The Online Photographer

The BJoP (British Journal of Photography, the oldest continuous photo publication in the world) is reporting this morning that Olympus will ship the second iteration of its popular PEN cameras soon. Basically, they've made a new tiltable clip-on EVF for the hot shoe, and, because it cannot be used on the E-P1, they had to make a new version of the camera for it—so they made a black one. The E-P2 also does focus tracking and shoots faster at 3 fps.

The new EVF makes the camera, er...a different shape.

Available in late December or early January. Estimated street price in a kit with the new EVF and either the 17mm or 14-42mm zoom lens is $1100. The full press release is available on Akihabara News.

You can pre-order the kit with the EVF and the zoom from Amazon, or the kit with the EVF and the 17mm. (It's not yet listed on Amazon U.K.)

Mike
(Thanks to Abbazz)

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The two cameras sitting on the turntable

I've had both the Panasonic GF1 and Olympus E-P1 Micro 4/3rds cameras here for the past several weeks (the Panasonic for longer than the Olympus), so I thought I'd share a few of my reactions. Unfortunately, this post is likely to disappoint to some people because I haven't got much to say about image quality yet, for reasons I'll explain. If you're already deep into the task of learning to eke the best image quality out of one of these cameras, you're way ahead of me, and I won't be of any help to you. Sorry. I've been playin'.

However, on the good side, mine won't be our last word(s) on the subject (maybe not even from me). We've already published a field report of the GF1 written by Edward Taylor, and both Eamon Hickey and Ctein have been using E-P1's and are likely to weigh in on that camera in the near(ish) future (although that's not a promise; whether either of them wants to write about that camera, or any camera, is up to them). Still, I thought I might report a few of my own impressions, such as they are. I have not tested the cameras, merely used them. I'll proceed here by looking at a number of factors and picking which camera I think is better in each category. Then, tomorrow or Friday, I'll write a short summary of what the cameras are like to use and whether they meet my old "DMD" criteria, and talk a bit about my own personal choice between the two.

I used the single-focal length "pancake" lenses (Olympus's M. Zuiko 17mm ƒ/2.8 [$295] and Panasonic's Lumix G 20mm ƒ/1.7 ASPH. [$400]) exclusively.

Warning: bloviation alert. This post goes on for a while.

As you're probably already aware if you follow such things, Canon has announced the latest upgrade to its high-speed "photojournalist" flagship camera, the EOS 1D, moving from Mk. III status to Mk. IV.

For a brief executive summary of the changes, try Lori Grunin's article on the Crave Gadget blog at cnet news. A very brief pull: "The reputation of the EOS' AF system has taken a beating over the past couple of years, and Canon seems to have pulled out the stops to redeem itself...."

For a more in-depth but still digestibly pithy overview, look to Rob Galbraith's article.

The nutshell-nutshell version: 16 MP vs. the Mark III's 10; 1080p HD video similar to that of the new 7D; Nikon D3s-matching 2-stop boost in the highest ISO; and $5,000 vs. the Mark III's $4,000 (although remaining stocks of the Mark III are mildly discounted now). Somewhat surprisingly to me, the new Canon retains the oddball APS-H 1.3X-factor sensor size. Are Canon-shooting p-js just used to it?

The new camera is expected to ship in December. It's available for pre-order on Amazon, although Amazon warns that demand will be high and supplies from the manufacturer will be limited.

Mike

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The Future of Compact Cameras?

By Edward Taylor

A little history
Back in the days of film, photographers had their SLRs and big lenses, but also had the option of carrying with them a small camera that was capable of taking photos that were comparable to the ones taken with their big kits. Everything from a Canonet to a Leica M series camera was small enough to carry all day, and was quick and capable. Some photographers did their best work with these smaller rangefinder cameras and skipped the big SLRs altogether.

That all ended when digital took over. DSLRs have been capable of making outstanding images for some time, but the smaller, more pocketable digital cameras (though pretty amazing in their own right) have not been able to compete in terms of image quality or responsiveness. The main reason: small cameras had small sensors, slow focusing, and longer write times. We kept asking for a small, quick camera with a bigger sensor capable of making images as good as a DSLR, but no one listened. Then, out of the blue, Sigma announced the DP1, and joyfulness spread over the world of photo enthusiasts. Initially, I liked the DP1 because it did produce DSLR-like images, but the camera was way too slow and had too many shortcomings for me to sustain my excitement.

The Micro 4/3rds format seemed like the next logical place to look for a more responsive, larger sensor, carry-around camera (often referred to as a "decisive-moment digital" or DMD here on TOP), but the first few cameras in the Micro 4/3rds format (Panasonic G1 and GH1) were mini DSLRs with only a slight size advantage over what was already available. They were very good cameras, but I wondered if they represented a side-step or even a step backwards in our quest to get a higher quality, small carry-around camera.

Olympus E-P1
Then, Olympus announced the E-P1, a small Micro 4/3rds camera that looked like a 1950s-style half-frame SLR. The E-P1 generated a tremendous amount of press—mostly positive. I immediately ordered one. By the time it arrived, some of the luster had already worn off. I had read that images were of DSLR quality, but that the focusing was slow and the camera was not as responsive as it should be. And it had no flash. As it turned out, though, I felt the camera is quite usable and the image quality is very good. The E-P1 is solid and has the feel of the rangefinder film cameras of old. I was pretty happy with my E-P1, but I did miss a few shots because of slow response time, and I started to miss having a built-in flash for fill. The LCD screen was not that great, either. But, what I found most annoying was that it seemed impossible to avoid turning the wheels and dials while simply holding the camera. Settings would change all the time, ruining many pictures. I still like the camera, overall, but when the Panasonic GF1 was announced, I ordered one of those too. I figured that with the experience Panasonic had gained with the G1 and GH1, the GF1 would be an improvement over the Olympus E-P1.

In my opinion, it is.

Handling
The GF1 is "pocketable" the way the Canon G10 or Olympus E-P1 is—you have to have big pockets like maybe those in a sport jacket. Better yet, a purse works well—even if, for husbands, it isn't your own purse, but is usually nearby. The GF1 isn't much bigger (with the pancake lens) than the Canon G10, and is the smallest camera made with interchangeable lenses and a built in flash.

The camera will fit in your pocket better without the neck strap. A wrist strap makes the camera easier to use in my opinion.

The GF1 feels solid and well built. The buttons and dial are well placed and very useable. Those controls that are most important, such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation and bracketing are easily accessed. I had no trouble setting up and using this camera even before I had unwrapped the instruction manual. (I had to play with it a bit to figure out that the easily accessible "wheel" performed the exposure compensation function). Some people have said they would prefer two wheels for adjustments, but I'm okay with one. The LCD screen is high definition and bright. It does not articulate, though, which would be very nice, especially for video. There is an optional electronic viewfinder available, but it was still not available for purchase at the time of this writing.

Speed
The GF1 is fast. Maybe not quite as fast as the fastest DSLRs, but I was not missing any shots because of shutter lag or slow focusing. I was surprised at the GF1's focusing speed (particularly in relatively low light), because the GF1 uses the same kind of contrast AF that some of the slowest focusing point-and-shoots use. The GF1 just uses it a lot better, and seems to get a focus lock better than any other compact camera I have used. There is also a focus-assist lamp. I only had the Lumix 20mm ƒ/1.7 lens for testing, but I assume focusing will be fast with other lenses as well. The GF1 has several different autofocus modes and AF points. I generally used the center point. It also has face detection which is one of those "silly" features that actually turns out to be quite useful. Start-up time and shutter lag are both well within my tolerance levels. Unlike the Sigma DP1, the camera does not lock up and the LCD does not black out while focusing or writing an image. My shooting was not limited because of image writing or full buffers. I didn't miss many shots while trying to change the settings while shooting either, because with well placed controls, two custom modes, and some quick menus, this camera is built for speed.

