Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Studios and their continuous use of Leica cameras and projectors during the production of their omnipresent cartoons, Leica has announced the limited-edition Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder,” a black Leica Q2 graced with a discreet image of the world’s most famous animated mouse on the top plate. Production is limited to 500 pieces.

A secret previously known only to Leica and those in the Disney inner circle, Disney has been using Leica equipment during the process of animating their cartoon storyboards since the beginning. Leica became such an integral part of Disney’s workflow that the Leica name is included in their shop jargon; a “Leica Reel” is a storyboard technique that combines illustrations and soundtrack.

In addition to the unobtrusive Mickey Mouse print on the camera’s top plate, the camera body’s white leather covering is emblazoned with sketches of Mickey and what appear to be artists’ animation notes. The Disney logo is engraved under the back display glass and the cameras have special serial numbers. Manufactured in Germany, the production run is limited to 500 pieces. Special packaging includes a unique rope strap, matching dust bag and a certificate of authenticity.

Underneath, the celebratory camera is a Leica Q2, a 47.3-megapixel full-frame compact camera that we reviewed in March 2019. This non-zooming luxury mirrorless is fitted with a superlative Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH prime lens and is constructed using lightweight magnesium alloy. For complete specifications and the full, hands-on review, read this Shutterbug article: Leica Q2 Full Frame Compact Camera Review.

Price of the Leica/Disney commemorative is $5995, a mere $200 over the price of the standard Leica Q2 and the same price as the Leica Q2 Reporter. The Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder” model will be available worldwide later this month from Leica Boutiques and directly from the Leica USA website.

If you long to own a Leica commemorative but cartoons are not your thing, the Leica Q2 Dawn by Seal, also priced at $5995, can be purchased today. Each is wrapped with a Japanese woven fabric covering that is printed with a different pattern, making every one of the 500 cameras in the limited-edition production run truly one of a kind.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

Photo By Kenneth Wong

Today’s Photo of the Day is “Dance with Me” by Kenneth Wong. Location: Hayward, California.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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The first thing most landscape photographers do upon arriving on location is reach in their bag and grab a favorite wide–angle lens. But what if the vista is so expansive that a 28mm or 35mm won’t include the entire scene?

Under these circumstances you have a couple choices. One is to shoot multiple images and stitch them together during the editing process. Our preference, on the other hand, is to pull out an ultra-wide lens, and capture the image in the camera.

Ultra-wide lenses tend to fall into the “exotic glass” category and are often quite expense, but they’re capable of making truly breathtaking images; that’s if you understand how to use them properly. If you’re new to the world of ultra-wide photography, or the images you shoot are disappointing, the following video tutorial from B&H Photo Video is exactly what you need.

Instructor Matt Zefi is an accomplished photographer/filmmaker, and in the quick tutorial below he shares his “best practices” and a few helpful tips for shooting incredible images with an ultra-wide lens. So if you’re new to the game or just need a bit of help, it’s all at your fingertips in barely four-minutes.

Zefi defines ultra-wide lenses as those with a focal length wider than 28mm on a full-frame system—say from 10mm to 25mm. For the purpose of this video he avoids the more specialized fisheye optics that we’ll save for a future discussion.

As you’ll see, ultra-wide lenses require special attention if you want to take advantage of their best characteristics. And there are a few pitfalls to avoid when they’re used incorrectly.

Zefi discusses how to deal with the distortion inherent to ultra-wide glass. Typically the goal is to shoot in a way that minimizes distortion, but other times accentuating distortion yields really eye-catching effects. You’ll also pick up some important advice on the best ways to compose outdoor scenes when using these unique lenses.

Other topics include how to use ultra-wide lenses for quirky portraits, complications when employing lens filters, and much more.

The B&H Photo Video YouTube channel is a great source of information, and you can view Zefi’s impressive imagery on his website.

We also recommend watch a video tutorial we posted earlier, explaining how to embellish outdoor photos by capturing sunstars in the camera.