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Leica M: Advanced Photo School (A Lark Photography Book) | 
 enlarge | Author: Gunter Osterloh
Publisher: Lark Books
Category: Book
Buy New: $399.75
New (1) Used (1) from $150.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 354913
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 2nd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 7.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 1579906370
Dewey Decimal Number: 771.31
EAN: 9781579906375
ASIN: 1579906370
Publication Date: May 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The ultimate Leica guide--from Leica's top technical expert--now completely revised and updated.
Leicas inspire more passion than any other camera, and the Leica M is the company's crowning achievement. That's why second-hand copies of the first edition of this popular cult camera book cost a fortune. Long-awaited, the new version is thoroughly updated by the man who wrote the original: Leica's former top technical expert, Gunter Osterloh. This reader-friendly course contains a goldmine of technical information, as well as a treasure trove of insider knowledge about the equipment. Leica's famed lenses alone receive almost 100 pages of coverage, and there are schematic diagrams, a discussion of optical principles, plenty of advice on how to shoot memorable pictures, and much more. Of course, every Leica M model from the M1 through today's Leica M7 camera is included, with explanations of metering, focusing, film advance, and flash systems, plus technical guidance on everything from existing-light photography to working in extreme climates. Professional and serious amateur photographers will snap up this unmatched guide, as will retailers, bookstores, collectors, and anyone else interested in fine cameras.
As a result of his long-time association with the company, Gunter Osterloh has witnessed every milestone in the development of Leica cameras. He served as Leica's leading technical expert for decades, and now is the technical editor of Leica Photography International and Leica World magazines, as well as an instructor at the Leica Academy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 New pix please!! April 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is a heartwarming volume for Leica users, gives a meticulously detailed history of the brand and lots of info of particular models -- bodies, lenses, accessories. The section on how to photograph with a Leica though is truly a let-down. Like a basic teach yourself book on making sense of f-stops, focal length and shutter speed, illustrated with painfully mediocre and outdated snapshots. Way below Leica territory. I mean, c'mon! Half the world's best classic art photographs were made with Leicas, from Besson to Nan Golding, or even lesser masters, there's plenty of stuff to choose from. It would be worth an updated 3rd edition with totally new pictures, and of course the M8 included.
 A Great Teaching Tool as Well as Leica Primer June 8, 2007
I agree with the reviewers comments that accompany this book. Mr. Osterloh is well regarded in the Leica community and shows his depth and breath of knowledge in this well written and generously illustrated book. Pictures selected very clearly illustrate his points, and lead to a more thorough understanding and true learning.
The book also does a fine job of describing why rangefinder cameras have an almost cultlike following - the system is truly unique and when compared to SLR cameras the book makes clear the limits and strengths of each format.
Highly recommended for all photographers - Leica owners or not.
Worth the wait June 8, 2007
I had to wait for some time before this book came. It was backordered and Amazon asked me if I still wanted it after a long period of time. I am extremely happy with the book.
I have some formal training in photography and still this book taught me a great deal. I still open it up after having it for a while. The format of the book makes sense, cameras, lenses, and so on, though the author only reviews the current model lenses and they're pretty much praise across the board. I bought a Leica M6 after I had this book for a month or so and have come to realize that most of what he writes is true. Leica systems are fantastic.
Outside of the standard equipment, body, lens, filters & gadgets, Osterloh also dedicated chapters to photography techiniques, use of light and so on. There are photo examples of differences which I found very helpful. One comment though, being from the USA, is that the film designations are different than what can be found in Germany. I switched from digital to film for this camera and while trying to compare different forms of film I wasn't able to use much of what was in this book. Nonetheless, it's definitely worth the money. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.
Leica owner must have.... May 21, 2007
Everyone love Leica Camera, expecially the M series,I had bought a lot of books which tell the details for Leica M camera, but this book is different , it provide a lot more informations , include production details , revise version and also , history of Leica M camera.
This is the first book really tell me the main different in every M series Leica , include the lens , and a lot of M related accessories.
So , if you like to try Leica M camera , this is the book for you , with simple english and well planed picture. You will understand M more after reading this books.
 Informative book on Leica M, but certainly also very interesting to non Leica owners. August 7, 2005
31 out of 31 found this review helpful
I do not own, nor have I owned any Leica M camera. Nor am I planning to buy one. So probably I am not in the 'target group' for this book. I bought this book out of interest in photography in general, and in particular to learn more about technical aspects of (rangefinder) photography. For this purpose, it is a good book.
The book has about 350 pages, roughly divided as follows:
- 50 pages on photography techniques in general, not related to Leica.
- 200 pages on Leica M camera bodies
- 100 pages on Leica M lenses
Although the majority of the book is clearly dedicated to Leica equipment, also these Leica specific chapters are interesting for non-Leica owners, since the entire book is filled with discussions on how one can best photograph certain situations, what the effect is of chosing a certain lens/aperture/shutter speed etc. Also, throughout the entire book many photographs (both color and B/W) are shown that illustrate the text and these photographs not only show what the author means, they are also proof of the quality of Leica equipment: the photo's are in general of very high quality, both technically, but also artistically (i.e. with carefully chosen cropping, lighting, perspective, etc.). It makes you very appreciative of the quality of so-called 'old' equipment!
For me, the added value of the book is that it helps you building up a thorough understanding of photographic techniques, and to understand the technical aspects in depth. This is not a book for the casual snap shot photographer, who does not want to know how things work. It is for the seriously interested amature and for people with an interest in science/engineering of optical equipment. And of course for the real 'Leica fetishist'.
Other things I can mention about this book:
- the table of contents spans 6 pages and is not so clear and concise; the index however is ok.
- there is also quite some text dedicated to history of the very old Leica bodies; I find this personally not so interesting.
- not a single word is mentioned about digital.
- the physical quality of the book (binding, paper quality, layout) is very good.
Bottom line:
The book is clearly written by a knowledgeable author, and everything is well presented so reading the book is a joy. I think I will read parts of this book over and over again. Many of the techniques described are timeless: in 20 years from now they will still apply, no matter how 'automatic' and 'digital' cameras will become. Although I have read quite some books on the topic, and have a technical background myself, I learned many new things by reading this book. It is worth its price. I can recommend it very much.
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