Afternoon Session

Date: March 27th, 2026 1pm - 4pm

Location: Camera West San Francisco

Vintage optics require a special approach, but with care, and the proper technique they can prove to be valuable and enjoyable photographic tools. They help you create images and capture moments that embrace character and imperfections. Like an air-cooled Porsche or a vintage watch, vintage optics offer a tactile, intentional experience. Slow down, embrace the imperfections, and create images that go beyond the pixels and technology so easily accessible today.

Join photographer and director Mark de Paola on Friday, March 27th, for a 3-hour session on vintage Leica optics during Camera West San Francisco's grand opening week. Drawing on decades of experience shooting with vintage Leica glass, de Paola will share in-depth insights and imagery examples of his favorite lens designs. Participants will get hands-on experience photographing with iconic vintage glass from the Camera West archive and Inventory alongside a model collaborator on Maiden Lane, followed by a brief image review and group discussion.

Choose your session and your light: morning or afternoon? Either—or both—will provide a unique opportunity to experience rare optics, gain insight from a master artist, and enhance your Camera West San Francisco launch week before heading into an evening of celebration.

Bring your own camera or borrow a Leica SL3. Camera West will provide a menu of unique and inspiring vintage optics for you to choose from and try! Bringing your own SD card is advised, but Camera West will have some for purchase.

What to Expect:

Small, intimate setting
30-minute lecture with Mark de Paola on the optics offered
Hands-on experience with rare and vintage optics from the menu below
Expert insight on getting the most out of each lens and using it to meet your creative vision
Loaner cameras available—Camera West recommends the SL3 for testing vintage optics and will have a few on hand
1-hour review and critique—gain insight from Mark de Paola as we walk through each participant's images projected on the Leica Cine 1
Select optics from the master class will be available for purchase at the end of the day

The Optics Menu:

Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux Pre-ASPH
Leica 35mm f2 Summicron 8-Element
Leica 50mm f1.0 Noctilux
Leica 50mm f1.2 Noctilux
Kinoptik 75mm f2.0 Apochromat
Alpa 80mm Xenon
Wollensak 75mm

About Mark de Paola:

Mark de Paola is a New York City-based fine art and fashion photographer and director who has shot campaigns for Vogue Spain, Vogue Mexico, Gucci, Oscar de la Renta, Prabal Gurung, Aveda, Estee Lauder, Brioni, and Saint Laurent. He has directed hundreds of fashion/beauty television spots for Giorgio RED Perfume, Donna Karan, Ducati, Leica Camera, Sony, Neutrogena, and Ford Motorsports. His fine art work is held in collections at MoMA New York, The Getty, the San Diego Center of Photographic Arts, and the TOP Museum in Tokyo. His monographs Recent Work I (2018), Recent Work II (2019), and Five Years and Sixty Seconds (2020) are available at Leica retailers worldwide. De Paola's exhibitions have shown in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dali, Tokyo, Milan, and New York City. His first feature film A Stab At Heaven stars Ema McKie, and he is developing The Final Film and pre-producing betterthandead. De Paola’s pictorialist work as a still and motion artist has been driven by his studies of the neurobiology and cognitive psychology of human vision.

Vintage Optics Masterclass with Mark de Paola