The menu structure has been streamlined and simplified and the number of buttons reduced; there is a new dedicated ISO dial
Just like the SL, the M10 can create a Wi-Fi network and be remotely controlled via an Android or iOS app. JPEG and DNG images captured are stored on an SD card, but can be imported on the mobile device to be edited and shared on the internet
of the art. The M10 does away with the old EVF interface and its limitations; with the new interface hidden inside the hot shoe that Leica introduced with the T (now TL), the M10 now supports the Visoflex (Typ 020). With its 2.4 million dots, the display panel is not up to the record-setting resolution of the SL viewfinder, but is still a great step forward, providing for a clear and lag-free live view image. The Visoflex also includes a GPS module that the M10 can use to add location info to the images. Of course the M10, like any M, is first and foremost a rangefinder camera; the electronic viewfinder is a welcome option, but no replacement for the optical viewfinder. Th e Thir d Wish: No Vi d eo. Now this was a high-
ly controversial wish. Proponents of the “no video please, we’re photographers” faction have been quite vocal, but the crucial question was whether something could be gained from the lack of a feature. There is hardly a single component of a 88 |
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digital camera that was required for video but that would not also benefit still photography. Microphone and headphone jacks might be an exception, but then these could be an optional accessory. A sensor with a higher read-out speed, a more capable CPU, a larger and faster buffer memory, or a more effective way of dissipating heat, would be assets for any kind of camera. If you want a camera without a movie mode, you either get a camera that is a less capable stills camera than it could be, or – as in the case of the new Leica M10 – a camera that could do video just fine, but does not. The apparent move away from video with the M10 might seem at odds with the recent introduction of the M 0.8 lenses, i.e. M lenses geared towards video use. For one thing, Leica’s decision to omit a movie mode in the M10 does not imply that the M line is no longer for video. The M240 and M-P240 continue to be available and their ability to capture video is one reason for keeping these models
The new, smaller battery offers 28% less capacity compared to its predecessor, but it serves to allow for a slimmer and lighter body
in the M portfolio. Also the M 0.8 lenses are not really intended to be used with an M, even though technically that would be an option. In one of the next issues of LFI we will cover these lenses in more detail and explain the rationale for their design, including the decision to keep the M mount. N o I nt e r fac e s. With the M240 Leica had already done away with most interfaces; apart from the connection for the optional electronic viewfinder that was just an interface hidden beneath the bottom plate. You had to replace the bottom plate with the multifunctional handgrip to gain a USB socket. The Leica M10 retains the quaint bottom plate that needs to be removed to provide access to both the SD card slot and the battery compartment, but the interface is gone. Apart from the hidden interface for the electronic viewfinder there is no electrical connection to the outside world at all. Having said that, the M10 features an integrated Wi-Fi module to provide wireless access, both for the remote control of the main camera functions and for the transfer of image files. The M10 can create its own Wi-Fi network that mobile devices with Leica’s app installed can connect to. The only parameter that for obvious reasons cannot be remotely controlled from the app is the focus. While the wireless transfer of image data is reasonably fast, importing files on a computer is best achieved by putting the SD card into a card reader. →