Leica M8.2

Leica has had quite a struggle in the last couple of years as it tried to bring its tenacious M film franchise into the digital age. The M8, launched a couple of years ago, was really not quite up to smack and it got lots of bad press despite kudos for taking on the herculean effort of turning a 60 year-old design with near-cult status into a modern camera acceptable to legions of hard-core fans. The M8.2 released near the end of last year addresses just about all the original flaws, and short of a full-frame sensor, fulfills the dream for most of us. The look, feel, ergonomics, and most importantly, the viewfinder are as good or better than the film versions. I took possession of mine today, along with an Elmarit M 2.8/28 lens (which gives an angle of view equivalent of a 35mm lens due to the 1.33 reduction in sensor size).

The Leica love affair has been with me since I was a teenager. The camera just always seemed to be so well-aligned with my eyes, hands, and brain….I know this sounds kooky but, it made me want to be a better photographer. The aforementioned love affair has included the following:

• Leica IIIf  (bought in 1974 and sold the following year in order to get enough money to take my then girlfriend on a “date”).
• Leica MP-4 (bought in 1984 and stolen in 1990 after a break-in).
• Leica M6-TTL
• Leica M3 (a brand new vintage camera bought in 2005 from the estate of a collector who had died before he could use it. Built in 1962). It made me so nervous to use it for fear of damaging it that I sold it at a very tidy profit after a couple of years.
• Leica IIf  (bought during a sudden attack of nostalgia).
• Leica MP (the ultimate mechanical/film Leica and the end of the road for film cameras).
• Leica M8.2

Kalofagas

Kalofagas is the Greek word for someone who likes to eat really well, or in other words, a gourmet. I was recently introduced to a terrific web site/blog about Greek food and culture written by Peter Minakis, a Canadian-born Greek who draws on his and his family’s experience to present some pretty awesome traditional Greek recipes and cooking methods. One of the great things about his recipes is that they use locally available ingredients and equipment (for example the gas BBQ), making them much more accessible to the North American reader.

Few sites have earned a prestigious “permanent” position in my Firefox tabs (Leisureguy is another), and none have achieved this enviable status so quickly, but Kalofagas.ca has managed to consistently make  my mouth water and my nostalgia for the homeland profoundly felt. I emailed the link to my archaeologist daughter, who promptly replied that I am The Devil for bringing such temptations her way (she’s off to Greece next month for her annual two-month dig at Helike where she is now the site supervisor).