Image quality
In the past, when considering a camera, I would rush to read about image quality first; but in the future, I think image quality will routinely be good enough that it won't be as much of a deal breaker. The Sigma DP1 and all the available Micro 4/3rds cameras produce images that I believe will be acceptable to true photo enthusiasts. The pixels from the GF1 look just like the ones from a DSLR, and like a DSLR, the GF1 produces beautiful images. This is true despite the fact that I could only see them as jpegs, because I wasn't about to try and use Panasonic's RAW processor. Maybe Panasonic's software is really good, but I'll wait for Adobe to support the camera [Note: the GF1 is already supported in ACR 5.5 and Lightroom 2.5 —MJ]. Low light performance is quite good. Images taken with ISO 100–400 are close to noise-free. At ISO 800 there is a little noise but the images were good, and even ISO 1600 is reliably useable. The GF1 seemed better able to handle high dynamic range subjects than the Olympus E-P1. Color saturation and sharpness look good. The transitions are smooth and the images have some depth to them. I really like the images even just as JPEGs right out of the camera, and I am expecting that the raw files will be even better when adjusted in a familiar raw converter like Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

Lens
The Lumix 20mm ƒ/1.7 lens is impressive. I think these small pancake lenses are really the best way to go if you want to maximize the size advantage of Micro 4/3rds cameras over a DSLR. The lens is very sharp with chromatic aberration or distortion eliminated in software. It has the kind of wide aperture we have been wishing for on a small camera, allowing in more than twice the light of an ƒ/2.8 lens. The aperture is formed by seven curved blades, and this may contribute to the very nice bokeh (out-of-d.o.f. blur). The 35mm equivalent of this lens is 40mm (2X factor) which is actually a really useable focal length for a carry-around camera, especially if you will use the camera for street photography or snapshots.

As mentioned, this lens autofocuses quickly, but also has a nice focusing ring for manual focusing. This lens can focus fairly closely (20cm). Because cameras with very small sensors can render greater depth of field, and can focus even closer in macro mode, the GF1 with this lens cannot match the macro abilities of a camera like the Canon G10. The 20mm lens does not have image stabilization, but the kit zoom does. Unlike the Olympus E-P1, the Panasonic GF1 will not provide full auto focus with all 4/3 lenses, but more lenses that do work with this camera will be coming out. There are a few Leica lenses made for the 4/3rds system that will work, and, with an adapter, almost anything can be attached.

'Convergence'
I know that many photo purists have little interest in video, but I think video capability in a carry-around camera comes in handy more often than I might have imagined, and it has become very important to me. After all, these cameras are often used as recording devices or as a means of communication. Sometimes a short video (with sound) is the best way to relate an event or experience. The GF1 can record 720p HD movies in several different formats. The videos are very high quality and rival or surpass the results of many dedicated, high-end, consumer video cameras. The implementation of video on this camera is the best I have seen. While taking photos, I can just push the record button right next to the shutter release and recording starts with very little delay. Push it again, and recording stops. This is seamless. I don't have to change modes to do this, so it is very easy. I will not consider purchasing a camera that does not offer HD video. The lack of HD video on the Canon G10 was a problem for me, and surprisingly, it is not offered on the G11 either.

Back to the future
I believe that the Olympus E-P1 and the Panasonic GF1 represent the beginning of the future of carry-around cameras. The Panasonic is not perfect, but it is the first smallish camera I have carried with which I feel really confident and comfortable.

I think this camera is the beginning of a sea change in compact digital cameras. Similar sized cameras of all types will have to measure up or bow out. Smaller sensors may end up relegated to camera phones. (I am not slighting cameras in phones—I like them, but they are a different animal altogether).

Olympus got the jump on everyone. If the Panasonic camera had come out first (I'm sure Panasonic wishes it had), I never would have owned the Olympus; and you really have to wonder whether Canon, Nikon, and Sony are watching. Leica has its own APS-C size sensor compact offering coming out soon, the X1, not to mention the larger full-frame M9 rangefinder.

Conclusion
Is the Panasonic GF1 a DMD? In my opinion, it has to at least be close. This camera can be carried with you, it's unobtrusive, quick to respond, quick to focus, has a fast lens, produces excellent image quality and has good low-light performance. There will be a viewfinder for it soon (albeit an electronic one). One can attach a multitude of older lenses, and new ones will keep being produced. It shoots great video to boot. Can it be improved? Sure. For starters, I wish it had an articulating LCD, in-body image stabilization, a more powerful flash, and 1080P video. But, I can live with this camera. It does not cause me any real frustrations, and because it is as compact as it is, I can always have it with me.

Even though I have owned it for only a few weeks, I am serious when I say that as an all-around picture taker, this Panasonic GF1 may be my favorite digital camera ever.

*I just wanted to point out that I got through this whole review without ever mentioning megapixels. The Panasonic GF1 has 12, but in the future, I just don't think such specifications will matter much. For large prints or extensive cropping, there will always be larger formats, but 12 million good quality pixels is enough for most work.

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I'm happy to say that the Panasonic GF1 with its lovely little Lumix 20mm ƒ/1.7 Asph. lens arrived chez TOP last Friday, courtesy of a generous reader who's letting me try his for a few weeks (thanks, Jeff). Also, we expect to publish our first field report of the camera this week.

Rather incredibly, the Panasonic GF1 is already the all-time second most popular camera ordered through our links. It lags behind only that highly esteemed photographic Swiss Army Knife, the Canon G series—just barely if you consider only the G11, which should begin shipping very soon, and by a fair margin if you lump all the G-series cameras together. Still, that's pretty amazing when you consider that the GF1 just began shipping only a week or two ago—and when you consider the GF1's premium price. It obviously has a strong appeal to TOP readers.

The GF1 seems to be out of stock everywhere right now, too, which is probably an indicator of strong early sales. (Maybe order now if you hope to have it for Christmas?) Neither B&H nor Adorama are even listing the GF1/20mm kit right now. Let's hope there isn't going to be a chronic supply problem like there has been with the LX3.

So far I like the camera and my first impressions of the lens are very favorable. The lens seems very impressive wide open and even better stopped down just a little. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself.

Oh, and I've been carrying the camera and lens around in my pocket—the pocket of a fleece jacket, to be precise, in which it fits handily and securely.

Note that the 20mm lens interchanges freely with the Panasonic G1 and Olympus E-P1. I think this lens is going to be popular across the board in Micro 4/3.

If you're interested in the lens, you'll want to check out Andy Westlake's excellent review at dpreview.com. I'm becoming quite a fan of Andy's reviews and lens musings. Imaging-Resource's slrgear.com site also has a review of the 20mm ƒ/1.7—be sure to click on the "Blur Index" box and run through the apertures. Impressed yet?

Mike

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Our friend Dirk Rösler of Japan Exposures has added the upcoming Exemode-Yashica EZ F521 to his export list. If you're not familiar with Japan Exposures (formerly Megaperls Webshop), they export Japan-only photographic products to most of the rest of the world, including North America, Europe, and Australia.

It costs a little more, of course—$112 or so.

Mike

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Exemode Yashica will release a low-spec, retro-styled digicam in Japan on October 24th. The EZ F521 will have a 5-megapixel 1/2.5" CMOS sensor, a fixed 42mm-e ƒ/3, and an optical viewfinder. There are only two manually-set positions for focus: Hyperfocal (1.5m–infinity) and Macro (0.2–0.4m [roughly 8–16 in.]). Size, 110 x 66 x 48mm (4.33 x 2.6 x 1.9 inches), weight 125g (4.4 oz.). Power comes from 3 AAA batteries. The price in Japan will be ¥8,000, about $90 or £57. CNET News is calling it a "digital Holga." Looks like fun!

Probably won't be available in the U.S. or Europe, but we'll keep an eye out.

Mike
(Thanks to Steve Lang and Miserere)

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By Olivier Laurent, The British Journal of Photography

Hasselblad claims to have revolutionised autofocus control with the introduction of its new H4D camera system using "True Focus" technology.

Inspired in part by the Nintendo Wii's remote controller, which uses gyro sensors to reproduce a player's movements in the game, the new H4D is fitted with similar sensors to accurately monitor the camera's movement after autofocus has been locked on one point and maintain that position.

