The New Leica M:
As many of you heard, Leica finally announced their M10…or as they now call it, the Leica M. I actually think that they did a good job this time. The price for the new Leica M is actually pretty reasonable by Leica standards. It’s $6950, which is cheaper than the M9 and M9-P. For this price, you get HD video, a new 24 Megapixel CMOS sensor with live view, a high res 920,000 LCD display, and the ability to use an EVF. Oh by the way, you also get the ability to use your old Leica R lenses, which will be really cool for a lot of people.
What else is there to say about the new Leica M? Well, the new M is finally weather sealed, and it does have several new ways of helping you focus a bit better, such as, Live View Focus Peaking, and new Live View Zoom. But I don’t know, I just hope the rangefinder does not have as many issues as I’ve been having with my M9. I don’t want to be counting on the screen all the time to do precise focusing. The Leica M also has better ISO, which is definitely welcomed.
↑ I know looks aren’t everything when it comes to cameras but I kind of miss the classic look of the older M’s. Plus, it’s funny how they said the Leica red dot is inconspicuous yet it’s even bigger on this model :).
Will I buy one? Well believe it or not, I was actually considering purchasing a Nikon D800E this time but I wasn’t expecting the price of the M10 or the Leica M as it’s suppose to be called, to be less than $10,000. Leica pricing these days seems to just sky rocket so it’s actually a complete surprise to me that they were able to keep this camera under $7,000. I guess they finally realized that if they price the Leica M too high, people would just go Fuji lol. Plus, Leica probably figures that a full framed interchangeable mirrorless camera is in the works by someone so it’s better not to price themselves out of everything. Check out Sony; they already announced their full framed RX1.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to answer the question. Yes, I will most likely buy one, and I’m actually in the process of selling my M9.
The New Leica M-E:
What other M toys did Leica announce? Well, there is the new Leica M-E. It’s actually a beautiful looking camera because it retains the classic look of previous M’s, such as, the Leica M9. If you ask me, the Leica M just looks awkward, and this is how it should’ve looked like. But my question is…what’s the difference between the M-E and the M9? It looks almost the same on paper. Maybe I’m completely wrong, and I guess only time will tell, when we actually get to see some of these wonderful cameras in action. The good news is that the Leica M-E is priced at $5,450 because it’s Leica’s “entry level” M but then again, you can probably buy a mint M9 for less. However, the M-E does come with a new warranty.
Anyone else interested in any of Leica’s new offerings? Feel free to comment below. You can find more info at Leica’s site. Take care and thanks for stopping by here!
