Cameras sporting the iconic red Leica logo are rugged, expensive and much sought after. They also produce stunning images, rich in color and detail. But there's no red dot on the just-announced M10 Monochrom, and as its name suggests, it only shoots in black and white.
Though the look and quality build might give onlookers a clue to the manufacturer, the only confirmation is an engraved logotype on the top plate that declares this camera to be the Leica M10 Monochrom. In fact, the lack of colorful embellishments on the camera's aluminum body with synthetic leather covering is designed to emphasize its black-and-white photography chops.
The only color of note comes courtesy of the 3-inch, 1.03-million-dot LCD touch-enabled monitor, which offers Live View functionality. Though photographers will likely make use of the in-frame viewfinder with auto parallax compensation to frame up scenes.
At its heart is a newly-developed 40-megapixel black-and-white CMOS sensor. Light sensitivity comes in at ISO160 to 100,000, and a generous 2 GB buffer allows for continuous shooting of up to 10 frames. It's also reported to be the first Monochrom to come with built-in Wi-Fi, for the wireless transfer of snaps to a smartphone running the firm's Fotos 2.0 app.
Leica says that the camera benefits from the quietest shutter release of any M-system camera so far, which should help when capturing retro-stylish stills at function gigs like weddings. And it's compatible with Leica M lenses, or Leica R with an optional adapter.
The 139 x 38.5 x 80-mm (5.4 x 1.5 x 3.1-in), 680-g (24-oz) M10 Monochrom is on sale now for US$8,295.
Product page: M10 Monochrom
