NEW LEICA M10-R - The NEW PERFECT RANGEFINDER Camera

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

Eventually I bought an M10-R, and, happily, I still have it. Fairly recently I bought a film Leica, the M10-A. One difference I noticed between the two cameras is that the noise of the M10-A shutter is much louder than the M10-R's shutter. My M10-A is newer than my M10-R and I assumed that the sounds of their shutters would be the same. They're not.

[@michaelmorris8584]

I appreciate your thorough review, especially about the colour, dynamic range, and noise aspects. I bought the M10 Monochrom this month (with the APO 50 f2, APO 90 f2) and now will buy the M10 R. Your review gives me more confidence with this purchase. Thank you. -- Normally, I use the Phase One XF/XT cameras so the Leica M10 is a substantial size difference but still a relaxed style of photography and much more easy to take with me for woodland walks, etc.

[@mathphotographer]

Good choice, with these investments you are always on the safe side. The M10-Mono is a top-notch camera with a unique value proposition. An interesting camera somehow sitting between Leica and Phase One is the Fuji GFX 100s, I will get it in the next couple of weeks. This is a GFX 100 but in a compact body, likely about comparable size to the Leica SL2. Will of course share my impressions on my channel. But no matter what camera you consider, none will be as special and fine-art-photography-WOW-effect as the M10-Mono, so congrats!

[@BPLeroyLotusEvora]

Very nice quick review that perfectly illustrates the amazing abilities of the new Leica M-10R! Thank you!

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Would you today (Nov 2022), buy the M10-R over the M11, bearing in mind that 60mp is too much and the added connectivity etc isn’t what most people want. Do you think the value of the M10-R will stay strong over time?

[@mathphotographer]

The M10-R is the perfect rangefinder, go for it and feel safe with value! If you do not need the enhanced resolution, you are good to go with the M10-R. If you think you always need the newest gear, then the M11 is what you should go for. But think about it, a good photo does not depend on Megapixels and on gear, it is the photographer who makes an image :)

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

@@mathphotographer thanks for the reply. Your reviews are extremely useful and I appreciated the effort you go into to make them

[@TheLDunn1]

I think it would also be very interesting to many to compare the M10 monochrome to the M10-R when shooting B&W. What I mean by this is the M10-R in B&W mode will be giving up some resolution & ultimate low light capture capability vs the M10 monochrome by virtue of the M10-R having a bayer matrix over its sensor, but is that a worthwhile trade off to get the benefits of colour info being captured in the scene even in a B&W image, so ‘filter’ like tweaks can be made in post processing, like darkening the gray of a blue sky captured in B&W mode, simulating the use of a red filter.....would that sort of flexibility when shooting B&W be of greater benefit to most users vs a bit of a loss in ultimate res and low light noise? Not to mention the ability of shooting colour on occasion too with the M10-R. Just a thought.

[@vadimhsu5114]

Nope, nothing compares to the Monochrom... At higher ISOs especially, the M10-MC even blows away the SL2 in BW... The 246 still rocks all the M series with the color arrays. And I have all of them. Don’t get me wrong, I think the SL2 with the SL APO primes, has the finest image quality and in-body ibis. But for pure BW, the L-monocroms, ALL of them, have no equal, and purely scientifically speaking, could not... Apples and oranges and worth every cent.

[@sudhirpv]

@@vadimhsu5114 Still would be great to see how a side by side comparisons with the same lens/same place/same time/same settings photos taken by a m10-R & Monochrom.

[@pocketsquareformat]

Excellent point. I’ve been dreaming about the M10 Monochrome for awhile. However I’ve been taking courses in Capture One and Lightroom to enhance my editing skills. Shooting in colour on a M10-R would be a better option for me. I would have more control of my b&w images in post processing by using the ‘grey mix’ sliders (Lightroom).

[@sanketk]

The purple and green fringing is so vivid in first 2 shots.

[@nomorerabb1ts]

Sanket Khuntale yeah, lots of chromatic aberrations for a such huge price tag. What a shame! Welcome to the 21 century quality.

[@sexysilversurfer]

Leica owners don’t shoot professionally so does it matter. 🤷‍♀️

[@sanketk]

@@sexysilversurfer Would matter to any serious artist.