"True Focus with Absolute Position Lock helps solve one of the most lingering challenges that faces serious photographers today—true, accurate focusing throughout the image field," says Hasselblad's CEO Christian Poulsen. "Without multi-point autofocus, a typical autofocus camera can only correctly measure focus on a subject that is in the center of the image. When a photographer wants to focus on a subject outside the center area, they have to lock focus on the subject and then re-compose the image. In short distances especially, this re-composing causes focus error, as the plane of focus sharpness follows the camera's movement, perpendicular to the axis of the lens...."

READ ON at bjp-online.com

Mike
(Thanks to Eolake)

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Part I is here.
Part II is here.

By Gordon Lewis

White balance
In the previous installment of this review I mentioned the Pentax K-7’s autofocus- and exposure-related capabilities. Both are essential to getting a usable photograph. A third essential is white balance: the ability to produce color photographs that look "normal" to our eyes, even when the light source differs from standard daylight. Some cameras have trouble producing an acceptable white balance under tungsten or fluorescent light sources. Fortunately, the Pentax K-7 is not one of them. With the camera set to Automatic White Balance (AWB), I could get well-balanced photos even under quartz-halogen lighting. The Tungsten setting also produced an excellent balance for quartz-halogen, as well as standard household lighting. Even under mixed lighting the K-7 produced a balance that was acceptable, if not perfect.

According to Pentax, this is because the K-7 automatically "tweaks" the white balance, even when it's preset to a specific light source. The K-7 also allows you to perform a custom white balance, but better yet, it has a "digital preview" feature that lets you previsualize any white balance in real time. The four-way controller on the back of the camera lets you use an on-screen grid to shift the center point of the balance anywhere between a green/magenta (vertical) and blue/amber (horizontal axis) and to see the result before you take a picture.  Again, this may be overly sophisticated for some, but for photographers who thrive on control and getting it right the first time, it’s a godsend.

How low/high can you go?
Another feature I grew to appreciate was the K-7’s shake reduction (a.k.a. image stabilization) system. It’s built into the body, so every lens I used was image-stabilized—even a 20 year-old 50mm ƒ/1.7 Pentax-M I had sitting around the house. Because of SR I felt comfortable shooting at shutter speeds that were at least two stops slower than I would use with my non-IS cameras. Another result was that I rarely felt the need to shoot at high ISOs as a way to get shutter speeds fast enough to minimize camera movement in low light.

Subject movement is, of course, a different matter, so I tried shooting at ISO 1600 just to see how good an image I could get. I’ve presented a couple of examples and will let you draw your own conclusions. Keep in mind that the  K-7 allows you to control the amount of noise reduction (from none to high) and the ISO at which NR kicks in. The default is medium NR at ISOs above 800, which is how I had my camera set.

The one aspect of noise reduction you can’t control is shadow NR at shutter speeds longer than 30 seconds. The K-7 will automatically create a dark frame exposure equal to the length of the original exposure. This means that if you keep the shutter open for two minutes, which is not unusual for people who photograph stars, lightning, fireworks and other low-light phenomena, you’ll have to wait four minutes before you can take another picture.

In my opinion the noise at ISO 1600 is certainly noticeable but not significantly worse than other DSLRs in this price range. It also has a grain-like character that makes it look a bit more organic than speckled chroma noise. That said, I would use ISO 3200, the highest available ISO setting on the K-7, only if the choice was either that or no image at all.

ISO 1600, full frame and crop

Finally, keep in mind that a 100% view of a full-resolution, 4672 x 3104 pixel image from the K-7 equates to an 11 x 14 print at 300 dpi. Regardless of how these ISO 1600 images may look on screen, they produce high-quality prints. Shift down to ISO 800 and below and the print quality is nothing short of excellent. Let me put it another way: If you like what you see in these small JPEGs sized for your monitor, you’ll love what you see in a good print.

A look at lenses
A lot of the K-7’s excellent image quality has to do with its 14.6MP sensor, SR, autofocus, exposure and white balance systems, but I credit just as much to the lenses I was using. As Mike Johnston and Carl Weese have explored at some length elsewhere, the Pentax 35mm ƒ/2.8 DA Macro is not only one of Pentax’s best lenses, it's one of the best lenses available, period. There was practically no situation where I could get it to exhibit a serious flaw, even at maximum aperture.

The 55–300mm ƒ/4–5.8 ED was another pleasant surprise. If you’re looking for a relatively compact, lightweight, moderately priced tele-zoom that's great for outdoor sports and nature photography, you need look no further. Just be aware that major focus and focal length changes result in a lot of whirring as the camera's focusing motor races to keep up.

The 21mm ƒ/3.2 DA Limited was also a good performer—just not quite as good in the corners as I hoped. I had to stop down to ƒ/5.6 or ƒ/8 before the corners approached the excellent resolution of the center. On the other hand, there aren’t many lenses of similar focal length and aperture that are significantly better. At least the 21mm ƒ/3.2 has amazingly compact size (63 x 25mm) and light weight (155g with hood) going for it.

Pentax arcana
A common thread throughout this review is that the Pentax K-7 comes with an amazing choice of features and options. There are so many different ways to set it up, it's unlikely that any two users would do it the same way—yet all of them could feel as if their set-up was "just right."

There is a downside to the K-7’s wealth of capabilities, however: many of them are poorly documented in the owner’s manual. For example, although the manual does explain that you have to set a custom function a certain way if you want to use lenses that have an aperture ring, this information is under the general heading of "Functions Available with Various Lens Combinations," which you will find only in the Appendix, not the index. If you look in the index for this information under something more obvious, such as "Use With Pre-DA/FA Lenses" or "Lens Mount Compatibility," you won’t find it.

The same is true of the Green Button, a feature unique to Pentax. The index cites only two pages that reference it and both references are perfunctory. In fact, the Green Button has multiple uses that change depending on what exposure mode you're in. These uses are explained throughout the manual, but again, you'd have to read every exposure mode-related page to find them; they’re not referenced in the index.

Users who have experience with previous Pentax DSLRs will likely be familiar with such arcane information and will be up to speed with the K-7 no time. Users who are new to Pentax will find the learning curve steep for the first week or two. Some may tire and give up, but for those who persevere, the rewards are ample.

So, should you buy one?
If you’re a Pentax owner looking for an upgrade or for a high-quality entrée into digital photography, the K-7 is a no-brainer. It’s simply the best Pentax has to offer, and a definite improvement over prior models. Not only that, it’s a strong competitor to similarly priced offerings from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus. The K-7 is a purchase you’re not likely to regret.

If you’re already invested in a different camera system it’s a different story. The K-7 has sufficient charms some might consider buying one with a prime lens or two as their “small but rugged” travel kit.

Those whose needs are more extensive would have to decide whether Pentax has the lenses, flash units, and other accessories they need to get the job done. A plus is that the Pentax lens system has a selection of top-quality, compact prime lenses and zooms you won’t find anywhere else. A minus is that their selection of autofocus lenses is literally more “limited” than Canon and Nikon and, depending on the lens, the prices are often significantly higher. There are also fewer third-party lenses available in Pentax mount. However, if you’re interested in older, manual-focus lenses in all variations of the Pentax mount, your choices expand in inverse proportion to the price you pay for them.

Personally, the K-7 is the first Pentax DSLR that has made me sit up and take notice of what Pentax has to offer in digital. It’s not for everyone (what camera is?), but for those who "get it," it's a welcome alternative both to small cameras that are under-built and under-featured and large cameras that are overly heavy and over-priced.

Buy the Pentax K-7 at Amazon (currently available only as a kit from Amazon U.K.)
Buy the Pentax K-7 at B&H Photo

(Ed. Note: Be sure to compare prices between B&H Photo and Amazon [or Amazon U.K.] before buying lenses! In some cases the prices are nearly the same, but in some cases B&H has a much cheaper price, for example in the case of the 21mm Limited. However, Amazon's price is cheaper for the camera as of this writing. B&H is closed from Oct. 2 to Oct. 11th.)

