14 DAY TRIAL // Leica cameras are usually known to come at exorbitant prices and appeal to the real photography connoisseur, provided they can afford to purchase such a device.
Anyway, in anticipation of one of the biggest photography events of the year, Photokina 2014, Leica has rolled out a slight upgrade of the M 240 model.
The new product is being touted as the Leica M-P 240, which is basically the M 240 with a bunch of subtle changes added to the mix.
For the most part, the camera remains unchanged visually, but if you were familiar with the M 240, you might notice that the Leica logo is missing and the “M” letter on the front side also disappeared, giving the new version a cleaner, smoother look.
The camera arrives with a 24-megapixel sensor and will be offered in silver chrome or black paint finish. Also noticeable on the front is the comeback of the line preview selector which was eradicated from the 240.
This comes in handy when you want to see a preview of what a scene would look like when photographed with a lens using a different field of view.
For example, if you have a 50mm lens attached, which normally displays 50mm and 75mm frame lines in the finder, the lever switch will offer you 28mm/90mm or 35mm/135mm options.
On the black version of the camera, the lever is also black, while on the chrome version we have a silver one.
With the new model, Leica introduced a scratch-resistant display made of sapphire glass. It also bumped the image buffer to 2GB (doubling it) so photographers will be allowed to shoot up to 24 images at continuous speed of 3fps.
The camera bundles a Maestro image processor, which is the same found in the M 240.
What’s more, users will now have the option of performing manual viewfinder frame selection using a traditional “frame selector.” It should also be mentioned, the EVF boasts protection against dust and liquid splashes just like before.
Unfortunately, as it goes with every Leica camera arriving on the market, the M-P 240 will burn a hole in your budget. The camera is currently available for pre-order in both coloring options (black and silver chrome) for the price of $7,950 / €5,985.
You don’t have to jump in head on with the new camera, as Leica will probably showcase the new device at Photokina 2014 in Germany that is scheduled to start soon, so we’ll be able to get a better idea of what the camera is all about when that time comes.
