Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) gets higher-res CMOS sensor, new features aplenty

 

 

In mid-2012, Leica announced the M Monochrom, a full-frame rangefinder camera that, true to its name, was based around a monochromatic image sensor. Now, it follows up with the Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246), which sports a brand-new body and reworked internals.

Inside, the Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) features a brand-new 24 megapixel CMOS image sensor in place of the earlier 18 megapixel CCD chip. The change from CCD technology to CMOS brings some pretty significant advantages: Despite its one-third higher pixel count, burst capture performance has increased by 50% to three frames per second, and the new camera offers both live view and movie capture capabilities. Helping you take advantage of the live view function, the LCD monitor is now both larger and higher-resolution than before, too, with a three-inch diagonal and a 921,600 dot count.

 

 

And the changes don't stop there. While this is still a camera aimed at photographers who like manual control, you can now opt for multi or spot metering in live view mode, not just center-weighted metering as in the earlier camera. And although you'll still be focusing manually, focus peaking is now possible, as well. Sensitivity tops out at ISO 25,000 equivalent, up from ISO 10,000 equivalent in the original M Monochrom. 

Available from May 7th, 2015, the Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) is priced at US$7,450 body-only. You'll find much more information in our Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) preview!