Leica M8 combines old-world charm with new-world tech
Camera fans worldwide no doubt appreciate Leica's attention to quality and detail when it comes to making high-end film-based rangefinder cameras. This month, the famous German company will introduce its first digital rangefinder camera at the Photokina trade show in Cologne -- the same location where the first Leica M3 was announced in 1954. The Leica M8 doesn't just have a pretty body, nor is it resting on the laurels of its predecessors: it's got a 10.3 megapixel resolution, with a low-noise CCD image sensor that starts at ISO 160 but that can also kick up to ISO 2500. The Leica M8 can take gorgeous shots with an exposure time that drops down to 1/8000 of a second, and to 1/250 of a second with a flash. The cam also has a focal length extension factor of 1.33, which helps to mitigate the problem of "vignetting," or a fall-off in brightness that would occur without the extension factor. Oh, and there's one more thing: did we mention that the M8 works with "virtually all" Leica M series lenses produced since 1954? We don't have any firm information from Leica about what the availability or price of the M8 will be, but estimates on the internets suggest that it will set you back about €4,500 ($5,708) -- and this totally amazing camera will probably be worth every euro cent.
Read - Press release
Read - DPR's hands-on preview
