Pioneer of street photography Henri Cartier-Bresson once said: ‘Shooting with a Leica is like a long tender kiss, like firing an automatic pistol, like an hour on the analyst’s couch.’
Eminent photographers Eisenstaedt, Stock and Hoepker were all fans of the high-end camera manufacturer’s ability to capture the world in movement. Their work has resulted in some of the world’s most iconic images – captured on its IIIa, M and M3 models: when a navy sailor kissed a stranger in Times Square to celebrate victory over Japan, when James Dean got caught in a Manhattan downpour, when Muhammad Ali showed the world his right fist.
It is Leica’s century-long history of motion photography that has led to a new and innovative viewing experience in the form of its premium binoculars range: namely, the Noctivid.
The latest addition to the range, the Noctivid features everything that made the Leica Ultravid HD-Plus great: high-quality lenses, high-transmission glass, a sophisticated system of baffles (helping to absorb unwanted light). Only this time, the image is sharper and closer to the action.
The antireflective coating has been optimised to ensure the spectrum of light is transmitted almost without loss. The radii at the lens surfaces have been modified so that the periphery of the field of view is defined and distinct. In other words, Leica’s improved design creates a three-dimensional experience that is easily within a fingertip’s reach (thanks to the close focus range of 1.90 metres).
Delivering an unparalleled viewing experience is also what you get from the new Leica Calonox 2 View. Whether for birdwatching in the countryside or exploring the outstretched savannah of Kenya, the state-of-the-art thermal camera is ergonomically shaped for practical wildlife observation. High-contrast natural images are a result of the high-quality Lynred sensor and Leica’s image optimisation, and the choice of day or night mode means images and video recordings adapt to the user’s situation. Released earlier this year, the thermal monocular camera brings together the very best of German design and technology, something the brand has prided itself on since Oskar Barnack produced the first Leitz camera in 1914.
Offering the world a different point of view is in Leica’s DNA. In its first years, the brand can be said to have anticipated the ideas of the New Vision movement of the ’20s and its experimental photography.
Today, life through a lens continues to be reimagined – only this time on a microscopic scale. Leica’s pursuit of innovation brings users closer to the experience no matter what the adventure.
