Leica MP6

This camera was the Prototype Leica MP made exclusive for the Japan Market and only 250 units made out of the factory, making it extremely rare and collectible.

The MP-6 was basically the same as a regular MP, but it comes with the classic vulcanite leather found on the older Leica cameras, a Leica Camera AG Germany engraving on the top plate and on some of the later models an M6 iso selector. These simple cosmetic differences may not sounds like much, but they really make a difference and are instantly noticeable. They set the camera apart from the regular MP.

Leica MP Anthracite

This Limited Edition Leica MP was designed exclusively for the Japanese market and limited to 600 units with only 400 actually made out of Leica factory.

Its lacquering is entirely hand-applied with Anthracite, and is resistant to abrasion. Anthracite came from Greek word, literally means "a type of coal", from Anthrax. It is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high lustre. It has the highest carbon count and contains the fewest impurities of all coals, despite its lower calorific content. It is one of my favourite Leica MP Editions.

Leica MP Olive

Leica MP Olive Set which was released to commemorating the opening of the Leica Kyoto store.

Leica MP olive set combines a Leica MP analog film camera with a 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M in silver finish and a cognac color strap. The body and the top and blase plate are made with a olive-colored finish. All operating parts are finished in silver chrome. The set is limited to 100 sets worldwide. It is one of the rarest Leica film cameras.

Leica M6 Green Paint

Leica M6 TTL Green Paint

Only 300 pieces were made comparing to the 2,000 pieces of the M6 TTL Black Paint Millennium.

Special features included:

* Green paint finish, Top and base plate are brass

* Leica Script top plate engraving

* M3 style rewind and advance lever

* Besides the usual serial number, there is also set number marked on the hot shoe "xxx-300"

Leica M3 Olive Bundeseigentum

​Leica M3 Olive Bundeseigentum Camera

The Bundeseigentum cameras produced by Leica are actually some of the rarest and most sought after of all. They were made during the period from 1957 through to 1968 and only made in very small batches for the military. This is one of the early batch with the obvoius sign of what we call "Buddha Ear" strap lugs.

According to records there were around 214 pieces made, although that is only the shipping record and it is inaccurate as there may have been a couple more that were not put on file. According to the current Leica list there are only 144 of these cameras left now.

Leica KE-7A

​Leica KE-7A with 50mm F2 Elcan Lens

The Leica KE-7A was manufactured in Canada for US Army in the 1970s and this M4 special model can withstand temperatures down to -20 degrees with dust sealed. Only 505 units were produced and 460 were acquired by the US military, identifiable as Army issue due to engravings and the rest were sold to the civilian market.

To make the military KE-7A, the company took their standard M4 beefed it up with weather sealing and a burlier shutter that could function in subzero temperatures, finished it in black chrome and removed the red dot from the front.

The Leica KE-7A was most often paired with the high performance resolving 50mm f/2 Elcan Lens. The 50mm Elcan f/2 lens uses infrared-absorbing glass made with lanthanum, a radioactive element that helps achieve an exceptionally high refractive index for heat control in making the optics. Also the 50mm Elcan lens was designed and manufactured to withstand a blast using special gaskets, which helped absorb the shock of an explosion.

Leica M6J

Leica M6J with Elmar 50mm f/2.8

The M6J is a rare special edition Leica M released in 1994 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Leica M series. The "J" stands for "Jubilee" and was manufactured to celebrate the 40 years passing since the M3 was first released. The M6J was a homage to the M3, the first model of the M series. The special edition was produced with total number of only 1640 units with 40 cameras for each year of the 40 years of M production.

They are a hybrid of the M3 and the M6 and new M6J was built into the camera body of the M3. It has the heft and solid feel of the M3 as mainly due to the fact that the M6J was actually built with a lot of the original M3 components. The M6J's viewfinder magnification was increased to 0.85x – bringing it very close to the 0.91x magnification of the popular viewfinder of the M3. Its illuminated framelines were borrowed from the M4, with the viewfinder being adapted to the focal lengths of 35, 50, 90 and 135 mm.

Leica M10 Camera Review

The Leica M10 is an evolutionary camera for long time Leica users. It is getting back to basics shooting with similar style to Leica film cameras with integration of modern technology.

Comparison  

The Leica M9 was the landmark for Leica’s transition into digital photography and it was so intuitive to use like all Leica film cameras. However, with the introduction of the Leica M Typ240 as a revolutionary approach to fully embrace photography technology, it felt like Leica has lost its soul and essence during the process. The Leica M Typ240 with those extra technological features was an interference to pure shooting and the camera became inconvenient to carry, as it feels bulky and heavy compared to all previous Leica M. The Leica M10 improves on the practicality and physical aspects of the Leica M Typ240 significantly.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

The Leica M10 is build with similar dimensions to Leica M film cameras. Both the size and weight of the Leica M10 is astonishing close to the Leica MP and this is difficult to achieve for a modern digital rangefinder. The build quality is extremely solid and well made like all other Leica M cameras but it feels more compact and lighter than previous Leica digital rangefinders.

The ergonomics of the Leica M10 is excellent, it feels intuitive in the hands and makes the photographer wants to hold it. The relocation of the iso dial onto top of the camera similar to the film rewind knob is a nostalgic touch for traditional Leica users. The reduction of dials and buttons to only essentials combined with the removal of movie function brings back the essence of pure shooting.

