It seems strange to call a camera with the pedigree of a Leica M a digital camera. Ah, how times change.

The Leica M8 digital camera

The M-series of Leicas began in 1954, at Photokina. The M3 had a rangefinder body with a bayonet interchangeable lens mount. It began a truly legendary series of cameras and lenses, one of the latest of which, the M7 is possibly the only 35 mm rangefinder cameras still in production.

For 50 years the simple design has remained, and reappears yet again in the newest model, the M8, the first digital Leica..

This new rangefinder digital camera has the classic design, build and function of the M series but with a completely digital imaging system.

The M8 has a 10 megapixel CCD sensor and is not an adapted M7, it is a new camera with a new body, but with all the comforting M trademarks, a new viewfinder and a new sensor. Leica is apparently leaving the door open on its rangefinder film cameras.

Today, Leica has a new owner, revived finances, and a clearer vision of where they’re heading. They still make the world’s finest lenses, and products of unsurpassed construction quality and materials.

I’m told the Leica M8 has a few problems at low light levels — a subject of much debate on the forums. But, no doubt that will be improved in time. As a new entrant to the digital marketplace, the camera is a gem indeed — and with a gem-like price. The UK price is £4,400 (around $9000). I’m sure it’s worth every penny, especially if you’re a Leica aficionado.

With the northern spring not far away for many, here are five tips for shooting better pictures in spring and summer.

A profusion of spring daffodils

1. It’s a truism that subjects should face the sun when shooting out of doors. Not so. Why blind your subjects and have them squinting at the camera, faces distorted almost beyond recognition?

Instead, try to position them so that the sun is not directly in their eyes. Also, use a lens hood to reduce flare.

2. Try to get the light evenly balanced. This can be done by shooting people under a tree, where the light is soft, warm and dappled.

3. Keep the ISO rating low and the aperture large. This allows you to open up the aperture to make subjects stand out against the background.

4. Ever thought of using flash in sunlight? If the subject is half in and half out of bright light, digital cameras find it difficult to handle the wide range of lighting, unless you’re using RAW files which are not processed by the camera.

Flash will solve the problem, albeit at a high battery drain. An alternative is to use a reflector.

5. Use different parts of the day to create specific effects. Early morning gives a cooler light, while late afternoon introduces a more hazy, warmer effect. Experiment on the same view at different times to compare these effects.

Well, here’s mine. It’s a Panasonic Lumix DFC FZ8 DSLR with a Leica 12X zoom lens.

I’ve been road testing this little beauty — it’s surprisingly small — around our town and will report back when the weather improves and I’ve had a chance to test it in full sunlight.

Until then I can say it’s by far the best digital camera I’ve bought and performs wonderfully well. Even the hundreds of functions are easy to access and control — not always the case with digital cameras in general.

Well recommended.

I wish all our readers a very happy New Year.

When I took this picture with my digital camera back in the spring, I was uncomfortably aware that a few people were annoyed with me for recording the pleasant lunchtime scene.

I assumed — apparently wrongly — that they were with someone they didn’t want their spouses to know about. It seems I may have been wrong.

It’s being reported in the British press that a couple taking shots of their baby girl in the park were ordered by a “park warden” to stop taking photographs.

“Stunned, the couple pointed out that they were 11-month-old Rebecca’s parents and that no one else was using the playground at the time. The warden informed them it was ‘illegal’ to take pictures of children there.”

Aren’t we in danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater?