My Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm F2 ASPH Arrives:

Hey everyone! I got a call yesterday from my Leica dealer, Bergen County Camera, and heard my APO-Summicron-SL 90mm F2 ASPH was there waiting for me :). So, I drove out to pick it up today. Obviously, I’m extremely happy; I’ve been waiting for this lens since I bought my SL, which was like a year and a half ago.

I’m sorry I have no pics from it right now.  Traffic was a killer, and quite honestly, I’m a little tired lol. But I’m hoping to schedule a portrait session before I leave to Japan to test it out, and I will definitely post some of the images here. I am also going to write a major review of this lens, of course. I still have to review the other SL lenses and the SL itself but I think I’ll start with the APO-Summicron-SL 90mm first, since it is new.

Anyways, I’m just super excited. As you can see, the new APO-Summicron-SL 90mm is much more compact than previous SL lenses. It’s funny because I’m so used to the size of the other SL lenses that the 90mm almost feels a little too small :).  But overall, it balances very nicely with the SL. The truth is, even the 24-90mm and the Summilux-SL 50mm balance nicely with the SL. In my opinion, one thing really good about the SL is that while it’s not light, it can balance well with a variety of lenses.  Getting back to the 90mm, it’s compact, light, the autofocus is good, and of course, the build quality is amazing.  The thing’s like a tank.

I’ll post some pics with the Summicron-SL 90mm soon.  Next up will be a couple of Fuji related reviews that I want to post before I leave to Japan.  Thanks for stopping by!

Billingham 307 Camera Bag First Impressions:

As many of you know, I love Billingham Bags.  I’ve been a fan of there’s for over 20 years.  They’re expensive but they are just so well-made that they last forever.  In the end, you get more than your money’s worth.  Anyway, thanks to the great folks at Billingham, I have a new bag to show all of you today.  It’s not one of the latest models but I find it one of the most important ones in their collection.  We all want to carry as little gear as possible but the truth is, there are days when that’s just not possible.  When those days are here, the Billingham 7 Series bags are probably what you should turn to.  One of these models is the Billingham 307, which we’re going to take a closer look at right now. [continue reading…]

Preview of The Fuji X-A5 Mirrorless Camera:

Hey everyone.  So, I wanted to let all of you know what is coming next.  I actually have two new Fuji-related pieces of gear I’ll be writing reviews for.  One is the Opteka 35mm f1.7 lens.  I know what all of you are going to say: “We have plenty of 50mm equivalents for the Fuji!”  But not only is this lens X mount, it’s about $90 new!  Yes, you read that right, $90 bucks.  I’ve been using it, and it’s actually decent too.  I also have in my hands the new Fuji X-A5. [continue reading…]

Leica CL Mirrorless Camera Review:

I became a huge fan of the Leica L mount when I traded my M 240 in for an SL last year. However, while I’ve been a huge fan of Leica for many years, and I like the fact that Leica also has an APS-C line of L mount products, the TL cameras are just not my cup of tea. I respect the capabilities of the new TL2; the electronics are great, and it does produce brilliant images but it’s just not my type of camera.  I can get over most of the things I don’t like because no camera is perfect but having no built-in viewfinder in its price range is a deal breaker for me.  Yes, there is a viewfinder that you can purchase separately but it not only ruins the clean lines of the TL2 and makes it bulkier, it also takes away the use of the hot shoe.  The new Leica CL on the other hand, seems to be the answer for people who feel the same way that I do.  The CL takes a more classic approach than its sibling, and more importantly, it finally comes with a built in viewfinder.  It also seems to have many of the characteristics of dare I say, a mini M.  So, is this camera all hype or is there something special here? Read on and find out! [continue reading…]