Image Quality and Practicality

The Leica M10 uses the latest 24MP CMOS sensor developed especially for Leica. The transitioning from full frame CCD sensor in the Leica M9 to the CMOS sensor in the Leica M Typ240 has been controversial and it wasn’t until arrival of the Leica M10 that rectify it. The sensor in the Leica M10 retained similar rendering of the CCD sensor and provided high iso capability of the CMOS sensor. The new sensor produces great colours and contrast that has the ability to shoot up to 10,000 iso without any visible noise.

Everything you need to adjust in order to take a proper photograph is at the reach of fingertips. Once the settings are preset within the menu, there is no need to touch them again as all essential adjustments (aperture, focus and iso) can be selected externally and independently. This makes the Leica M10 the most functional and practical digital rangefinder until now.

Key Highlights

• 24MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
• Leica Maestro II Image Processor
• Optical 0.73x-Magnification Viewfinder
• 3.0" 1.04m-Dot LCD with Gorilla Glass
• ISO 100-50000, Up to 5 fps Shooting
• Built-In Wi-Fi
• Slimmer Body Profile
• Stills-Only Operation
• Built-In ISO Dial & Frame Line Selector
• Weather-Resistant Brass Construction

Specifications

Physical

Dimensions (W x H x D):  

139.0 x 80.0 x 38.5 mm

Weight:  660 g with battery

Imaging
Lens Mount:  Leica M

Camera Format:  Full-Frame  

Max Resolution:  5976 x 3992

Sensor Type / Size:  

24 Megapixel CMOS, 24 x 36 mm

File Formats:  DNG, JPEG

My Collection - LEICA

Below are a selection of my Leica camera collections and this post will be updated once I acquire further unique camera gears. 

Leica MP Anthracite

The highly exclusive special-edition model was designed especially for the Japanese market and only limited to 600 pieces. Its lacquering is entirely hand-applied with Anthracite, and is resistant to abrasion. Anthracite came from Greek word, literally means "a type of coal", from Anthrax. It is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high lustre. It has the highest carbon count and contains the fewest impurities of all coals, despite its lower calorific content. 

Leica MP-6

The Leica MP-6 was the prototype Leica MP made exclusive for Japan and only 250 pieces made out to the entire market. It distinguishes from a regular MP with classic vulcanite leather, Leica Logo engraving on the top plate and ISO selection dial at back of the camera. 

Leica MP-6 with matching Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux in Black Paint.

Leica 0 Series

Leica 0 Series with 35 Anastigmat 1:3,5 F=50mm

Originally produced in only small quantities in 1923/24, this series can be regarded as the basis of modern 35mm photography and the precursor of the first commercially marketed photographic camera, the Leica I, launched in 1925 by the Optical Works of Ernst Leitz, Wetzlar. 

My Gear

-Leica-
Leica M Typ240 (Chrome)  
Leica M Monochrom Typ246 (Matte Black)  
Leica M9 Sliver (Custom Carbon) 
Leica M9-P (Black Paint)
Leica Monochrom (Chrome)
Leica MP à la carte (Matte Black)
Leica MP Anthracite (Limited Edition)
Leica M-A (Chrome)
Leica MP-6 (Japan Edition)
Leica M6 Black
Leica M3 Olive Bundeseigentum
Leica M3 Black Paint
Leica M2
Leica 0 Series

Lenses:
Leica 50mm F0.95 Noctilux (Brass Chrome)
Schneider Xenon 50mm F0.95
Canon 50mm F0.95 "Dream Lens"
Canon 50mm F1.2 LTM
MS Optical 50mm F1.1 Sonnetar M
Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH (Black & Chrome)
Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux Type 2 (Black)
Leica 50mm F1.4 Summilux Black Paint
Zeiss 50mm F1.5 Sonnar ZM
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 VM
Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.5 Aspherical VM
Leica 50 F2.0 Summicron

Leica 75mm F1.4 Summilux V2

Leica 35mm F2.5 Summarit
Leica 35mm F2.4 ASPH Summarit (Chrome)
Voigtlander 35mm F2.5 Colour-Skopar Pancake VM

Leica 21mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH
Leica 21mm F3.4 Super-Elmar ASPH
Zeiss 25mm F2.8 Biogon T* ZM
Leica WATE 16-18-21mm f/4 Tri-Elmar
Zeiss 15mm F2.8 Distagon T* ZM

-Hasselblad-
Hasselblad 2000FC/M
Hasselblad 201F
Hasselblad 503CX CF "Golden Blue" 50th Anniversary Edition
Hasselblad SWC
Hasselblad X-PAN

Lenses:
Carl Zeiss 150mm F4.0 Sonnar CF T* lens
Carl Zeiss 100mm F3.5 Planar C T* lens
Carl Zeiss 38mm F4.5 Biogon C T* lens
Carl Zeiss 110mm F2 Planar F T* lens


-Rolleiflex-
Rolleiflex 3.5E with Schneider Xenotar 75mm F3.5
Rolleiflex 2.8 GX Royal Urushi Gold Edition
Rollei 35 Royal Urushi Gold Collection

-Sony-
Sony Alpha NEX-7 Camera
Sony A7 Camera

Lenses:
Sony 16mm F2.8 Pancake
Sony 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 lens
Leica Lenses Adapter

-Ricoh-
Ricoh GR1v
Ricoh 28mm F2.8 lens
Ricoh GR Digital

-Polaroid-
Polaroid 110B
Polaroid SX-70 Customised

-Canon-
Canon 60D
Canon 5D Mark II

Lenses:
35L
50L
85L
70-200 F2.8 II
100L Macro
17-55mm F2.8
24-70L
24-105L
17-40L