Leica M10 Monochrom (2020)

Name: Leica M10 Monochrom
Brand: Leica

A digital rangefinder camera with a dedicated black-and-white sensor, released in January 2020 as the monochrome version of the M10-P.

Overview

The Leica M10 Monochrom is a digital rangefinder camera built only for black-and-white photography. Leica announced it on January 17, 2020. It is the first monochrom variant of the M10-P, and at release it was the highest-resolution digital M camera the brand had made. The sensor is a newly developed full-frame unit with no color filter array, so it records only grayscale. That gives it better light sensitivity and effective resolution than a color sensor converted to black-and-white. The body is hand-made in Wetzlar, Germany, and it is slimmer than earlier models. It has a dedicated ISO dial and a fixed touchscreen LCD. It shoots JPG and DNG raw files, with continuous shooting at 4.5 frames per second in black-and-white mode. There is no red dot on the front, which keeps it discreet. It also has no image stabilization, no built-in flash and no intervalometer.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Leica
Product type	digital rangefinder camera
Type designation	6376
Release date	January 17, 2020
Original price	$8,295 (also reported as $8,300)
Sensor resolution	41 MP
Sensor size	24 × 36 mm
Aspect ratio	3:2
Crop factor	1.0×
Native resolution	7,864 × 5,200 pixels (40.89 MP)
ISO range	ISO 160 ～ 100,000 (also reported as ISO 100~100,000)
Image formats	JPG and/or DNG raw
Continuous shooting speed	4½ FPS B&W
Auto exposure duration	up to 16 minutes
Dimensions	139 × 38.5 × 80 mm
Weight	662g (with battery and card; also reported as 660g)
Storage media	SD / SDHC / SDXC card (up to 2TB)
Memory card slot	1 slot
Connectivity	Wi-Fi
Lens compatibility	all Leica M lenses since 1954; all Leica screw-mount lenses since 1925 with passive adapter
Viewfinder	optical with parallax correction, no magnification correction for distance
LCD	fixed touchscreen, non-articulating
Body features	slimmer body, dedicated ISO dial, no red dot on front
Shooting controls	advance mode (Continuous/Single/Self-Timer) controlled via menu
Flash	no built-in flash
Intervalometer	not available
Delete button	no rear DELETE button

Design

The M10 Monochrom uses a full-frame CMOS sensor made only for grayscale imaging. There is no color filter array, so each photosite captures maximum luminance data. Dropping the Bayer filter raises light sensitivity by over three times and effective resolution by approximately double, compared to color sensors processed into black-and-white. The camera is hand-assembled in Wetzlar, Germany, and the body is slimmer than earlier M-series models. It has a physical ISO dial for quick exposure changes and a fixed, non-articulating touchscreen LCD. With no red dot on the front, it draws less attention when in use.

Context

The M10 Monochrom is the third generation of Leica's dedicated monochrome digital cameras. It follows the M9-based Monochrom and the Typ 246 Monochrom. Within the Leica M-System it is the first monochrom version of the M10-P.