Pentax's "DA star" (DA*) weather-sealed lenses (for the weather-sealed K-7):
DA Star 16–50mm ƒ/2.8 ED AL (IF) SDM
DA Star 200mm ƒ/2.8 ED (IF) SDM
DA Star 300mm ƒ/4 ED(IF) SDM
DA Star 50–135mm ƒ2.8 ED (IF) SDM
DA Star 55mm ƒ/1.4 SDM
DA Star 60–250mm ƒ/4 ED (IF) SDM

Pentax DA Limited lenses:
DA 15mm ƒ/4 ED AL Limited
DA 21mm ƒ/3.2 AL Limited
DA 35mm ƒ/2.8 Macro Limited
DA 40mm ƒ/2.8 Limited
DA 70mm ƒ/2.4 Limited

(Ed. Note: Pentax has three other lens series: the DA lenses for digital cameras, and the D FA and FA series for film cameras, the latter two also usable on digital bodies. The D FA series now consists of only two macro lenses, a 50mm and 100mm. The FA series includes several Limited lenses. Finally, note that "Limited" is just a marketing term, and does not mean that the lenses are limited in production or availability.)

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Part I is here.
Part III is here.

By Gordon Lewis

Getting Acquainted
One of the major challenges of reviewing any DSLR these days is simply getting familiar with what it can do. Consider the fact that the Pentax K-7’s operating manual measures 14 x 19.5 x 1.5 cm (approximately 5" x 7" x 1/2") and has 328 pages, all in English. I’ve read novels with fewer pages than this. To think that anyone could read every page and absorb every iota of information, along with every possible permutation and then test every feature is, shall we say, unrealistic.

So let me state outright that I’m still getting familiar with the K-7. As evidenced by its manual, there’s plenty to get familiar with. The following is a list of discoveries I’ve had in the course of shooting with the K-7, with an emphasis on which I think are most pertinent to the K-7's suitability as a tool for advanced photographers.

Empire State Building. This was shot from the corner of 43th Street and Avenue of the Americas. I used the Pentax 35mm ƒ/2.8 Macro with the camera set to ISO 800, 1/10 second at ƒ/2.8, automatic white balance. (Is digital noise clearly visible in the dark tones when this image viewed at 100 percent? Yes. Do I care when the tones are as nicely balanced as this? No.)

Focus
A camera with limited ability to focus quickly and accurately is no fun at all. I’m happy to say that the K-7's autofocus is impressively quick and accurate even in low light. Of course, like any automated system it has its limitations. As I got to know where it excelled and where it struggled, I learned when I could shoot with complete confidence and when I had to lend a helping hand. Fortunately, the latter moments were infrequent and relatively easy to compensate for.

Let’s start with the basics: The K-7 has 11 autofocus points. Nine have cross-sensors and are arranged in a 3x3 rectangle in the center of the viewfinder. The other two are "wide-area" sensors and are to the left and right of the center rectangle. Together they cover enough area that you can focus most off-center subjects without having to shift the frame. This doesn’t mean the K-7 always knows exactly what it is you’re trying to focus on. Like any automated system it will occasionally focus on the foreground when you want to focus on the background and vice-versa. In these situations the answer is to select a single focus point and place it over your subject.

It's easy to see what's going on. The viewfinder magnification is a comfortable .92X. The K-7 is also one of the few cameras in this price range that has a 100% viewfinder, so what you see is exactly what you get. When the K-7 is in its default mode the active AF point will flash in red for a half-second or so to indicate where the camera is focusing. Better yet, the focusing screen is not only bright but "snappy." In good light it’s possible to see for yourself whether the image is in focus or not. This doesn't mean the K-7’s focusing screen is ideal for manual focus, but at least it's usable, which is rare with most DSLRs.

When I combined manual focus with the K-7’s electronic focusing aids I could get consistently sharp results. This is a boon for photographers who want to use older, manual-focus Pentax lenses. (And speaking of manual focus, the focusing rings on the two prime AF lenses I was using were uncommonly smooth and well-damped. Even the focusing ring on the zoom was decent.) Manual focus is by no means as fast as the K-7's AF system and I certainly wouldn't want to use it with fast-moving subjects. That said, it's no slower or less accurate than using a split-image rangefinder or microprism and it allows you to use manual focus lenses that would otherwise be gathering dust on a shelf.

When it came to low-light, I had little trouble achieving accurate focus even with the 55–300mm ƒ/4–5.8 zoom I was using. In general, I found that the K-7 was a second or so slower than the EOS 30D I normally use but more consistently accurate. This was only in low light, however. In medium-to-bright light there was no noticeable difference.

The one area where I did notice a significant difference was in the movement of the focusing ring. Most (but not all) Pentax lens focusing mechanisms are driven by a motor in the body. This means that the focusing ring will turn during autofocus and that you’ll hear a whirring sound until the lens locks focus. The movement and the noise weren’t as annoying as I thought they’d be—I seldom need to operate in stealth mode—but given a choice I’d prefer quieter focusing mechanisms with no external movement. Fortunately, Pentax does offer a choice: All six of their premium DA-Star lenses and one of their DA zooms (the 17–70mm ƒ/4) have Pentax’s Supersonic Drive Motor (SDM) built into the lens instead of the body. SDM lenses focus quietly and the focusing ring stays still during AF.

Exposure
Left to its own devices, the K-7’s multi-segment metering system will rarely blow out highlights. If anything, it tends to underexpose by a third of a stop or so. This is good news for JPEG shooters because although it’s easy to lighten an image by a third of a stop, there’s no way to regain lost highlight detail. Raw shooters who believe in "exposing to the right" can use exposure compensation to dial in an extra third as they see fit. By default the multi-segment metering sets its exposures independently of the focusing point, but you have the option to link it to focus points if you prefer. The K-7 also provides center-weighted and spot metering, each accessible via a small lever located under the exposure mode dial on the top left of the camera.

Do you prefer to separate AF actuation from the shutter button? No problem, the K-7 provides an independent AF button on the back of the camera. Do you prefer having a separate button for locking in an exposure reading? The K-7 has an AE-lock button as well. If, like me, you prefer to shoot JPEGs and to switch to raw only when necessary, Pentax even provides a RAW button accessible to the left thumb. Press it in and you’re instantly in raw mode.

This was shot handheld with the Pentax 55–300mm ƒ/4-5.8 set to 135mm (200mm-e). The camera was set to ISO 400, 1/160 second at ƒ/5.6, automatic white balance. This is a straight JPEG, reduced in size for the web. It looks flat because it was shot on an overcast afternoon.

This is the same photo as the first, but derived from the original raw file. I adjusted the brightness a half-stop, added some sharpening and reduced it for the web. As you can see, these changes give the image more snap.

Here’s a 100 percent crop of the immediately preceding image. I cropped in on my son’s shoe because that’s the point of sharpest focus. Notice the texture and detail. Not bad for a consumer tele-zoom shot handheld at close to maximum aperture at a moderate shutter speed and with the camera set two stops above minimum ISO.

Pentax shooters will take comfort in the knowledge that the K-7 also has the ever-so-useful "Green Button," a feature exclusive to Pentax. For those who want a detailed description of how it works I’ve provided a link to "The Usage of Green Button" on the Pentax Forums. For the rest of you, suffice it to say that the Green Button basically acts as a multi-functional shortcut that allows you to switch from a one-time adjustment, such as exposure compensation or a higher ISO, back to the default or original setting.

There’s more. A lot more.

As I hinted in Part 1 of this review, the Pentax K-7 is overflowing with features and customizations like these. I’ve only just scratched the surface. There are custom image modes and digital filters that control how the JPEG engine processes images. The K-7 can process raw images in-camera and convert them to JPEGs. It also offers HDR image capture, HD movie capture, and dynamic range adjustment. The list goes on and on. This makes reviewing every available feature a formidable task; one I’m frankly not up to. Suffice it to say that the K-7 seems adaptable to all but the most extreme shooting styles and preferences.

In the third and final segment of this review I’ll turn my attention the K-7’s high ISO performance, lens performance, and the oh-so-subjective topic of image quality. Meanwhile, this part of the review has a few more photo samples for you to digest. Enjoy!

