Leica unveils M Monochrom black and white camera

jmeyer — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:08:48 +0000

Leica has ended weeks of speculation and confirmed the launch of its new black and white camera, the Leica M Monochrom

The new Leica camera features a monochrome CCD sensor with a native resolution of 18 million pixels, as well as programmable tones.

Sample image taken with the Leica M Monochrom black and white camera

“As its sensor does not ‘see’ colours, every pixel records true luminance values – as a result, it delivers a ‘true’ black-and-white image,” the company says.

Leica also claims the M Monochrom’s images are ’100% sharper’ thanks to direct processing of raw data with no interpolation or colour filter array.

The company also says that noise on its black and white camera is ‘extremely fine-grained’ going up to ISO 10,000.

Sample image taken with the Leica M Monochrom black and white camera

Those who can afford the Leica M Monochrom price tag of £6,120 will also get a free online download option (available after registration of the camera) for the software packages; Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 4, a professional workflow solution and the world’s leading black-and-white image processing software Silver Efex Pro.

Sample image taken with the Leica M Monochrom black and white camera

Leica also announced an X1 replacement in the form of the new Leica X2. The X2 features a large APS-C CMOS sensor with 16-megapixel resolution and boasts a Leica Elmarit 24 mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens.

Another key feature of the Leica X2 is a new autofocus system that Leica says is ‘extremely precise and virtually silent.’

The Leica X2 price will be £1,575.

Digital Camera World » Leica M Monochrom

Leica unveils M Monochrom black and white camera