Leica M10

Michael Topham samples the latest creation in Leica’s legendary M system

- Michael Topham

 

OVER the past couple of years we’ve seen Leica announce some sublime cameras, with the Leica Q being just one example of a model that many photographers aspire to own. Now we’ve been given reason to get excited again with the release of the M10. This latest M-series range finder follows on from the iconic Leica M9 and is different from the Leica M Typ 240, with a multitude of refinements and improvements that are aimed at purists whose sole interest lies in stills photography. Stripped of movie recording and Leica’s ‘Typ’ identity, the M10 has been designed as close as possible to the manufacturer’s analogue M-system cameras and becomes the slimmest digital M-series camera of all time – so slim, in fact, that the dimensions of the M10 are now identical to those of Leica’s analogue M cameras.

Features Behind the M10’s M mount lies a new full-frame CMOS sensor that features a 24-million-pixel resolution and omits the use of a low-pass filter to guarantee maximum sharpness. Specially adapted for Leica M-lenses, we’re told this is a different sensor from those used for the Leica Q and Leica SL. The partnership of a newly developed Leica Maestro II processor alongside this new chip delivers an ISO range of 100-50,000, with the option to shoot continuously at up to 5fps.