It’s more or less the same as the M from 2012, with a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor and optical viewfinder that helps you focus manually, but it’s missing a couple of the Typ 240’s biggest features: there’s no live view and no video recording functionality. “Further differences include a smaller Leica logo and a “step” at the end of the top plate, which are both features reminiscent of the design of the Leica M9″, Leica says.
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In a statement Leica said: ‘Incorporating rangefinder technology perfected over many decades, the new M (Typ 262) represents Leica M photography in its purest form, concentrating on the most essential features, combined with intuitive handling and discreet styling.
The Leica M (Typ 262) is due out this month.
New to the Leica M (Typ 262) is the use of a streamlined two-page menu system, which promises to simplify the way you use the camera.
Anyone who has shot with a Leica rangefinder knows that the experience is unique; it’s slower and a lot more manual of a process to get the exposure and focus precisely the way you want.
It’s a nod to Leica’s analog roots and the Typ 262 is meant to be used as a true rangefinder camera, but this omission seems odd because streaming a live-view picture from the sensor to the screen isn’t an impossible feat. This has the effect of making the camera 100g lighter.
The Leica M (Typ 262) joins the Leica M, M-P (Typ 240) and the Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246), now giving photographers the choice of four models. As part of this, the Type 262 also has a shutter cocking system that’s considerably quieter than its predecessor.
The standard model in the à la carte series will double the buffer memory of the original M, to 2GB, allowing for longer continuous shooting. This ensures that all settings are rapidly accessible at all times. In that spirit, the Typ 262 has added a dedicated white balance button on the back of the camera.
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Leica M (Type 262) is essentially a stripped-back version of the existing Leica M (Type 240), which launched back in 2012.
