Leica Announces the new M Monochrom
When the firs M Monochrom camera was released by Leica back in 2012, I was an early adopter. Having grown up shooting Tmax 3200 I was super excited to have access to a total B&W camera. Those were the early days of Leica transitioning away from the CCD sensor, and I have to say, that camera was amazing. The files were rich with tonality and a depth that was simply hard to explain. The images, with just a slight amount of tweaking, produced stunning images and prints.
As time went by, for whatever reason, I felt that it was time to part ways with that camera and it is a decision that to this day, I regret. I have actively looked for a good condition replacement with no real success. Alas, I think it was fate telling me to hold on, because Leica would finally duplicate the success of the M9M with a worthy M10 variant. While they tried with the M246, it was really of no interest to me. I found the files to be uninspiring, and what I wanted, was more than what I could get by simply converting my existing M files to B&W.
After much rumor and speculation, Leica have released the new M10M. A purpose built B&W M with an all new (we shall see…) sensor optimized for B&W Images. The initial reports are very good and the imagery coming out of the camera is simply stunning. The move to a 41mp sensor has dramatically increased the tonality of these files, making for super rich images. I have to say, I will most likely abandon my quest for a M9M and instead look to sell of some gear to fund an acquisition of this camera.
Currently the video review over on B&H’s site of the camera is one of the best I have seen. I would encourage you to take a look at the video and then lock up your credit cards. If you have some thoughts on the new camera let me know in the comments. I realize it is ridiculously expensive, so I am no interested in hearing a debate/discussion on price.
Leica have some beautiful sample images over on their blog along with some of the similar video content as exists on B&H’s site.