Reviews

The new Olympus 25mm f/1.2 is causing quite a stir. Mike took one of the first lenses out for a veteran car airing on Saturday. 

Let's play a little mind-game. Let's imagine ourselves as execs in the boardroom of Ricoh in Japan, pondering what to do about the GR. We have had a critically well-regarded success on our hands since 2013. We have a major upgrade coming, which we'll probably announce at Photokina in 2016. That will bring a bigger sensor, weatherproofing, maybe even a viewfinder (a man can dream…). In the meantime we have a whole stillage full of unused bodies, sensors and lenses and sales are dropping off. We've reduced the MRP, but we need to get rid of all those bits that won't fit the new camera and tide ourselves over in revenue terms for another year or so.

The Fuji X100VI belongs to a select band of fixed, wide-angle-lens cameras that has taken the photographic world by storm. All have achieved cult status, all are on backorder or in very short supply, and none of them is discounted as a result. Photographers can't wait to get their hands on them and, in some cases, are willing to pay a hefty premium. Is the X100VI the best of the bunch?

My steel Apple Watch has been on my wrist, other than during the night when it's charging, for six weeks and I am now feeling completely at ease with it. With just a couple of minor reservations, I am extremely happy and, to some extent, I am already addicted. I even like the black sports band. It is very comfortable, looks good and is easy to fit. I did order a Milanese Loop which was promised for "June delivery" but no sign of it yet. Let's get the quibbles out of the way first. The Apple Watch is crap at doing what a traditional wrist watch does best: Tell the time.

The new DSLR-styled OM-D E-M1 from Olympus is causing quite a stir in the photographic world. It is the best example...

Why is the Leica M9 enjoying such renewed popularity? Mainly because it is still a wonderful, simple, rewarding camera to use. Mike explores the phenomenon.

Bill Palmer welcomes Fujifilms announcement a new 2x teleconverter. But he worries that it works only with two XF lenses out of the whole catalogue. It's a step in the right direction but....

Fuji owners, particularly those who love the acclaimed "kit" 18-55 zoom with its f/2.8-f/4 aperture range, have been excited by the prospect of a professional fixed-aperture f/2.8 alternative, the new XF 16-55 f/2.8. It is a much bigger and heavier beast, but does offer a welcome wider starting angle of view and improved quality. Respected tester Tom Grill has put the lens through its paces and is impressed by its quality, both in terms of build and in optical performance. But the 16-55 lacks the optical image stabilisation that 18-55 owners take for granted. As he says, though, if you want OIS this lens isn't for you:

The new D-Lux replaces the much-loved D-Lux 6. I know many photographers who swear by the D-Lux and I have seen some incredible results despite the small 2/3 sensor. Much of the success of the 6 was down to the Leica Vario Summilux zoom lens which is generally accepted to be the best lens on any compact. There is no arguing, however, that the tiny 2/3 sensor was becoming something of a liability, especially with the emergence of excellent larger-sensor compacts such as the Sony RX100. 

Last year Fuji brought out a bit of an oddity, a body cap lens. The XM-FL is only available in Japan as at time of writing. In order to get hold of mine I had to resort to eBay and part with seventy-five quid and get it shipped halfway around the world. Two weeks after pressing the button it arrived; possibly the lightest lens-containing parcel I have ever received.

Writing on The Leica Meet, photographer Stephen Cosh recounts how he has owned Leica's flagship 50mm Apo-Summicron for six months. He's...

I'm the first to confess that I am not a music addict. I can go days without powering up Spotify, a service that has been costing me £9.99 a month. I was already wondering whether I should go back to the free version when, this afternoon, Apple Music arrived. It's part of the iOS 8.4 upgrade which I have just downloaded to the iPhone without a hitch. 

This indeed could be a Pythonesque review: The Department of Silly Comparisons, Mirrorless Camera Division. Who on earth would compare a Leica SL with a Fuji X-Pro2 and (wait for it) an Olympus OM-D E-M1 with its four-thirds sensor? Madness, I hear you squeak.

Since moving to Apple I have not come across a successful docking solution. This lack has had a big bearing on the viability of a MacBook Pro, for instance, as a desktop replacement. In many respects, a well specced laptop is the best solution, both for travel and for use back at base. But plugging and unplugging all those cables is a pain; the jumble of cables is also unsightly and offends my sense of order. 

APO, that was once almost a synonym for Leica. And to this day, spectacular apochromatic lens designs come from Wetzlar. But at Voigtländer/ Cosina,...