A visit to Leicaworld Wetzlar

leica world

Visiting Leica in Germany is considered a pilgrimage for analog (and perhaps digital) photographers. For many, it is also the Valhalla of the history of photography, to which Leica contributed significantly. I was recently in the dreamy town of Wetzlar where the Leica empire has its home. You will find the manufacturing departments, a museum, several exhibitions, a real Oscar Barnack restaurant, a casino and the Ernst Leitz hotel. The open and warm ambience here quickly makes you part of the Leica family. What is Leicawelt all about?

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Sony A7IV versus Leica M240: 9 years digital age difference

Leica M240

A somewhat atypical blog or review. A somewhat uneven comparison in photos between the 2013 Leica M240 and the brand new 2021 Sony A7IV. Two full frame digital cameras from different decades. That’s almost classic versus modern, especially when you consider the very fast technological advances in digital photography. Is quality determined only by advances in sensors and pixels. If a camera is a device for creating art, shouldn’t we also create an index for artistic, creative ability? Thanks to our love of vintage film cameras, we are now also looking at classic digital cameras. It seems, a new, similar discussion starts unfolding about the (sometimes underrated) artistic value of older generations of digital cameras.

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Leica M6 in a backpack

Leica M6 Silbersalz

There are cameras that are so popular or beloved that they have acquired iconic status. One name that is certainly not missing from that list is the legendary Leica M6, the quirky rangefinder that took the world by storm in 1984. Even today, one of the most sought-after cameras. Last month it went in a backpack through Nepal. This is the photographic travel log of an analog adventure.

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Fresh vintage cover

Vintage cameras

After more than a year it was time to update our main header photo. Just a small collection of the cameras that are reviewed on this site.

Zeiss Ikon: the German camera empire

Zeiss Ikon

Zeiss Ikon is probably the most famous and biggest German camera manufacturer that was formed in 1926 by the merger of the classic four camera makers from the early years: Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann, Goerz and Ica. A very important and significant historical moment that financially was co-founded by capital of Zeiss. The company formed one part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, another part being the optical company Carl Zeiss. That is the reason most Zeiss-Ikon cameras are fitted with the legendary Carl Zeiss lenses. Who sees a Zeiss Ikon camera, raises his eyebrows over the stunning performance these cameras delivered in those days. But like with all brands, you love or just hate them. Zeiss-Ikon only had fans because of their unbeatable variety of cameras and lenses. Nobody came near, not even Leica.

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Addiction

vintage photo cameras

I must confess, a year after buying my first vintage camera, the addiction struck. What a hobby! Be warned, if you like analog photography, cherish rolls of film and are a bit tired of all the digital bits and bytes trivia, there is a high chance you are in for this addiction. Now that the forum is up and running, information is being exchanged, the desire for more is only growing. What has happened in the past 120 years in the field of photography in terms of cameras is simply man’s quest to give meaning to what is happening around them, what he sees and wants to freeze in order to understand. Photography is writing with light. The best addiction ever. Enjoy reading.

For Julian, with love -a vintage approach-

Urbex photography is derived from Urban Exploring. You visit abandoned places and buildings and environments that are not open to the public. These forbidden locations are often so interesting because of the story they tell, but it remains illegal to enter. The most important rule is that you are not allowed to break anything or take anything with you. You show respect for the environment you are in and you leave everything behind as you found it. Urbex photographers protect their locations. After all, they are ‘secret, forbidden places’. However, locations are described with hints on Facebook and urbex forums. Addresses are not done. Find the place, be smart and always try to get in touch with the owners of the place or the building. Some urbex spots have become so well-known that they have been found with simple googling.

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Why analog?

The first question is why do analogue photography? What is analogue photography and why would you go back to equipment that actually can do only less in an era of ultra-modern, digital cameras? Why use manual lenses when you have blazing-fast lenses that autofocus in less than a second? And even with the smartphone you can take fantastic photos and add unprecedented effects these days.

A classic vintage b/w photo, made on a German Adox Golf 63 camera in the late fifties.
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