Page 10 - Australian Photography - September 2017

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45% OF LEICA IS FOR SALE NIKON ANNOUNCES THE D850 IS COMING

REUTERS has reported that in- NIKON has announced the successor to the D810 DSLR, but
vestment group Blackstone in a slightly unusual move didn’t release any actual details
is “in talks with potential about the new camera. A teaser video released at the same
buyers” as part of a plan to time has promised an 8K time-lapse function, but at this
sell its 45% stake in Leica point we have no idea what sensor the camera will have, what
Camera, with Zeiss appar- functionality or it will look either.
ently considering the of- Nikon do say that it will be a ‘formidable tool for creators
fer. The other 55% of the who will not compromise on exceptional image quality and
company is owned by the versatility’ and that it will incorporate ‘new technologies, fea-
Kaufmann family, who brought tures and performance enhancements that are a direct result
in Blackstone as a co-investor in 2011. of feedback from users.’
The report cites “people close to the matter,” who claim You can see the full press release at australianphotography.
the investor has already teamed up with an investment bank com/news. Watch this space as we’ll share more information
and held talks with potential buyers, although the process about the D850 when it becomes available.
hasn’t entered the bidding stage yet. Potential buyers also in-
clude Huawei, although neither Zeiss nor Huawei have com-
mented. However, Reuters’ sources said Zeiss would only be
interested if it could acquire a majority stake in the company,
something the Kaufmann family may not be willing to offer.
Speaking with Reuters, Leica chairman Andreas Kaufmann
said his family “has long-term goals with Leica Camera.”
Blackstone could earn a considerable amount for selling
its stake in Leica. According to Reuters, the iconic camera
brand is expected to report earnings “of roughly 70 million
euros” this year at a valuation of around 700 million euros,
more than a billion AUD.

LEICA ANNOUNCE TL2
LEICA has announced the successor to the popular TL, with and a Maestro II image processor taken from the M10. ISO
the announcement of the TL2. goes up to 50,000, a sizable upgrade from 12500 in the TL.
We had a brief hands-on with the camera at its announcement Continuous shooting speed has also been greatly improved:
in Sydney, with the major physical change over its predecessor the TL could do 5fps at 16MP for up to 12 photos, the TL2
being a new chamfered edge which makes the camera easier to can do 20fps at 24MP for up to 29 images using the electronic
Leica’s TL2 is handle over the TL. It is a striking camera to look at, which is no shutter (or 7fps using the mechanical one).
machined from surprise considering how unique the TL2’s physical construction On the video front, the TL2 now shoots 4K, up from
a solid block of is. The camera body is machined from a single block of alumi- 1080p. You can choose from 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, and
aluminium, giving it
a heft that belies its num, giving it a special look, feel, and solidity, Leica says. 720p at up to 120fps for slow motion.
small size. Inside the TL2 is a new 24-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor One of the big criticisms of the TL was its slow startup, and
with the new image processor this looks to be greatly improved. It
has a startup time of just 0.6 seconds, and an autofocus speed of
just 165 milliseconds (Three times faster than the TL’s AF).
Turning the camera round, it’s hard to miss the
massive 3.7-inch touchscreen LCD with 1.3M
pixels, although this is the same size and specs of
what’s found on the original TL. With no built-
in viewfinder and no physical controls on the
back surface, all camera settings are changed
with the touchscreen.
Other specs and features of the TL2 include a
49-point contrast-detect AF system, 32GB inter-
nal memory and a SD card slot, Wi-Fi, HDMI
and USB 3.0 Type-C ports, and USB charging.
Recommended retail pricing for Australia is
$2,750, and it’s on sale now.

| 10 | SEPTEMBER 2017 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM