Canon's 50mm f/1.2 in Leica screwmount (39mm x 26 tpi) is something of a legend. Introduced in 1957/58, it is very fast and today it is relatively affordable. The main alternatives, after all, are either Leica Noctiluxes (the 50mm f/1.2, 1966, discontinued, or the 50mm f/1, 1967, still current) or two vanishingly rare lenses introduced in 1955, the 50mm f/1.1 Nikkor and...

Until you understand the reference, "spectacle" lenses for M-series Leicas are a rich source of confusion. Are they for spectacle wearers? And why (when you see a picture) do the lenses themselves appear to be wearing spectacles?

To make life still more interesting, there are two separate reasons why some Leica lenses have "spectacles," and...

Here's an accessory from the 1930s which is probably easier to use today, in the digital era, than when it was new. It's quite simply a click-stopped panoramic head (Panoramkopf), Leitz telegraphic code name FARUX, with--this is the good bit--interchangeable rings for different focal lengths. FARUX came with a 5cm ring but you could also buy the accessory...

Photos © 2004, Roger W. Hicks, All Rights Reserved

We fly less than we used to. Terrorists don't worry us: realistically, flying is still far safer than driving. But we don't like the hassle, three-hour check-ins, restricted carryons, frequent x-rays, and endless security checks. In that sense, the terrorists have made us (and many other people) change...