What’s black and white with no red dot all over? The new Leica M10 Monochrom. Announced on January 17, the Leica M10 Monochrom expands Leica’s M10 line with a camera dedicated solely to the craft of black and white photography. In keeping with the black and white photos, the camera even ditches the red logo for a colorless design.
The 40-megapixel full-frame sensor, newly designed over the 24-megapixel sensor found on most M10s, lacks the traditional color filters found in most digital cameras. The result is a camera that only shoots black and white. By removing the filters instead of digitally converting the file, Leica says that the image is sharper and the tones more vivid than a simple conversion.
The M10 Monochrom isn’t Leica’s first exclusively black-and-white camera, but it has a wider ISO range than other Monochroms, which allows for shooting in a wider variety of lighting conditions. The sensor offers sensitivity from ISO 160 all the way to ISO 100,000. Those settings are accessible through a dedicated ISO dial, previously unavailable on a Monochrom.
By bringing a Monochrom to the M10 line, the camera is also slimmer than the company’s other black-and-white offerings. Based on the M10-P, Leica says that the new model also benefits from a touchscreen and a quieter shutter. The camera is also Leica’s first black-and-white camera with Wi-Fi, allowing for a mobile workflow and for sharing those images on social media.
On the exterior, the usual red features like the Leica logo and engravings are gray, mixing with the white numbers and black body to continue the black-and-white theme. A black-on-black logo at the top of the camera advertises the camera’s luxury status. The shutter button and lens release are also black to blend in with the body.
Like other Leica cameras, the newest M10 is built in Germany and largely handcrafted. As an M series camera, the M10 Monochrom uses the M Mount which already has a number of lenses available.
And like any camera with the Leica name, photographers will pay a premium for that handcrafted device. The camera lists for $8,295 and is available from Leica Stores, Boutiques, and Dealers.
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