Leica M Digital Camera

If only money were no object in life I’d have all of the toys that I can’t have now. There would be a Porsche 911 in the driveway instead of a Hyundai Sante Fe. My shotguns would all be custom made Italian beauties instead of American and Turkish. And my digital cameras would be Leicas.

At Photokina in Germany recently Leica introduced several new models for 2013, all of which are truly beautiful. The model that really got my attention was the stunning Leica M, a truly modern digital camera that has the look of a Leica from the 1950s.

Here’s information from the official brochure:

The new Leica m unites more than 50 years of experience developing the rangefinder system
with the innovative potential offered by the digital age. as the latest milestone in the current
m family, it is one of the most compact full-format system cameras currently available. For
example, its new 24 ×36mm CmoS sensor delivers full 35 mm format without compromise.
System compatibility has always been a characteristic feature of the Leica m-System, and the
new m is no exception: it benefits from access to the entire portfolio of m-Lenses, recognised
as the world’s best lens system. introduced in 1954, it has been continuously advanced and
improved over time. and today, almost every m-Lens ever built is compatible for use with the
digital m. But that’s not all: with the new Leica r-adapter, almost every Leica r-Lens can also
be used with the Leica m, expanding its options into the world of Leica r-Photography, too.
The successful story of the Leica m-System continues.

The Leica m features a newly-designed high-resolution, 24-megapixel CmoS sensor in full
35 mm format. in combination with the Leica maestro image processor, originally featured
only in the Leica S-System, the Leica max 24-mP sensor generates the outstanding image
quality of the Leica m. For the first time in the history of the digital m-System, every component in the image creation flow, from lens to image file, are Leica in-house developments. as a result, our team of engineers has successfully perfected the entire image creation chain for use with m- and r-Lenses without compromise, in order to exploit the full potential of these lenses. The consequence of this is images with superior sharpness and the finest reproduction of detail. The new m delivers extremely low-noise and richly detailed images, even at higher sensitivities of up to iSo 6400. in combination with fast Leica lenses, this low noise performance makes the camera an ideal tool for available-light photography. The integrated imaging electronics of the Leica maestro processor also allow particularly fast response times and an almost instantaneous start-up time – and ensure that the photographer is always ready to shoot.

The M will be available in early 2013, and is set to sell for a mere $6,950.