The Leica M (Typ 240) is a full-frame digital
rangefinder camera
A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder, typically a split-image rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus. Most va ...
of
Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2012, and is the successor to the
Leica M9
The Leica M9 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera from Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2009. It uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak image sensor, and is compatible with almost all M mount lenses.
Features
The M9 uses an 18.5-mega ...
range of cameras. The M uses a 24-megapixel image sensor. The camera is the first M model to feature movie recording,
and the first to have Live View, which allows the scene, as viewed through the lens, to be composed.
The M can use most M- and R-mount lenses. Leica M cameras are made by hand in Portugal and Germany. There is also a version, the M Monochrom, with a monochrome, rather than colour, sensor.
The M Typ 240 has been superseded by variants such as the
Leica M10
The Leica M10 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera in Leica Camera AG's rangefinder M series. It accepts Leica M-mount lenses. The camera model was introduced on 19 January 2017. It is a successor to the Leica M9; and has similarities with ...
.
Features
The M uses a
CMOS 24-megapixel (6,000 × 4,000 pixels)
image sensor
An image sensor or imager is a sensor that detects and conveys information used to make an image. It does so by converting the variable attenuation of light waves (as they pass through or reflect off objects) into signals, small bursts of c ...
designed for Leica by the Belgian company
CMOSIS,
and made by
STMicroelectronics in Grenoble.
The pixels are on a 6 x 6 µm² grid.
The M supports most
M-mount lenses and, with an adapter, almost all
R-mount lenses.
R-lenses support an optional electronic viewfinder.
The camera uses a MAESTRO
image/
video processor In electronics engineering, video processing is a particular case of signal processing, in particular image processing, which often employs video filters and where the input and output signals are video files or video streams. Video processing te ...
which is based on the Fujitsu
Milbeaut The Socionext Milbeaut image/video processors are media processors in multi-processor system on a chip architecture. Started by Fujitsu with the M-1 Series in 2000 each generation (2013: 7th) has several variants regarding included modules and p ...
.
It is sealed against dust and water spray.
Reception
The Leica M camera was introduced at the
photokina
Photokina (rendered in the promoters' branding as "photokina") is a trade fair held in Europe for the photographic and imaging industries. It is the world's largest such trade fair. The first Photokina was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, a ...
event in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, Germany on 17 September 2012.
The launch event included a "concert by recording artist—and Leica shooter—
Seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
".
In 2019, with the release of a new firmware update the Leica M (Typ 240) was discontinued.
Leica M-P (Typ 240)
The Leica M-P (Typ 240) was announced on 21 August 2014 under the slogan the 'Perfect understatement', the camera was released by Leica two years following the Leica M (Typ 240). Featuring a full-frame 24MP
CMOS sensor and 2GB of built-in RAM, Leica claims that the new M-P digital is 'twice as fast' as the standard M (Typ 240). It also features weather-sealing for protection against water and dust, its rear LCD is covered in sapphire crystal glass. The camera was released with the initial price of $7950, a $1000 more than the standard M (Typ 240).
The design of the Leica M-P was based on that of the
35 mm film
Leica MP released in 2003. It harks back to the 1950s and the first M mount camera; the
Leica M3
The Leica M3 is a 35 mm rangefinder camera by Ernst Leitz GmbH (now Leica Camera AG), introduced in 1954. It was a new starting point for Leitz, which until then had only produced screw-mount Leica cameras that were incremental improvements to ...
. The M-P omits the Leica red dot and replaces it with a minimal Leica script logo on the top plate.
Gallery
File:Leica M-240-P4140434-white.jpg, Leica M in black
File:SM140616 000 001-3.jpg, Leica M in silver
File:Leica M-P (Typ 240) with Summicron-M 1-2-35 mm ASPH L1008131.jpg, Leica M-P front view
File:Leica M-P (Typ 240) schwarz.jpg, Leica M-P back view
References
External links
*
La Vida Leica - Leica M System Information, reviews and articles
*
{{Leica M digital cameras
Digital rangefinder cameras
M
Cameras introduced in 2012