Pentax K-7 body at B&H Photo ($1,259.95)
Pentax DA 21mm ƒ/3.2 AL Limited Series lens at B&H Photo ($499.95)
Pentax DA 35mm ƒ/2.8 Macro Limited Series lens at B&H Photo ($529.95)
Pentax DA* (weatherproof) 50-135mm ƒ/2.8 ED (IF) SDM zoom lens at B&H Photo ($799.95)
Pentax DA 55-300mm ƒ/4-5.8 ED lens at B&H Photo ($349.95)

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Featured Comment by Geoff Wittig: "Pentax in my humble opinion still has the best exposure controls of any 35mm format SLR system, if your most important criterion is quick and accurate manual exposure. I thought the Pentax system was great when I shot slide film, and this is still true with digital capture. Both media penalize overexposure severely.

"Call me a Luddite, but I still like to expose manually. I pick an aperture based on the depth of field I want, followed by the shutter speed that provides an appropriate overall exposure. Most all camera systems provide two input dials or wheels so you can independently select aperture and shutter speed, while you look at the little bar graph in the viewfinder to see where you need to go. With my Canon DSLRs, not infrequently I find myself fumbling with the controls when the exposure is way off, and the moment may be gone by the time I figure it out. But that little Pentax green button is magic in this situation. In manual metering mode, you just touch the green button and the camera instantly gives you an aperture/exposure combination that centers your histogram. You're still in manual mode, so you can touch this up with either the aperture or shutter speed dial, which takes about a millisecond. I find it far slicker and more intuitive than Canon's system."

Featured Comment by Doug Brewer: "I believe Mike knows I have a thing for Pentax.... But I gotta tell you, the K-7 is the closest of their DSLRs to the feel of my beloved LX, and I consider that very high praise indeed."

Check out the Pentax K-x color simulator at the Japanese website (it can be slow to load but responds reasonably quickly once you're up and running). If you're going to offer colors, might as well go all the way....

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ADDENDUM: Dirk at Japan Exposures confirms that he can arrange purchase of Japan-only colors for those in other parts of the world as part of the Japan Exposures Equipment Sourcing service. Not that it won't cost you....  —Mike

Featured Comment by Stan B.: "Vomit inducing."

Featured Comment by Marlon: "I absolutely love this idea. Lemon Lime flavor."

Featured Comment by Chris: "'She Comes In Colors Everywhere'...except here! I have an 11-year-old who wants a purple one and I would certainly orderly a fun-colored one for myself. Pentax lost two sales, as this option isn't offered to the U.S. (I would have placed an order yes!)"

Featured Comment by Miserere: "When I first heard about the colour plan I thought 'hmmmm...,' but given that it's seriously spec'd for an entry-level, $650-launch-price camera, I think the colours are a fantastic add-on (icing on the cake, as someone already put it). The Navy colour turns out to be slightly metallic (or reflective) in real life and I'm finding it very attractive. Furthermore, it's available for preorder in the US right now and can be bought at B&H."

Featured Comment by Ed Buziak: "I think Pentax are serious about this color program, and for good reason. I read the following on the OK1000 Pentax Blog whose owner (Michael) attended the Pentax Special Launch in New York on the 16th. He wrote '...Pentax received strong demographic numbers that showed that women bought more colored cameras than they would have bought black models. The numbers jumped from a skew of 20% female and 80% male buyers to 50%–50%. Something worth doing on a larger scale.'"

Featured Comment by [another] mike: "Yuck."

Part II is here.
Part III is here.

By Gordon Lewis

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Pentax cameras and lenses. The first decent SLR I bought when I was in college was a Pentax Spotmatic F. It had the classic M42 thread mount as well as full-aperture metering, which was cutting-edge technology at the time. Some of the best photos I’ve ever shot were done with that camera.

A decade later I bought a Pentax ME, renowned for its small size, huge viewfinder and aperture-preferred exposure automation. The ME is still sitting in my camera closet, seldom-used but still loved. I also owned the venerable Pentax 6x7 medium-format SLR. It was neither small nor lightweight and the mirror-slap could wake the dead. So what? It was (and still is) an amazing value for the money and its image quality can be stupefyingly excellent.

That said, it’s been a while since I’ve been excited about Pentax’s DSLR offerings. There was nothing wrong with them; in fact, the evidence shows that they were as capable of taking fine photographs as anything else. It’s just that as someone who now shoots with Canon equipment, Pentax didn’t offer enough reason to tempt me to switch.

That all changed a few months ago when Pentax announced the K-7. Here was a camera that was small yet sturdy and weather-sealed; full-featured and versatile, and with enough significant improvements over the previous top-of-the-line model, the K20D, that I wanted to give it a try.

Apparently I’m not the only one. From the moment it was announced K-7 has received positive comments on online photography forums and blogs. The positive impressions have been backed up by actual orders. By all accounts, the K-7 is the best seller Pentax has had in years, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The competition is heating up at the same as the economy is forcing photographers to tighten their purse strings. Camera companies have to offer something that distinguishes them from the pack and that offers photographers something they can’t just as easily find elsewhere. Is the Pentax K-7 such a camera? We shall see, my friends. We shall see…

Here’s the Deal…
In the interests of full disclosure, let me state outright that when I expressed an interest in reviewing the K-7 Mike readily agreed. He felt I would offer an alternative to what he described as his "quirky" preferences and attitudes. We all have our quirks of course, but it’s true that mine are enough different from his to matter. Wherever Mike feels the need to point out where his opinion differs from mine he's free to do so.

As for my own photographic predilections, I prefer street photography and color abstracts for my personal work. For examples feel free to visit my online gallery. My professional work, though infrequent, is mostly portraiture and event photography with the occasional product shot thrown in for variety. I prefer gear that is small yet durable, reliable, and simple to operate. I prefer direct control over full automation and prime lenses over zooms. I’m more interested in photography and photographs than equipment, so the less unnecessary effort it takes to get the results I want the happier I am. I’m also more interested in lenses than cameras, so the more I like the available lenses, the more I like the camera.

Finally, you should also know that Mike is not paying me and that even if he offered I would not accept. I did however agree to use equipment on loan from Pentax. "On loan" means I’ll return it once I’m done reviewing it*. What I gain from this is the opportunity to use a camera for a week or two in exchange for writing about it—that, and the chance that you might find my writing interesting enough to visit my blog from time to time. What you gain is an insight into how an experienced photographer with no particular bias for or against Pentax equipment regards the K-7 as a working tool.

First Impressions
So now that we’ve gotten these preliminaries out of the way, let me describe exactly what it is I’m reviewing. The K-7 arrived with three Pentax lenses: a 21mm ƒ/3.2 DA, a 35mm ƒ/2.8 DA Macro, and a 55–300mm ƒ/4.5–5.8 DA ED.

Had I funded this selection myself I might have replaced the 55–300mm with the Pentax 50–135mm ƒ/2.8 DA* ED (IF). Although the 50–135mm is larger and more expensive, there's no denying the utility of ƒ/2.8 for low light work, especially since the K-7 has shake reduction (a.k.a. image stabilization) built into the body. Better yet, because of the K-7’s 1.5X crop factor, a 50–135mm becomes the functional equivalent of a 70–200mm ƒ/2.8 on a full-frame camera, while being significantly smaller and less expensive. This is not to imply that I am disappointed with the 55–300mm f/4.5–5.8, however. It has many virtues of its own, which I will reveal later in this series.

As for the K-7 itself, I was pleased to discover that although I had never handled one before it had a familiar feel. Although smaller than medium-sized DSLRs such as the Canon 50D or Nikon D300, its weight (754g with battery and SD card) is similar. This gives it comparable heft but with less bulk. When it comes to handling, the hand grip is well contoured, front and back. It’s also large enough that anyone with small to average sized hands can get a secure grip with the first three fingers of the right hand and the pinky finger folded under for support. Those of you who like bulk have the option of adding the optional B-DG4 battery grip, which in addition to more gripping surface adds a vertical release button, depth-of-field preview switch, front and rear e-dials, and buttons for exposure lock, autofocus, and ISO.

The controls on the body itself are all in logical locations, within easy reach of the right thumb and index finger yet without getting in the way. I especially appreciated the non-modal nature of important controls such as front and rear "e-dials." One dial controls the aperture and the other controls the shutter, no matter which exposure mode you’re in. Better yet, the K-7 has a custom function that allows you to decide which dial controls what.

