Report of press conference for LEICA M10
On January 26th 2017, Leica Company AG hosted a press conference for the LEICA M10 at Leica Store Ginza.
The words "new Leica" always have a magical power. While so many new cameras are released every season and year, new Leica is special. If Leica made digital cameras just to be old-fashioned or full of innovative features, Leica cameras had already lost their braze a long time ago. By valuing both history and future, they present a new world of photo imaging and this is why they continue to be special. For Leica, only the "history" part itself is so long because it started in 1925. The new LEICA M10 symbolizes their specialness. The body is now as thin as film M cameras and it makes a big news. This means, Leica shooters around the world have been waiting for "being the same as before."
The press conference began with greetings from Kazunori Fuke, President of Leica Camera Japan. He is always dandy. According to him, while "taking photography" has become so common because of smartphones and Leica has always been on pursuit of "the essence of shooting" and developing "cameras that can help photographers focus on shooting." The M10 is the result of the condensation of elements necessary for shooting. Leica Company will make every effort so that the Leica M series started in 1954 can still have a solid presence.
The main part was presented by Mr. Stefan Daniel, the Director of global photo business, Leica Camera AG. We also had an exclusive interview with him on the next day.
After discussing the superiority of a rangefinder system featuring an optical viewfinder, he talked about the thickness of the body. He emphasized the slimness by showing an image of the M10 and the M4 placed side by side. But, I was riveted to the image of the M4 with naked brass metal. How refined and "Leica"!
According to Mr. Daniel, the thinness was achived by making all kinds of downsizing efforts such as compactizing the parts including the shutter and sensor, changing the battery size, and rearranging the printed motherboard (using horizontal lamination).
The CMOS sensor is a new one designed exclusively for the LEICA M10. Image quality has improved in terms of all determining parameters such as dynamic range, contrast, sharpness, and reproduction of micro details.
The maximum ISO is 50,000 and it's "perfectly usable."
The field of view of the high eye-point viewfinder is 30% wider. The recognizability has improved by 50% and it's easy to view even when the eye is far away from the eyepiece. That's great news for people wearing eyeglasses. The magnification has become "slightly" bigger by 0.01 (from 0.72X to 0.73X), but it's simply the result of the improvements.
The user interface on the rear side is much simpler. Another big difference is the new dial for ISO setting on the top left of the viewfinder eyepiece section, or the former position for the rewinding crank/knob of film Leicas. You can now set all the necessary elements for shooting (focus, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) without turning on the monitor. Of course, even if you set the ISO when the power is off, it will be reflected when the power is on. The design is perfect homage of the Leica M3/M2. Can it be any cooler?
This is the first M camera to feature a built-in Wi-Fi. You can transmit image data including DNG files to digital devices via the Leica M-App iOS application which also gives you freedom of controlling the M10 remotely.
The external EVF "Visoflex" (another dandy name) has 2.5 megapixels and swings up and down. It also has an eye-sensor. It saves battery by turning off automatically while you're not looking into it. It's equipped with GPS as well.
Don't forget the variety of accessories. From the top, large thumb grip using the same material and finish for the top body cover, handgrip with base cover, shoulder holster which is larger enough to cover the M10 with the handgrip attached, body protector with detachable monitor cover.
Because of the price, it's not something everyone can buy on impulse. But even if you "happen to" buy it, you will never feel "it is expensive." The excitement will let you forget future installments. Leica is such a camera and something we want to own someday. Dear M-shooters, let's work hard!
( 2017.01.27 )