Leica C Launch with Malaysia’s Hottest Bloggers


[Special Event]
Mention that you have a Leica and photography enthusiasts would instantly be awed as the brand carries a long heritage of over 162 years in quality German engineering, and hand-crafts the world’s finest cameras, the world’s most brilliant lenses, and sport optic tools.
Leica Camera has been in the frontline of photography and photojournalism with many renowned international photographers using a Leica for indoor or outdoor photography. In fact many of those stunning photographs that grace magazines such as National Geographic or high-end fashion magazines were probably shot using a Leica.
This time round Leica makes a departure from it’s usual range of high-performance cameras with the compact and affordable but by no means any less capable Leica C. The Leica C is a high-performance compact camera weighing in at only 192 grams but equipped with a whole host of advanced features including Wi-Fi connectivity with smartphones. 
Malaysia’s Hottest Bloggers were very honoured to be invited for an exclusive afternoon with Leica and Elaine Daly at the Leica boutique in Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

 The girls getting their makeup done. Spot Andy Kho shooting with the Leica C.
 The team from Diva Productions were on hand to do the makeup for the girls.
 Girls doing what they do best and the Leica C is great for just that – selfies!
The Leica C comes with a built in Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication) module which allows it to pair and be controlled by a smartphone!
 After a quick welcome address by the Leica representatives, the photoshoot got underway with Andy Kho using a Leica S to shoot the girls individually.
 Model and actress and Miss Malaysia Universe 2003 Elaine Daly was on hand to mentor the girls imparting some of her knowledge on posing techniques for fashion photography.
 The girls’ outfits were provided by Missoni which has a boutique in Starhill Gallery
 MHB’s Careen Tan was very comfortable in front of the camera and impressed Elaine with her poses.
 MHB’s Bell Wong reaching for the sky!
 It was certainly a very exclusive experience for the girls to be shot by Andy Kho using such a professional camera while being guided by Elaine who will also be mentoring the finalists in the upcoming Miss Universe Malaysia pageant.
 MHB’s Esther Ng, Bell Wong, Careen Tan, Stephanie Lim and Karen Kho with Elaine Daly.
 A closer shot with the Leica S. This photo was not edited and you can see the quality of the image even though it’s been resized.
 After the photoshoot, we proceeded upstairs to the Starhill Culinary Studio for high tea and a little photo workshop led by Andy Kho to demonstrate the capabilities of the Leica while allowing the girls to get some hands on experience with the new camera.
 Andy taught the girls a couple of simple techniques such as playing with different angles, depth of field, and the two-thirds rule.
 With its maximum aperture of F2.0, the Leica C didn’t even need any additional light to capture beautiful photos of the food.
 Easy enough for amateurs to use, yet powerful enough to satisfy more advanced photographers.

As I didn’t have a cam to shoot the food, I basically assisted the girls but here are some photos that I shot with the Leica C when Andy and I first got the cam to play with try out.

 A view of the lake at the Saujana Club and Hotel. It was almost night but the camera’s large aperture managed to capture the remaining light.
 Likewise with this photo, in reality it was already very dark.
 It was a real joy to shoot food with the Leica C! Look at the brilliant colours!
 No additional lighting except what was already in the restaurant yet it looks like there was additional lighting to assist with this pic.
 Portraits are awesome and the Leica C accurately captures the subject’s skin tone.

The Leica C is the first model of a new line of Leica digital compact cameras and features a high-performance Leica DC Vario-Summicron 6–42.8 mm f/2–5.9 ASPH. zoom lens with a range equivalent to 28 to 200 mm in 35 mm format, and an exceptionally large 1/1.7″ MOS sensor with a resolution of 12 megapixels. 
Equipped with fast autofocus and a continuous-shooting mode with up to ten frames per second, it captures even the tiniest details and is ideal for all types of photography from portraits to wide-coverage shots and capturing the beauty of landscapes.
What this means is that the Leica C virtually guarantees outstanding imaging performance and crystal-clear photos with brilliant, natural colours, clarity and contrast even in unfavourable lighting conditions.
The Leica C is the first Leica compact camera to feature an integrated Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication) module for the wireless transmission of image data to smartphones and tablet PCs via the Leica C Image Shuttle app available for free on either iOS or Android platforms. The WLAN and the app even enables users to remote control the Leica C from a smartphone or tablet PC – very handy for remote-release photography and shooting with the self-timer or simply to amaze your friends!
The camera’s full-HD video function allows you to capture high quality video while the 3″ camera monitor offers a large enough view to see what you’re shooting. Videos and still pictures can both be creatively processed either in the camera or with the Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® professional imaging software that comes bundled with the camera.

