1 is a high-tech product that's also exudes fashionable elegance, and makes a statement about its owner. CONSIDER ITS petite but practical dimen- sions: 3 11/16 inches wide, 2 1/8 inches high. 15 /16 inches front to back. A camera like this really does fit into any jacket pocket, briefcase or handbag. And the sartorially sophisticated will even be able to accommodate the new ultra compact digital Leica camera Leica behind their breast pocket handkerchief! In any case, the LEICA C-LUX 1 is the ideal companion at home and on holiday, at social events, or when you suddenly discover something visually memorable while walking to your destination, shopping, or simply strolling down the street. The LEICA C-LUX 1 is always at hand, easy to use, compact and unobtrusive. When we say it's compact however, we mean that it's still large enough to hold and operate in comfort. After all, even the trend towards miniaturization has its sensible limits. This new fun-to-use camera proves its worth in so many different situations that you'll want to take it everywhere you go. Incidentally, the new LEICA C-LUX 1 is at the cutting edge of the incredibly rapid technological advances in digital products. Equipped with a 6 megapixel sensor, it features extremely short shutter delay, precise autofocus measurement, and an optical image stabilizer for carefree photography whatever the occasion. The exquisite LEICA DC-VARIO-ELMARIT lens further enhances the camera's versatility by offering a focal length range equivalent to 28­102 mm in 35 mm format, providing an unusually broad choice of subjects. It covers typical wide-angle situations with the focal length of 28 mm (a unique feature for this class of camera), but the LEICA C-LUX 1 also has no problem capturing more distant subjects at the telephoto settings. As you'd expect, the cameras optic's based on state-of-the-art aspherical technology. In short, if you choose the new LEICA C-LUX 1, you know you're benefiting from the legendary optical expertise of Leica Camera AG. And that's not all. The longlife battery is supported by the outstanding Venus Plus processor, renowned for high performance and low energy consumption. The high-resolution 2.5-inch 207,000-pixel display provides a brilliant, high-resolution viewing image. High-sensitivity settings of up to ISO 1600 combined with the optical image sta- bilizer guarantee sharply focused, blur-free photos even in dim light. A candlelight dinner is just as easy for the LEICA C-LUX 1 to handle as the fast-moving subjects encountered in sports, games and other leisure activities. For all those unexpected encounters and photo oppourtunities, the C-LUX 1 is instantly ready for action. It can even capture exciting video movies in VGA quality. To sum it up, this little digital Leica is a true all-rounder for taking an incredible variety of photographs, for hobbies or work, at home or away. SPECIFICATIONS OF THE LEICA C-LUX 1 Photography type/format Dimensions (WxHxD) Weight Lens Film speed setting Scene modes 1:1/2.5" CCD sensor with 6.37 m effective pixels (for aspect ratio 4:3) approx. 94 x 51 x 24 mm (3 11/16 x 2 1/8 x 15/16 in) approx. 160 g/5.6 oz (with battery and SD card) LEICA DC VARIO ELMARIT f/2.8-5.6/4.6-16.8 ASPH. (corresponds to 28­102 mm for the 35 mm system) Automatic or manual ISO 80, 100, 200 or 400 (in high-sensitivity mode 800­1600) Simple mode, normal image, macro, SCN modes (portrait, soft skin, landscape, sport, night portrait, self-portrait, food, party, candlelight, fireworks, starry sky, snow, baby1, baby2, high sensitivity), moving image, replay 2.5" polycrystalline TFT color display with 207,000 pixels SD memory card, MultiMedia card (still pictures only) Battery charger, battery, 64 MB SD memory card, AV cable, USB cable, AC cable, wrist strap, CD-ROM with software (Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0, Quicktime Movie Player) 2 years Monitor Storage medium Scope of delivery Warranty 4 Leica World News A life-size view of the LEICA C-LUX 1 Leica World News 5 The attractively colored leather case is perfect for keeping the LEICA C-LUX 1 safe wherever you take it. Happily, the camera's intrinsic value is expressed on the outside as well, with sound craftsmanship and a modern design that is both stylish and practical and makes this new model instantly recognizable as a member of the prestigious Leica family. It's easy to hold, caresses the senses ­ whether in the black or silver chrome version ­ or to put it simply: It looks great. With its slightly rounded sides, uncluttered front and large LCD monitor on the