Leica Reviews

Not an A7 or DSLR competitor – Hands-On with the new Leica SL (Typ 601)

22/10/2015 By Mathieu

Two days after the announcement, Heather and I had the chance to see the new Leica SL in London. There is still a lot of talk surrounding this camera, as well as many questions related to its dimensions, price and real target user. As with every press event, one hour was not enough to arrive at a definitive conclusion. However, the title of this article already gives you a big hint as to where my impressions are headed.

The most modern Leica to date? – The Leica Q (116) Review

20/08/2015 By Mathieu

Excluding the M rangefinder series, which is aimed at specific users, Leica’s attempts to enter the consumer digital imaging market haven’t been that exciting so far. Its X series includes expensive compact cameras that house a large APS-C sensor but lack several features and deliver limited autofocus performance. The build quality is excellent but these cameras pale in comparison to the aggressive competition in the APS-C segment (think Fujifilm, Sony and Samsung).

Grey is a beautiful colour – The Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) review

01/07/2015 By Mathieu

At the dawn of photography and motion pictures, monochrome was the only option for those who wanted to make images. When colour photography arrived on the scene, it was more expensive than B&W and therefore less accessible to the general public. However, as colour photography began to permeate the market and come down in price, monochrome imagery gradually became more of an artistic choice.

Today, we live in an era where digital imaging is at everyone’s fingertips. Even the simplest cameras deliver a wide array of options – colour, monotone, filters, effects, and more. What’s more, you have the freedom to adjust everything after the shoot.

Q is for Quick – Hands-On with the Leica Q (Typ 116)

11/06/2015 By Mathieu

Sometimes it just happens. You grab a camera for the first time and it immediately feels right. You turn it on, you take the first shots, you dig randomly into the menu feeling a little bit lost, but it doesn’t matter. Everything just looks great. It took me a few minutes to realise that the new camera I was holding was actually a Leica camera. It seemed so quick and reactive. I wasn’t expecting that. From the outside, the design is pretty standard but the reactiveness, the autofocus speed, the excellent viewfinder and the touch screen almost make you think that you’ve just encountered something new and exciting while, in actual fact, it is technology we’ve already seen on many other mirrorless cameras up until now.

The Black Beauty – Hands-On with the Leica M Monochrom Typ 246

30/04/2015 By Mathieu

Update: our full review of the Leica Monochrom 246 is now online!

As rumours predicted, today Leica announced the new M Monochrom (Typ 246) which replaces the first digital Monochrom released back in 2012. The camera is essentially a Leica M Typ 240 with the difference that it only delivers black and white images. This is because it houses a special sensor that lacks the colour filter array. It is a very specific camera for a very specific niche, but coming from Leica, this is certainly not a surprise.