 Audi Design are responsible for the compact yet elegant looks of this camera, and they were also responsible for the development of the unique range of camera accessories. The Leica C is available in two finishes, light gold and dark red.
 The camera’s integrated viewfinder (in the upper left hand side) is a useful aid for composition and assessment of scenes especially in brightly lit situations. 
 The freely programmable ring on the lens is very useful and convenient indeed!
 The mode dial on the top provides fast and easy switching between modes!
 To complement the Leica C’s is a range of five (5) specially designed, perfectly finished, premium matching accessories. Each of these bags and cases is a unique and fashionable accessory – for example, the Leica C-Clutch (pictured here) is an elegant clutch handbag with carrying strap, available in light gold or dark red Alcantara with a sandblasted metal closer, and offers two separate compartments with ample space for the camera and other personal belongings.

Technical data of the LEICA C (as of August 2013)
Camera type: Leica C (type 112)
Sensor: 1/1.7″ MOS sensor with12.8 MP (effective 12.1 MP) Minimum light level: ~ 6 lux
With model nos. 18 484/-487/-488/-491: (assuming use of i-low light and a shutter speed of 1/25 s)
With model nos. 18 485/-486/-489/-490: (assuming use of i-low light and a shutter speed of 1/30 s)
Lens: Leica DC Vario-Summicron 6–42.8 mm f/2–5.9 ASPH. (equivalent to 28–200 mm in 35 mm format)
Focusing ranges:
P/A/S/M: 50 cm (wide-angle) / 80 cm (telephoto) – infinity
Macro/snapshot/video: 3 cm (wide-angle) / 80 cm (telephoto) –infinity
Scene modes: May differ from the details stated above
Digital zoom: max. 4×
Image stabilising system: Optical
Shutter system: Electronic and mechanical
Shutter speed range: 250 to 1/4000 s
[Starry Sky] mode: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds
Exposure modes: Programme (P), aperture priority (A), shutter priority (S), manual (M)
Exposure compensation:
(Increments: 1/3 EV steps, range: ±2 EV)
Exposure metering modes: Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot
Flash modes: Built-in – AUTO, AUTO with red-eye reduction, slow sync with red-eye reduction, ON, OFF
Effective flash distance: (with AUTO ISO ): ~ 0.6–7 m (at maximum wide-angle setting), ~ 0.8–2.3 m (at maximum telephoto setting)
Monitor: 3.0″ TFT LCD, ~ 921,600 dots, aspect ratio 3:2, shows ~ 100% of the image field
Viewfinder: Colour LCD viewfinder (~ 200,000 dots.) with dioptre compensation of +/–4 dioptres
Microphone/speaker: Stereo/mono
File storage (still/video): Internal memory (~ 87 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards
Image formats
Still pictures: RAW / JPEG (based on Exif 2.3 standard), DPOF-compatible, MPO
Videos (with audio): AVCHD with Dolby® Digital (2-channel)/ MP4 with AAC (2-channel)
Operating temperature/ humidity range: 0–40°C / 10–80%
Interfaces: Digital: USB 2.0 (high speed)
With model nos. 18 484/-488: The USB cable cannot be used to transfer data to the camera from a computer or other devices.
Analogue video/audio:
NTSC/PAL composite with model nos. 18 484/-487/-488/-491 (menu setting option),
NTSC composite with model nos. 18 485/-486/-489/-490, audio line-out socket (mono)
Connections: HDMI: for micro-HDMI cable (type D)
AV OUT/DIGITAL: special socket (8-pin)
Wi-Fi
Compliance standard: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (Standard WLAN Protocol)
Frequency band: 2,412–2,462 MHz (1–11 channels)
Encryption: Wi-Fi-compatible WPA™ / WPA2™
Access: Infrastructure mode
NFC
Compliance standard: ISO / IEC 18092 NFC-F (passive mode)
Dimensions (W × H × D; lens retracted): approx. 103 × 63 × 28 mm
Weight (with/without memory card and battery): approx. 195 g / 173 g
Battery (lithium-ion): BP-DC14 E/U
Voltage / capacity: 3.7 V / 950 mAh
Battery charger / mains power unit: ACA-DC11-A/B/C/E/U/K
Input: 110–240 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 0.2 A
Output: 5 V DC, 800 mA

The Leica C is available at a RRP of RM2,475.00 at authorised Leica dealers starting in October 2013. The Leica C-Pouch and C-Snap accessories will be available from December.
Leica outlets in Malaysia:
Leica Store @ Avenue K | info@leica-store-malaysia.com | +603 2163 1818
Leica @ Starhill Gallery | info@leica-starhill.com | +603 2142 9633
Leica Boutique @ Suria Sabah | +6088 487 807

For more info head over to http://uk.leica-camera.com/home/ and follow Leica on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LeicaCamera
More photos at https://www.facebook.com/myhotbloggers

Photo credits: Calven Lim, Andy Kho and author’s own