Photokina Hands On: Leica M

The M is shown here with an R SLR lens attached via Leica's adapter. The rangefinder illumination window has been eliminated from the front of the camera; instead, framelines are projected using LED lighting.

Yes, you still have to remove the bottom plate to change the memory card and battery. The tripod thread is now built into the body instead of the plate, and a glass window has been added to facilitate use with Eye-Fi and Toshiba FlashAir cards.

Removing the bottom plate shows the larger battery, memory card slot, and connection port for the GPS grip. The camera itself is made in Germany. Only the R Lens Adapter is made in Portugal.

The small, low-resolution display found on the M8 and M9 is gone, replaced by a 3-inch 920k-dot LCD, protected by Gorilla Glass.

The M is shown here with the optional EVF. The "M" button next to the shutter release starts movie recording.

Adding the GPS Grip adds geotagging and gives you a better handle on the camera, but it does add noticeable height.

The M is shown here with a zooming R lens and the optional EVF. The R lens adapter has a tripod thread, perfect for use with longer lenses.