Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) Digital Rangefinder Camera

The manual focus, black and white-only Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) rangefinder camera isn't for everyone. But if it's for you, you'll love it.

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  True black and white image sensor. Live View with focus peaking. ISO 25000 support. Sharp rear LCD with sapphire glass cover. Bright optical viewfinder with rangefinder patch. Brass and magnesium construction. Dust and moisture resistant. Includes Adobe Lightroom license.

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  Expensive. Video features could be better. A little slow to start. High base ISO can be an issue in bright light.

Can you put a price on nostalgia? Leica starts the bidding at $7,500.

The Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) will be a welcome update to those who want to shoot in black and white, and uses the Typ 240 camera body to bring all the latest features to the monochrome camera.

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  Full-frame 24megapixel black and white CMOS sensor, Live view and focus peaking, Monochrome FullHD video recording, Impressive resolution and detail, Unique black and white digital rangefinder, High ISO noise performance, Adobe Lightroom included, AdobeDNG raw images, Excellent build quality, 2 year...

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  Cost - although could be justified, Rangefinder with manual focus and aperture

The Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) is specialized and expensive, and its manual rangefinder focusing won't suit everyone. But the quality of the results justifies Leica's brave decision to use a monochrome sensor.

In May 2012, Leica announced its first M Monochrom rangefinder. Modelled on the Leica M9 , it boasted an 18-million-pixel CCD sensor with the unique feature that it shot only black & white images.

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  Brilliant dynamic range, Leica M-mount has a large range of superb lenses, Basic and traditional photography controls similar to a film camera, Good at High ISO sensitivities

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  Viewfinder frame lines are only an approximation, Limited to monochrome, Prone to Highlight clipping

A black-and-white specialist camera that creates stunning photos, but the majority will find that it imposes too many restrictions.

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  Excellent build quality, Stunning photos and good high ISO performance, Great handling

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  No autofocus, Feature-poor, High base ISO

This was a big purchase, and one I didn't take lightly. Previous models, from what I read, had a few issues. I can report that whatever those might have been, slow processing, etc., this version is free of any troubles or limitations.

Most of my work is black and white, tried several cameras even pentax 645z. This is by far the best resultAmazing detail and image tonesIf you are serious about your shots you will be very pleasedTried it with several lenses and my favorite so far is the 35mm summicron

I needed to count up the number of color images that I converted to B&W, to realize just how often I chose to "see" B&W. More than 50%; which surprised me. I decided that I would get much use out of a mono only camera. I'm very happy that I bought this camera. What you see as B&W is what you get.

Have had the 246 for a few weeks now, I am very impressed. The build is a clear step up from my M9, but it is the high ISO capability that I love. Did some night shooting in Boston, great quality files. Love converting them to tri X via silver effects pro.A keeper

After owning a couple of Leica lenses for a couple of years now, as odd as it may seem, they have only been mounted on Sony A7 bodies. The performance of the Leica lenses on those A7 bodies is a bit of a mixed bag and I wanted to see what their full capability was.

The camera isn't perfect, but it's close. No other camera can replicate this camera's defining features (dedicated B&W sensor, full frame, native M-mount, optical rangefinder).It feels refined and mature. Battery life is awesome. Simple menus and limited options.

I bought this as a gift for my wife who had largely stopped using her beloved M7 in lieu of a Fuji X100T due to the convenience of digital. The strictly black and white sensor is obviously a bit of a niche, but it's a wonderful niche.

I owned the original Leica Monochrome for a couple of years and liked the images that it produced. The new camera takes pictures as good or better as the first generation (it does have about 25% more pixels).I do wish that Leica would equip these with a high resolution electronic viewfinder.

I have owned both cameras and personally find the 246 files much easier to work with. Little if any post processing required. No complaints.

I am a street photographer. I shoot digital and film, mostly in black and white. I've owned the original CCD sensor Leica M Monochrom since it was first released. And although it could not simulate B & W film, it actually came pretty close with the appropriate filters.