News - Articles

A surprising number of my photographer friends, eschew the use of User (or Custom) Profiles. I suspect it is based on imagined complexity or, more likely, a preference to make operational changes manually, as needed. In this short article, I will try to persuade you to give them a trial. Once established, I am sure that you will be less prone to make mistakes when using your camera. Better still, you will still be able to make changes to your settings, manually!
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Producing a printed photo book had been on my ‘to-do’ list for a long time. Initially, I had intended bringing together some of the best examples of my published work. I even started picture selection. However, I soon realized that I faced a difficult challenge identifying a coherent theme. My new article: ‘My First Photo Book’ describes my approach and progress towards achieving my goal, with a summary of Lessons Learned.
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The Leica CL has proved to be a popular and effective heart of a compact camera system. At launch there were mixed reviews. However, Leica has upgraded its capabilities and handling in a quite remarkable way, silencing most critics. Expectations are high that a successor model may be launched, possibly this year. My article reviews some of its main features and lays out my way of working with the camera. Hopefully it will help new owners of the current CL master its operating modes to better effect.
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Street photography is a very popular genre, for a variety of reasons. They range from capturing life on the street, observed while travelling, to serious pursuit of stunning moments in life. Humour is also a popular element. Photographic techniques vary widely from the skilful unobserved approach, to full 'in your face', See my full article for my views on street photography.
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The use of handgrips with new cameras is a recurring topic of discussion and debate. Some potential users find them irksome, while others swear by the extra security and stability brought to their camera operation. For new photographers facing this dilemma, this short article might help you decide.
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Against a background of escalating costs, it is a treat to discover bargains from yesteryear. One such is the Leica 135 mm f/4 Elmar lens, dating from the 1960s which is the subject of a short article.
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Are you looking for an inspirational read? How about this well-illustrated book: 'Into the Mystery - Camera in the Wild', written and illustrated by Rob Beighton?
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In August 2020, my Leica X1 developed its first fault which rendered the camera unusable. I bought the camera new in 2010 and it has served me well for over ten years. It has never failed before. I have treated it with care and it lives, when not in use, in a padded case. However, most electronics equipment fails at some time during its active life. My Leica X1 decided that it could no longer focus the lens. Neither could it remember how to retract the lens when not needed. The full story is told here

Questions often arise from new owners of the popular X1 camera regarding the need for an external viewfinder. There is no provision for coupling an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) such as those designed for later X cameras, so the only option is to consider an optical viewfinder (OVF) which I consider in my Gallery notes on the LEICA X1.
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Recent experiences with the Leica X Vario camera have encouraged me to try new techniques with my venerable X1. I have started to document my early findings in my X1 pages. You can find it here
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I have added a new short article which addresses questions received about Leica X1 sharpness. You can find it here
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