George Schaub

Leica Digilux 2 Quick Look
· 5 million effective pixels
· $1850 -- US

Further Information
Leica Digilux 2

Is This the Best Leica Digital Yet?

Having owned a (used) Leica M3 since the late 1970’s I can attest to the charms of working with a Leica camera. There is a certain heft and solidity of construction that speaks to its obvious longevity, which is juxtaposed with a deftness of operation, characteristics on display in the M3 in the stroke of the film advance lever and the sound and feel of the shutter release. For those who have experienced a Leica, that “aha that’s why” moment is quite unmatched by other cameras and it spoils you, in a way. Yet, working with a Leica for me has always had a certain awkwardness—witness the film loading in the M3, at least when compared with a sleek Nikon or Canon of the day, and the rangefinder focusing system, almost arcane in the world of autofocusing speed and accuracy. Yet, that awkwardness is not a true impediment and almost becomes part of the charm.

Whenever I need a visual shot in the arm I take my camera to somewhere I've never been, or switch lenses, or both. As this issue is weighted toward the exploration of optics, I'll focus here on the changing lenses part of the equation.

All of us have a favorite lens, the one that best expresses our vision, and that delivers the crisp images we...

The adage, “To get a fresh point of view in your photography, try a new lens,” was never truer than when applied to so-called fisheyes. I do not presume to know how a fish sees, but that’s irrelevant because lenses of this ilk get their moniker from the bulbous convexity of the front element, not from any inspection of the image going to the piscine brain.