This is a common theme in other aspects as well: the basic design of the Pentax K-7 is fundamentally sound while allowing enough flexibility to adapt to individual preferences. In Part 2 of this review I’ll provide examples of how this makes the K-7 a pleasure to use and how it contributes to producing better photographs. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these examples of what the K-7 is capable of.

Caption for the lead photograph I shot the big "K" on a rainy afternoon with the Pentax 55–300mm zoom. The exposure was ISO 400 at 1/60 second at ƒ/6.3, which was near maximum aperture for this lens. The lens was zoomed to 97mm (147mm-e). I wouldn’t ordinarily use such a slow shutter speed at this focal length, but as you can see, the K-7’s shake reduction eliminated any trace of camera shake.

This was a photographer’s nightmare: a dark-skinned subject in a white blouse, in a nightclub with dark walls, illuminated by a single, small tungsten spotlight. Nevertheless, the K-7 didn’t break a sweat. This shot is a JPEG straight out of the camera, with only a slight levels adjustment in Photoshop to lighten the blouse. The camera was set to the default tungsten white balance with no adjustment. This was shot handheld at ISO 800, 1/25 second at ƒ/2.8 with the Pentax 35mm ƒ/2.8 Macro DA.

Here’s another shot on another rainy day. I felt as comfortable as one can when getting rained on while trying to protect the lens from getting wet. At least I didn’t have to worry about the camera: the Pentax K-7 is weather-sealed. Also note that this shot reflects the K-7’s default JPEG setting. I find this setting a tad too oversaturated for bright sunny days, but it’s just right for days like this.

Here’s more or less what you can expect on a sunny day when the K-7 is set to ISO 100. I reduced the saturation setting of the default JPEG “Image Finishing Tone” (Bright) by one click. As you can see, the color is still vibrant. In this case I used the JPEG settings only as a point of reference. The image you see here was derived from a Photoshop DCR conversion of the original DNG raw file. My only adjustment was minor sharpening. Other than that, what you see is what I got, within the limitations of the blog software and your monitor.

Pentax K-7 body at B&H Photo ($1,259.95)
Pentax DA 21mm ƒ/3.2 AL Limited Series lens at B&H Photo ($499.95)
Pentax DA 35mm ƒ/2.8 Macro Limited Series lens at B&H Photo ($529.95)
Pentax DA* (weatherproof) 50-135mm ƒ/2.8 ED (IF) SDM zoom lens at B&H Photo ($799.95)
Pentax DA 55-300mm ƒ/4-5.8 ED lens at B&H Photo ($349.95)

*Or Gordon can buy it, for an "accommodation price"—roughly wholesale—if he so chooses—SOP and virtually universal with stock-on-memo for reviews. Don't forget that when Pentax gets it back, it's used gear and can't be sold as new. —Mike

Commercial links
A few commercial links first, in case you are intending to pre-order three M9s (two for yourself and one for your spouse) and you want to shoot us a little lucre too! Woot-woot.

 

B&H Photo and Amazon.co.uk are not taking pre-orders yet, so these links are limited to Amazon.com.

Leica M9 black from Amazon.com
Leica M9 steel gray from Amazon.com

Published reviews so far
Links limited to sites and writers who have evidently seen, handled, and shot with the camera. One nice side effect of the camera's simplicity is that these "first looks" are mostly mercifully brief (with the exception of Sean Reid's).

• Michael Reichmann's Leica M9 Review on The Luminous-Landscape. Sample: "At about $6,000 the now discontinued M8.2 seemed very expensive. But, because the M9 is a higher resolution full frame camera, at about $7,000 it no longer is priced that far out of line with other top-of-the-line full-frame 35mm cameras such as the Nikon D3x at $8,000 and the Canon 1Ds MKIII at $6,500. One can argue that one gets 'more' camera for the money with these Nikon and Canon models, but does one get a 'better' camera or 'better' image quality? That's a question that only each photographer can decide based on his or her own needs and experience."

Michael's Leica S2 review will be posted on L-L tomorrow.

• Phil Askey''s Leica M9 and Hands-On Preview on DPReview. Sample: "Full disclosure—personal bias: Before the M8 review I had no experience of rangefinder photography, something I considered relegated to history. During the review process (and thanks to input from those who had used rangefinders before) I gradually began to ‘get’ the advantages, being better ‘connected’ to the subject thanks to the huge bright viewfinder, and being forced to focus manually, always select the aperture, and think more about the shot. Not to mention in the case of the M8, the look from those gorgeous prime lenses (amazingly sharp at the point of focus fading smoothly to silky bokeh). Hence not long after posting my review I bought an M8 for myself (along with a bunch of lenses), and ever since (and unconsciously) all of my personal favorite photographs have come from the M8."

Full props to Askey for being up-front with this, by the way. A mark of a mature reviewer, in my opinion. The audience needs to know where you stand in order to judge how you view things.

• Sean Reid's Leica M9: Part One on Reid Reviews. (Note that Reid Reviews is a pay site, so the review won't be available to you unless you already subscribe or are willing to start.) The longest of the initial reviews—Sean does go on (like I should talk)—but also has the best sample pictures and several comprehensive tests of things such as IR sensitivity the other reviewers only mention in passing or else put off for the future. Features a short section by Yale's Tod Papageorge at the end.

Sample: "...A camera exists to make photographs, and the most consistently available way of making strong and, possibly, remarkable photographs (at least for those interested in drawing a possible poetry out of the rush and pleasures of our daily lives) is with a Leica—which, as of today, effectively means the M9." (Tod Papageorge)

• Jono Slack's Leica M9 Words and Pictures. Starts off disclaiming that it's a review at all. Jono used an M9 disguised as an M8 all over Europe for a month prior to the launch, despite which, you might find his pictures quite uneven.

Sample: "I was in a shopping centre in Norwich, and a small but elegant elderly man came up to me and said 'I’ve never even held an M8, please could I?'—of course, I had to say yes, at which point he thrust out his wallet...'just in case I run off with it,' he said! It had a 35mm lens on. He held it to his eye, and immediately said 'but this seems to be full frame,' I had to tell him that it wasn’t, and he looked confused and a bit miffed. It turns out that he worked for many years taking measurably accurate large format shots of cathedrals and other public buildings marked up for stone masons to work from, so it was hardly surprising that he could recognise full frame when he saw it! At any rate, he fell in love with the camera, and said that he planned to buy one later in the year. If he ever reads this I’d like to send him my best wishes, and apologise for not telling him what he was holding on to!"

• Erwin Puts' Leica M9: the digital M7? Written with Erwin's usual deep insight into Leica history and the Leica line as a whole. Sample: "The M8 camera versions can be interpreted as a bridging act between the M7/MP and the future digital versions of the M line. In the evolution of the M line the M8 is a necessary step, and required for learning the engineering and software requirements for solid-state cameras. But as biology dictates the environment changes and then you have to adapt or die. Does this imply that the M8 buyer has been used as money and experience suppliers for the Leica R&D department. In a sense this question has to be answered affirmative, but we may with some justification also state that the Leica community is used to small evolutionary steps and is very quality conscious. In 2006 the M9 would be impossible to manufacture and to be honest I like the M8 sensor size as it forces me to be very critical about scene selection and composition."

• Focus Numerique's Leica M9: Catch in Hand. A hands-on in French, but with some illustrations including an ISO comparison.

None of the other usual suspects seem to have seen the camera yet, although I'm sure I'm missing a few who have.

A bit of an iconoclastic perspective from our friend John C. will be posted here tomorrow (...he mentions casually, twirling the ends of his Snidely Whiplash moustache and laughing his evil laugh...).

Mike

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Featured Comment by Andy: "Another review posted yesterday." [Note: The author of the linked review is a Leica dealer. Which doesn't make it uninteresting or not valid, but it's why I didn't post it with the journalistic reviews. —Ed.]

Featured Comment by Howard French: "What must said about this early group of 'reviews' is that the writers were all most assuredly very carefully selected by Leica, presumably on the assumption that they would write 'friendly' dispatches about the new camera. Leica will not have been disappointed by all of the present gushing, either.

