2021 PROFESSIONAL CAMERA- new release, review LEICA 

Leica recently released a major update to the M10 series, with a major leap into resolving the first M10 models.

The new M10-R features a 40MP sensor variant found in the latest version of 'Monochrom', and features a few nice additions introduced to the older 'P' model. Keep reading to learn more.

New 40MP CMOS sensor

Besides, the only difference between the M10 and the M10-R is the addition of 'R' to hotshoe writing.

Inside, it’s a different story. The M10-R offers a significant increase in pixel count, from 24MP to 40MP.

 Anyone who was expecting the next generation M to install a 47MP sensor from SL2 and Q2, we are told that the reason Leica chose the 'color' type of M10 Monochrom's 40MP sensor is just the size.

The 40MP sensor is thin, and is better suited for use in the integrated body of M10-series cameras.

Like the original M10, there is no video shooting option. There is also no low-filter filter for sensors, making it the best of all those pixels.

What’s worse is that moiré can be a problem in some cases (especially when shooting fabrics).

Same processor, best ISO and flexible distance

The M10-R processor is the same Leica Maestro II we have seen in previous models of the M10, but Leica says that due to the new sensor, the dynamic range has been greatly improved in Raw mode.

Although there has been a significant increase in the size of its files, the M10-R's continuous shooting range is 4.5 fps - slower than the original M10's 4.8 fps.

Like the original M10 / P, the traditional ISO sensitivity exceeds 100-50,000 (all over 6400 is achieved by setting the 'M' in the ISO dialog shown here) and the maximum exposure time is extended to 16 minutes (from 4 minutes in M10 / M10-P).

Green files are recorded in DNG format, in 14-bit, with unmistakable compression.

Rangefinder focus system

Leica aficionados skipped this category, but for those who don't know anything, the Leica M10-R is a rangefinder camera.

 It has a transparent viewfinder, which provides a comfortable viewing field of about 28mm.

A series of prisms and mirrors under a high plate (connected to a lens connecting lens) project a two-dimensional image into a small clip in the middle of the finder that, when aligned, shows precise focus.

This was considered a high technology in the 1920s, and it still works well a hundred years later, once you have received your suspension.

Focus accuracy

One of the first questions I asked Leica representatives when they showed us the M10-R was whether the focus system had been updated to improve its accuracy, due to the requirements of the new 40MP sensor.

The answer I got was 'no'. The system has been redesigned and upgraded to the original M10, and has not been removed since. From my shooting on the M10-R until now, the accuracy of the focus is about what I would have expected by shooting with a real M10.

When working very wide, it makes sense (if you can) to focus on the brackets slightly, but with practice, it is not too difficult to focus where you want, in most cases - without counting the pixels high.

With critical function, the optional viewer of Type 020 allows for direct personal focus.

Framelines

The view field next to your lens is displayed in the viewfinder using the included frame lines.

You can preview the viewing field provided with different lenses (from 28mm to 135mm) by moving the oar under the viewfinder window (shown in the previous section of this article).

If you install a different lens, the frame lines will be automatically adjusted accordingly.

 To accurately measure using lenses wider than 28mm, you will need to attach the visible finder to the M10-R's hotshoe.

This picture shows how much the 75mm Summilux fits into the view, but it differs: most M-mount lenses do not take up this visual acuity.

3 "1.04M-dot touch screen

The M10-R borrows from the M10-P in a number of important ways, one being its LCD rear-mounted touchscreen. Touch function is best used, until it does not get out of the way of the shooting experience.

It is especially useful for flipping images in playback mode, as well as a bit of zoom to focus attention. And you can tap as hard as you like - the screen is protected by Gorilla glass.

Touch screen

It is a little disappointing that there is no option to customize the touch function. It would be great, for example, to be able to scale images by touch or use the screen as a point to set your focus point on EVF (optional).

On the positive side, navigation and zoom in is very fast, with almost no lag despite the large file size.

'Silent'

The 'quiet' lid on the M10-R is not really the type, but rather a well-designed, very intelligent damp valve from the M10-P. While not silent, it is slightly lower than the shutter noise of the original M10.

There is no really quiet electronic shutdown mode, available with regular or 'EvF' shooting

Old battery the same as the memory card

No wonder here - the M10-R's battery and memory card are still available through a rented door on the camera base.

Leica will tell you that this will help keep the camera covered with dust and moisture (which, by the way) but we suspect that culture plays a big role.

Having to remove the base of the camera to replace the battery or SD card is not the worst thing in the world, but it makes using the M10-R on a tripod (or even in a soft case) more difficult than it should be.

We were hoping that USB charging on this model, with a port that is easily accessible elsewhere in the body but alas, the culture has won the day, too.