To mark the 40th anniversary of its Oskar Barnack Award photo contest, Leica has launched given its M10-P rangefinder a Kevlar overcoat and released it as the limited-edition Reporter model.
Leica has replaced the leatherette jacket of 2018's M10-P camera with Kevlar diamond weave. Kevlar is of course used in the manufacture of ballistic clothing, and adds a sense of durability to the rangefinder with Leica saying that it's "especially grippy and comfortable to hold."
Over time, with natural exposure to UV rays, the black trim will gradually change to the same color as the scratch-resistant green color of the top and base plate.
Like the black or chrome Typ 3656 original, the Reporter camera doesn't sport the iconic Leica red dot, but the company's name and other markings are engraved on the body and inlaid in light green. As far as performance and specs go though, the special-edition camera is exactly the same as the standard model.
That means a 24-MP CMOS image sensor, ISO100-50,000 light sensitivity, a 2-GB buffer that can accommodate up to 16 snaps in series in bursts of five frames per second, a line-frame viewfinder for lining up shots, or Live View via the 3-inch display, and 802.11n Wi-Fi for wireless data transfer and remote operation.
The camera features a Leica M bayonet with an additional sensor for 6-bit encoding, though R lenses can also be used via an adapter.
The M10-P Reporter edition is limited to just 450 units worldwide, and is available now for US$8,795 – that's a thousand bucks more than the still-available standard version.
Source: Leica