"I do not say this out of churlishness. For better and worse, I am an M8 owner. I want very much for the M9 to be a success. I also, however, keenly remember how this murky business of what I'll call 'in-group' reviewers steered a lot of people badly wrong about the not-inexpensive M8.

"There were few if any adequate warnings and in most cases no warnings at all from this crowd about the very substantial shortcomings of the M8.

"When some of these very same reviewers were subsequently forced to acknowledge major issues, such as the handicapped IR design, requiring outboard filters for lenses, software issues, shutter noise, battery issues, frameline woes—and I could go on and on—they expended a great deal of energy on their sites and on other forums essentially making allowances for Leica and for the M8, judging that these problems were a small price to pay for this great new camera, with its great 'files quality.' Would that their readers have been placed in a position to make such judgments for themselves, fully armed with thorough and objective reviews prior to purchase. This should not be construed as an attack on Leica, on the M8 (or M9) or even on the reviewers, whom one deliberately leaves unnamed.

"It is, however, an attack on the troubling coziness that exists in this business that often passes off self-interested boosterism for journalism.

"As a start, one would like to see much greater disclosure about the relationships between these reviewers and their subjects, in this case, Leica."

Mike adds: I don't have much to add to what Howard has said, except to point out that a) I wrote a very skeptical review of the M8, and b) Leica didn't so much as email me a press release about any of the new products. Coincidence? Quite possibly....

By the way, Howard, whose work we have featured in the past, is a former Senior Editor of The New York Times and is now an Associate Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. His weblog is here.

Featured Comment by Erwin Puts: "Howard French is indeed absolutely to the point with his comments. Truly independent reporting is a scarce element in the current internet information explosion.

"The M8 had and has its problems, but the current analysis is about the M9, where a number if problems (IR, frame lines, etc.) have been reduced or even eliminated. The M9 is a definite improvement in functionality and handling flexibility. As I received my M9 much later than the American/British delegation who were on that three-day visit, I had only limited time to assess the quality of the camera. As my report notes: the basic quality of the M8 and M9 sensors on axis is the same. I also note that the off-axis performance needs to be studied, and so do other characteristics of the sensor. A lab report is required; I will provide one in two weeks' time. In the short time I had, I can only reflect on the more philosophical aspects of the M9. That the IR problem is not fully resolved is no surprise to me, as several high-end DSLRs also exhibit this problem. I also have to note—and this is really an important issue—that is it quite easy nowadays to show defects of whatever order of magnitude without anyone posing the question of their relevance. In the old days of AgX photography, the same and even more severe problems went unnoticed, as you could not seen them in print.

"The main question now is: you can seen defects on the screen at 100% and higher magnifications, but do we really see this also in print? All testers I am aware of look at screen images, not print images. The focus on analysis of screen images at high magnification is not necessarily the best method of assessment of image qualites at the printing stage. Assuming that a print is the final stage of the photographic process! My experience shows that many defects visible on screen are not relevant when printing the image."

Canon's Korean website has published some additional sample shots taken with the forthcoming S90 digicam. There's no direct link, but here are a couple of ISO 80 samples with corresponding details. At pixel-peeping magnifications the pictures do have that characteristic small-sensor "watercolor" look, but also show excellent detail, good corner performance, and virtually no purple fringing.

The S90, you'll remember, is Canon's answer to the popularity of the perpetually back-ordered LX3. It (the S90) has a lens that's ƒ/2 at the wide end, the same sensor as the G11, and simple and businesslike controls, including a new ring dial to which various functions can be assigned.

It ain't out just yet, but we think we approve.

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Over the past handful of years we've reported that Leica has had its problems. Well, with a new team in place, a passel of smart new products, and (clearly) a dynamic intelligence behind its long-term strategic thinking, it's safe to say Leica's back.

In fact it may be in a better position now than it has been in twenty years. People forget that despite the strong brand identity of the M series legacy, the marque has been significantly at sea for a lot of years—rebranding this or that Japanese compact, struggling to bring out new but anachronistic products that turn out to be duds or dead-ends. Struggling with the great digital transition that killed Minolta, Konica, Contax, Bronica, Polaroid, and Rollei. 

Well, no more. That era appears to be over.

Leica AG President Rudi Spiller on the web podcast, which got underway at 9:15 in NYC

The big launch went well this morning. It was a few minutes late, but the technology worked. The presentation had some of the typical tiresomeness of its genre—the press function—but the execs and the celebrity presenter did a creditable job. Seal actually is a devoted Leica aficionado, too, for which I give Leica credit—his presence wasn't just ornamental.

Leica did a good job overall of leveraging this announcement for maximal coverage and buzz-generation. There's no question that interest over this launch was high and that lots of people got involved. Kudos to Leica for that, too.

More importantly, all three new products look well situated. I've written about my approval of the S System concept before, and the M9 seems like the full maturity of the digital M come round at last. (By the way, did you notice? There will be no "British Penalty" for the M9—at $6,995 and £4,850, according to dpreview, the US and UK prices are right in line with the exchange rate. Kudos again, Leica.)

The biggest surprise of this announcement week was the littlest camera—the $2,000 X1, due in early December. Perhaps predictably, I find myself drawn to it. It's a "right-sized" compact with what looks to be an intelligent layout. The mix of a 24mm (36mm-e) ƒ/2.8 lens and a 12-MP APS-C CMOS sensor seem "just right" in true Goldilocks fashion, and if the early reports of excellent speed and responsiveness turn out to be correct, the X1 just might turn out to be the best DMD yet, its lack of interchangeable lenses notwithstanding. (That choice makes sense in light of the M9, which is Leica's interchangeable lens offering.)

I like this view of the X1 the best. How nice to see such straightforward exposure controls, with P, A, S, and M so logically implemented. That alone makes me want to use this camera.

I won't keep you—I know you want to go off and read the reviews on the big camera-review sites. There will be M9, S2, and (I hope) X1 reviews and previews appearing all over the web all week long.

Leica's back. How about that?

Mike

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Featured Comment by Jean-Pierre Grüter: "I would like to contribute a technical dream which is certainly not only mine. When I saw that Leica is using an 18-MP Kodak sensor I thought that the high ISO performance will be a problem. And it looks like this is true. On the attached picture you see what probably many photographers wish. May be one should contribute the microlens shift of the Kodak sensor to the D3/D700 sensor and it would be a camera for which I would pay $6,000."

By "A."

I can't believe they pulled this off.

I was struck by a comment on TOP on Saturday: "Why all the fuss about a brand with such a miniscule market share?" Well, Sir, because in all the chatter about leaks and rumors and NDAs and prices, it's easy to lose sight of what an amazing feat the most storied brand in photography has accomplished: Leica has created the world's most compact full-frame digital system camera.

Many young/digital photographers may not be familiar with just how small M cameras and lenses are, which is why I created these two camera size comparison illustrations. They're made from pictures found on the web, but are strictly to scale. Anyone who's been clamoring for "the largest possible sensor in the smallest possible body" can't ignore the relative sizes of the three cameras in Comparison 1, at least in light of the relative sensor sizes (shown in blue and green on the left).

Comparison 1 shows three compact "versatile lensmount" cameras. The one with the built-in eye-level optical viewfinder is in the middle. Click on the image to see it larger.

Left to right: 4/3 sensor (green) and 24x36mm sensor (blue), shown at the same scale as the cameras; Panasonic GF1 (20/1.7 lens); Leica M9 (50/1.4 lens in bottom photo, 35/1.4 in top photo); Olympus E-P1 (14–42 zoom).

It may not be quite as universal a mount as Micro 4/3, but the M-mount still allows photographers to use a huge range of old and new lenses. One can switch from 60-year-old screwmounts (a digital James Ravilious "glow," anyone?) to great modern lenses like the semi-pancake (1.2" long) Nokton 40/1.4 that costs less than the new Panasonic 20/1.7. My own favorite is the 35/1.2 aspherical Nokton, a gem for under $900.

Granted, all of those lenses will also fit on 4/3 cameras (which can also accommodate many other lenses). But on a 24x36mm Leica body—film or digital, we can say now—all of that great glass out there works at its "traditional" field of view rather than with a 2x multiplier as with 4/3. That $1200 Nokton 50/1.1(!) doesn't limit you to a 100mm field of view.