back, the LEICA C-LUX 1 is a real eyecatcher. And it's a camera that will give you pleasure for years to come. 6 Leica World News L E I C A L E N S E S : S T I L L T H E B E S T I N A D I G I TA L W O R L D What happens to my prized Leica lenses in the brave new digital world? It's a question posed by many Leica customers. The answer: Leica optics are still the best and, without exception, fully equal to the demands of today's digital technology. WE ALL KNOW what photography is: light passes through a lens and enables the image formed to be recorded either on a film or a sensor. This admittedly simplified description of a complicated process makes one thing abundantly clear: Every photograph begins at the lens. That's why Lens quality is a decisive factor in determing the quality of the resulting photo. If a lens is merely mediocre, it is impossible to produce a top-quality photo, however sophisticated the downstream factors (film quality, number of pixels, etc.) may be. In other words, a superlative lens is just as important in digital photography as it is in analog photography for achieving first-class results ­ maybe even more so! Optically and mechanically, Leica lenses represent the absolute state of the art. Although this in itself is nothing new, it's definitely worth remembering in a digital context. Whereas average-quality lenses in analog photography still produce average results, high-resolution digital sensors mercilessly expose the weaknesses of a lens. Strictly speaking, every lens is something like the squaring of the circle. After all, every optical element has various inherent aberrations that impede the process of achieving a high-resoultion, natural-looking image. Despite these obstacles, an experienced design engineer may be able, by applying cutting-edge simulation and optimization software, to select and arrange the individual elements in a lens in such a way that their individual aberration errors cancel each other out. This is no easy task considering the different radii and glass materials with widely varying refraction indices, plus the fact that some of the elements need to move in relation to each other as the lens is focused or zoomed. But this is just what Leica aims at ­ backed by a wealth of experience However, the design of the optical system is only one aspect in the production of a good lens. Ultra high manufacturing standards are just as important. Traditionally, the optical manufacturing specifications at Leica have always been substantially tighter than the industry norm. They have to be, because the tolerances of the various components may add up to a total tolerance that far exceeds our extremely stringent performance standards. Sometimes even experienced craftsman find extreme tolerances demanded to achieve with automatic machining techniques, and that's why certain lenses are finished individually by hand. It is a well-known fact that Leica lenses meet the most extreme precision-mechanical specifications. Not so many people know that the sensors made for Leica are specially matched to the demands of the Leica lenses as well. An ultra-thin protective filter in front of the sensor ensures that the performance of the lenses is not impaired by using a thicker filter glass, which often results in unwanted reflections. And whereas the majority of Leica's competitors use physical low-pass filters when moiré filtering is required, Leica's low-pass filter is integrated on the basis of software so optimum resulition is maintained This is the only way to fully exploit the definition potential of each Leica lens. To state it succinctly, it not only makes excellent sense to choose Leica lenses in digital photography, it also wise to choose a Leica digital camera or Digital Modul R back to complement them. Leica: The best in quality and performance, now and always. MK Leica lenses: Cutting-edge technology with digital compatibility Leica World News 7 F O U R T H I R D S SYST E M : Leica on Board ner of Leica Camera AG ­ Leica itself has now joined the `Four Thirds' consortium and regards the new standard as a welcome complement to the successful Leica M and Leica R system with their wide ranges of lenses and compact cameras. Moreover, Leica sees the `Four Thirds' standard as an opportunity to reach a wider customer audience for its renowned high-performance lenses in the rapidly expanding digital SLR sector. As a first step toward this end, Leica, in cooperation with Panasonic, designed its first D lens in 4/3 mount, the LEICA D VARIO-ELMARIT f/2.8 ­ 3.5/14 ­ 50 mm ASPH. As you would expect, thi ...