David Farkas
David Farkas is a self-admitted Leica junkie and an avid photographer since he was seven years old. David has decades of experience shooting with just about every Leica camera and lens made within the last few decades and is a respected journalist in the Leica world, publishing Leica news, in-depth camera and lens reviews, field tests and technical articles on Red Dot Forum. He can be seen co-hosting the popular Red Dot Forum Camera Talk on YouTube with his long-time colleague and co-host Josh Lehrer. David is also one of the primary guides for Leica Store Miami Photo Workshops, leading trips all over the world and racking up way too many miles. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, rock climbing, hiking and downhill skiing with his family.
david@leicastoremiami.com  |  IG @davidfarkasphotography
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My favorite thing that nobody knows about…
Starting with the S (Typ 007) in 2015, Leica added a depth of field readout on the top display of the camera. This feature was implemented on the SL (Typ 601) later that year and carries through to the current SL2 and SL2-S. And the feature is absolute game changer for landscape photographers.
When you half press the shutter release, three distances are displayed: Near, Focus and Far. Between the Near and Far is your effective depth of field. The range is dynamic and based on distance to subject, aperture and focal length. Obviously, this is most useful when using wide lenses at smaller apertures, rather than longer lenses at wide apertures. To determine hyperfocal distance, just adjust the focus on the lens as far forward as you can, while keeping the back reading at infinity. It’s how I shoot 90% of my landscape shots on the S and SL.
Most popular lens in my Lightroom Catalog...
For SL, the 24-90mm zoom does most of the heavy lifting in my landscape photography. For M, the 35mm APO remains all but glued to the front of the M11, accounting for most of the urban and street images in my catalog.
The camera bag I swear by...
I love the Mindshift Backlight 36L. My bag has been around the world and back, accompanying me on countless workshops, expeditions and hikes. With camera bag features but built like a true hiking pack, the Backlight is lightweight yet rugged, has ample waist and rear padding for comfortable carry, and has enough capacity to hold any mix of gear I may need…with room to spare.
The carrying strap that changed my life...
The Peak Design Slide Lite has been my go-to strap for the SL for years now. I love how comfortable the smooth nylon seatbelt material is, how quickly it can be adjusted and how simple it is to detach when shooting on a tripod.
Color or Black & White?
Both! I’m a color photographer that loves B&W.
I never leave home without...
Extra batteries and memory cards. With digital photography, if you run out of either, there is no more picture taking!
If I’m traveling light, I’ll bring…
I took just the Leica Q3 on my last trip to Paris. Once I got past the initial bout of anxiety being constrained to only a 28mm, I found the experience truly liberating. Rarely did I feel limited by my minimalist choice with the camera performing exceptionally well for travel, street and architecture.
If I’m bringing everything, I’ll bring…
My standard, handle-anything landscape photography kit consists of the SL2 with 16-35mm, 24-90mm, and 90-280mm, along with a Q2M.
My favorite place to shoot...
For street photography, New York is tough to beat. Distinct neighborhoods, a mix of old and new architecture, vibrant nightlife, bustling streets, and tons of character at every turn.
For landscape, this is a tough one. I’ve been fortunate to photograph in some truly stunning locations around the world, and so many more not yet visited that are high on my list. One of my recent favorites is the Highlands and Isle of Skye in Scotland. Lovely people and stunning landscape with ever-changing dramatic weather. If you can put up with the mud and the fact that it either just stopped raining or is about to begin, Scotland is a landscape photography playground.
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