TheLeica M-D (Typ 262) was adigitalrangefinder camera released byLeica Camera on 28 April 2016. The M-D is the second digital camera in theLeica M mount line-up without the rearLCD screen. The first such camera was the Leica M Edition 60 that founded on 16 September 2014, and was released to mark the sixtieth anniversary of its Leica M rangefinder system. Only 600 of these models were made, and were sold for about $18,000/£12,000. The M-D however was a full production model. The camera went on sale in May 2016 with a price of $5995/£4650.[2][3]
Functionally the Leica M-D is almost exactly the same as theLeica M (Typ 262), but without the rear screen and menu buttons. Leica says the camera is designed for the ‘essentials of photography’, or ‘Das Wesentliche’, and that it should help photographers concentrate on the important elements of image making rather than distracting camera functions. The photographer controls only theaperture,shutter speed andISO settings. Instead of the rear screen is the ISO settings dial in silver, which harks back to the Leica film rangefinders. The camera only recordsDNGRaw image format.[2]
The M-D features a 24MegapixelsCMOS sensor and an ISO range of 200–6400. The camera's top and bottom plates are made ofbrass. Theviewfinder contains a magnification of 0.68x and offers bright frame markings for 35/135mm, 28/90mm and 50/75mm lenses. The camera does not include the Leica 'red dot' logo, as the company wanted the camera to be as discreet as possible forstreet photography. The single frame shutter is particularly quiet.[2][4]
Media related toLeica M-D Typ 262 at Wikimedia Commons
