Leica M8 vs Ricoh GXR

In 1954, at Photokina (or 'Foto Kina'), Leica introduced the first M series camera, the M3, the first Leica rangefinder body with a bayonet interchangeable lens mount, it was the beginning of a legendary series of cameras and lenses, the latest of which, the M7 is one of the only 35 mm rangefinder cameras still in production. For over half a century Leica has resisted the temptation to change the essential simple design established with the original M3 (it wasn't until 2002 that an electronically-controlled shutter was introduced allowing aperture priority automatic exposure). With an average 10 years between major upgrades and many of the original M3s still in regular use, the M platform is felt by its legion of fans to be the purest photographic tool available, and a welcome antidote to the mass of plastic feature-laden models that make up the rest of the market. Owning a Leica M camera has always been something people do with their hearts as much as their heads - and some of the 20th century's greatest photographers and most famous images were taken using them. It is no surprise then, that - despite talking about it for at least five years - Leica felt no need to rush into things when they decided it was time to bring the M into the digital age.Read more

Is the Leica M8 Still A Good Choice? By Steve Huff (or, one hour with an old friend, the Leica M8) Hey guys! Still working on my film stuff as I am awaiting aRead more

The launch of theLeica M8has been a rocky road. The initial release of cameras suffered from a number of problems, including bright light streaking and green ghosting. These have been fixed through a factory recall of the first batch of cameras, and all cameras shipped since late December have sorted this out. The firmware in [Read More]Read more

In this blog post, we review the Ricoh GXR A12 Leica M Mount module; part of the interchangeable module camera system. Read more at The Phoblographer.Read more

The Ricoh GXR is an oddball. It’s different than any other mirrorless camera out there -- with the GXR, you use the same base body, but switch out sensor/lens combinations. This format has some serious advantages and disadvantages compared to its competition. The Good Stuff: The Ricoh is revolutionary in the sense that no one has ever built a camera quite like this -- not on the small format, anyway. When companies make modular cameras, they make the lens separate from the body and sensor unit. Or they make all three (lens, body, and sensor) separate units.Read more

A radical new camera system in which lens-plus-sensor modules are changed via a slide-in mounting.Ricoh has unleased a design revolution with its new GXR system. It's the first camera body that accepts interchangeable sensor-plus-lens modules, allowing buyers to choose the body/lens combination that suits them and providing a camera system with great flexibility for upgrading and expansion.Read more