Comparison 2 shows the three smallest 24x36mm-sensor digital cameras on the market today. (Note especially the bottom row. All three cameras are shown from the right side, the side from which you grip them. All three have optical viewfinders, but consider the size penalty for the ones in the SLRs. You can click on the image to see it larger.)

Left to right: Canon 5DII (50/1.4 lens); Leica M9 (50/1.4 lens in top photo, 35/1.4 in bottom photo); Nikon D700 (50/1.4 lens).

(Photographers who argue endlessly about the "radical differences" between the D700 and the 5DII should ponder that photo, because those SLRs look like two peas in a pod compared to the M9.)

As always, it's striking how petite the Leica and other M-mount ƒ/1.4 lenses are. Below is a size comparison between the Canon EF 35mm ƒ/1.4 and the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm ƒ/1.4; the size difference is almost comical when one considers that both cover a 24x36mm frame.

(Images to scale. The Canon ($1,350) is 3.1" diameter x 3.4" long; the Nokton ($560) is 2.2" diameter x 1.1" long. Weight: Canon, 1.28 lbs. / 580 g; Voigtländer, 7 oz. / 200 g.)

Too expensive?
Yes, the M9 is unquestionably expensive (you could buy five or ten of the 4/3 models or three or four of the SLRs, etc., etc.), but Leica is indeed a small company with a "minuscule market share." That underlines Leica's accomplishment rather than negates it. By showing just how compact a full-frame camera can be, it's hard not to think the M9 will serve for years to come as a benchmark in "large sensor/small camera" discussions.

And, once the Japanese digest what Leica has accomplished, might another company or two develop a cheaper 24x36mm-sensored "camera for many lenses" along the lines of what Christopher Lane wrote about re Micro 4/3 the other day?

Photographers can hope; time will tell.
-

"A." is a friend of the site "prominent in another field," as they say, who prefers to remain unidentified. My thanks to A., as always. —Ed.

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POSTED 7:57 p.m. Saturday

UPDATED 12.25 a.m. Sunday

(Photo: Leica Rumors)

The Leica M9 has leaked early, due to a PDF of the new M System brochure making its wildfire way around the web.

The news: the M9 will have an 18-megapixel, full-frame CCD sensor. More explicity—quoting from the brochure—the image area is 23.9 x 35.8 millimeters and image size is 5212 x 3472 pixels. It will come in "steel grey paint or black paint." The camera comes with its own copy of Adobe Lightroom equipped to handle the camera's 16-bit DNG raw files.

Like the M8, the M9's sensor has microlenses progressively more offset towards the corners to cope with the angle of impingement of the image-forming light. Leica says, "In the case of the M9, it wasn't a matter of modifying the lenses to match the image sensor, but rather the other way around."

X1 still sketchy
The details on the X1 are more shadowy at the moment. According to the latest scuttlebutt, it's not a Micro 4/3 camera but resembles one—it's allegedly a compact, ~12-megapixel APS-C camera with a fixed "pancake" style 24mm ƒ/2.8 lens (approximately 35mm-e, give or take). Best take this info with a grain of salt, though, and wait till the 9th for the true scoop. (Apple Computer has a big rollout scheduled for the same day, as you've probably heard. It won't overshadow the Leica news here at the sprawling TOP World HQ compound, naturally.)

This is a real picture of it, though, from page 83 the brochure:

If you click on the image you should be able to read the text. Note: "One of the very best Leica lenses." Hmm. Interesting.

I wonder if anyone notices the similarity of the long, slender camera in the picture to that of the little IIIf below, next to Steve's comment? The text says it's reminiscent of the M cameras, but it seems more reminiscent of the screwmount cameras to me. Interesting!

Stay tuned....

Oly and Sony
More rumors: 

Sony Japan is no longer listing the A700 on its website. The coming replacement, thought to be called the A800 and similar in appearance to the A700, will, some believe, have a 15-MP CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100–12,800, 6.5 fps, and integrated Wi-Fi.

According to the website of the French magazine Chasseur d'Images, Olympus will roll out the E-P2 before Christmas...this Christmas. It will be a higher-spec'd "pro" model of the Micro 4/3 concept, with an optical viewfinder. Rumor only, so please don't put my feet to the fire if this doesn't come true.

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Featured Comment by sjones: "Currently using a Leica IIIf, and I hope to pick up an M2 within a year. After that, well, that should do it for the rest of my life. Still, entertaining to follow the evolution of photographic gear. Steve, Tokyo." [Photo from LeitzMuseum.org —Ed. Links by me, too.]

"My latest book project involves one year of photographing in Chugach State Park, Alaska," begins Carl Battreall, in his nice new field review of the Pentax K-7 over at Nature Photographers Online Magazine. "I will be hiking, skiing and climbing throughout the park. I will be carrying all my equipment and the poor camera will suffer dearly: rain, ice, snow, sub-minus temperatures and my legendary ability to kill cameras. Pentax may ultimately regret claiming the K-7 as being a super durable 'pro' camera. Many a 'pro' camera has not returned from my adventures."

He shortly proves he's serious by relating the following startling trial by, er, rainfall: "Pentax claims the camera is weather proof, so I let it sit out in the rain while I sat in my tent reading the manual, two hours later the rain stopped...."

READ ON at Nature Photographers to see what happened to the poor rained-drenched K-7. For those who want to follow Carl's travels and the camera's travails, he will be posting updates about his trip on his blog.

(P.S. To answer the question that this will probably bring up, yes, TOP will be reviewing the K-7.)

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Featured Comment by Adam Maas: "The Olympus E-1 and E-3 are splashproof when matched with HG or SHG series lenses from Olympus.

"The K10D/K20D are splash resistant. The K-7 is not sealed as well as the K10D/K20D. [Ed. Note: I've asked Pentax's tech guru whether this is true. I'll post his response as an 'Update' below this comment when I hear back. Probably won't be until Tuesday the 8th.  —Mike.] Pentax's DA* and DA WR lenses are sealed.

"Weather sealing and build-level are two different things. The K10D and K20D are better sealed than the K-7, but the K-7 has significantly better build quality.

"The single-digit Nikon's and 1 series Canons are pretty much the best built cameras on the market, although the E-3 does approach their build level. However both Canon and Nikon have settled for a lower level of environmental seals than Oly has or Pentax did with the K10D/K20D. They're still very well sealed cameras when matched with sealed lenses, but I wouldn't use a shower to clean them or take them where I could get hit with a wave or similar, while the E-1 and E-3 would have no issues there, and the K10D/K20D would most likely be okay as well."

UPDATE (Tuesday 9/8): I heard from John Carlson, Senior Manager of Product Marketing and Consumer Support at Pentax USA, who says, "The K-7 is just as waterproof as the previous models. In fact, it may even be more so. They changed materials slightly to accommodate the 'cold proofing.' The seals in the K-7 use a material that does not expand and contract with large temperature swings, therefore assuring a better seal overall."

Featured Comment from Most Pentax Glass is NOT Weathersealed: "The two Pentax lenses he's using are not weather sealed. Thus his K-7 is not weathersealed with either choice. Only DA* lenses: 16–50mm ƒ/2.8, 50–135mm ƒ/2.8, 200mm ƒ/2.8, 300mm ƒ/4, and 55mm ƒ/1.4 are weathersealed. Every other Pentax lens ever made in the past or presently made is a recipe for weather related failures with K-7, and is maybe the cause of his focusing problems? On paper K-7 is compelling. I assume his camera will die long before the year is up due to wrong lens choices.

"Pentax should do more to educate potential buyers that very few of their lenses are weathersealed, well, just five lenses total. I've read of a lot of classic old Pentax lenses getting 'drenched' thesedays. I no longer buy used Pentax glass online, and only locally buy it after thorough inspection by shinning a flashlight beam thru the used Pentax lens.

"I'd say he's ruined his two Limited lenses already. Maybe water damage inside the two lenses is causing the focusing issue he's already having with K-7? Hopefully he's got equipment insurance to cover his losses."