The new Leica M10 is out.

On January 19th Leica released the new M10, the successor to the model M (type 240). I have shot with the M for about 3 years now and still love the camera. I was anxious to hear the reviews of the new model to see if upgrading was something I would be interested in down the road.

After reading a bunch of reviews (but without actually shooting with the new M10), here is my preliminary conclusion. If I was purchasing my first Leica, I would be very excited about getting the M10. If I had the resources to upgrade and trade cameras often, I’d also be excited about getting the M10. However, as a photographer who enjoys the craft and particularly enjoys shooting with rangefinders, I don’t see that the new camera offers a compelling incentive to upgrade from my M.

Let me explain. I am a member of an online community of Leica photographers known as The Leica Meet. Every year they publish a book of some of the best photos shot with Leica cameras. (I was fortunate to have one of my photos selected for publication in 2015). When you look at the cameras and lenses used, you quickly realize that they played a minor role in creating the images. The quality of the photos was much more dependent on the photographer than the camera.

While some photos were taken with latest Leica model cameras and lenses, many where shot using cameras 8-10 years old and with lenses that may be a decade old or more.

So, while the new camera may be an object of desire for you (as it is with me), it will not make significantly better photos than most of the older models in the hands of a good photographer.

All that said, I can’t post without also adding an image to my blog. 🙂

Stormy weather on Lake Erie. Leica M and 50mm Summicron.

There are lots of new reviews of the new Leica M10 online, you should have any problems getting technical information or descriptions of hands on experiences. Just remember, it’s the photographer that ultimately creates the image, not the camera.

Thanks for reading!
Ken.