[@oliverlison]

that is called art

[@MrJoaoAfonso]

yep lol

[@npet6842]

Many thanks for a real-world use review , rather than the usual sit-and-talk You Tube efforts . Well done !

[@k_meowington]

that purple fringing is so visible

[@TheLDunn1]

So, we now have a 24MP colour M10, a 42MP mono M10, a 42MP colour M10-R......only thing missing is a 24MP mono M10 a few grand cheaper than the 42mp monochrom (but I doubt we’ll see that, and yes I know there is the older cheaper lower res monochrom models, but they are not ‘M10’) I think Leica are pretty smart in introducing a high res mono camera first, then after that is launched developing the colour version of it. As an Engineer, it makes sense to me to do it that way around, because the mono sensor should be simpler to develop, then get the Engineers to add the colour bayer matrix and tweak the software to handle the extra colour info. It would make sense to me that they do it this way around in future. Release the mono version of a new camera/sensor first, then follow it up a few months later with the colour model. One thing that has puzzled me with Leica M10 (& prior M digital models) is that they do an M10-D version which strips out the LCD for a more ‘back to film days look/feel’, and they separately offer a mono only version of the normal M10 with an LCD. To my mind, if you are going to offer an M10-D to ‘get back to basics’, that’s a prime candidate to have a mono only sensor in. A lot of folk who used to shoot film (& some still do) shoot B&W film primarily (I currently have a roll of B&W loaded in a Canon 7 Rangefinder myself) and develop and print at home (or scan & print maybe), so B&W only feels like it would go hand in hand with the sort of person that wants a more film like, LCD-Less body with a winder style thumb grip. That winder style thumb grip on the M10-D I think is a stroke of genius! Leica should put it on all their M bodies. I’ve not tried one, but it just ‘looks’ so right, and looks very functional.....especially when you know there is a thriving market for hot shoe attached thumb grips!

[@raymondtay5512]

Yes, the thumb grip on the M10D is great! That is one of the reason why I bought the M10D, as the rest of the M doesn't have it, it makes it more unique. EVF can still be used because the thumb grip didn't take up the hotshoe. There are many occasions where I was mistaken to be shooting a film camera. 😄

[@TheLDunn1]

Raymond Tay ....it sounds like you have found your ‘ideal’ camera! I’ve been interested in / considered getting a Leica M, there is lots of aspects that appeal to me with them, but, rightly or wrongly, I’ve not taken the plunge yet. I have found the EVF in my A7R3 just too useful, I know Leica folk love the optical Rangefinder system on the M’s, I’m just uncertain if it’s for me. As a result, a few months ago, I picked up a used Fujifilm 50r.....Rangefinder styling (which I like - having the viewfinder/EVF on the corner makes so much sense!), quite ergonomic controls, a tilt LCD (which I appreciate) and an EVF! I’m using it almost exclusively with manual focus lenses, and in manual exposure mode. Files from it are really nice to work with, as I am pretty sure the Leica files are too. I’m very happy with the 50r, really happy, but, there is still a part of me that is being pulled toward an M10, but logically, it doesn’t fit with what I know I value in a camera as well as the 50r! I feel that M ownership, even for a short while, seems like an itch I’m going to have to scratch one day!

[@Bryan-lu4du]

Looks nice. Will you do some ISO 12,500 shots as well? My main issue with the original M10 was how abruptly the highlights rolled off or clipped and you couldn’t recover them. The M10R seems to fix that problem and have slightly better color rendition (maybe).

[@TheLDunn1]

As a Sony A7R3 user.....the thing I most admire about these M10 Leicas is the menu system ;-)

[@MamerBaraka]

Yep... the Sony menu system is pathetic.

[@TheLDunn1]

Postmortale Begegnung mit Irene Baraka 67 For me, it is the weakest aspect of the Sony, but it does so much other stuff very well, that I’m willing to put up with the menus. I’m not even that sure what it is about them that I don’t get on with. The other thing I like about the Leica M10 (+ prior models) is that by default, the menus show your favourites page, makes a lot of sense to me.

[@blende5.693]

nice Video. I have a special question. I also use the M10R, but I have an issue with the lcd screen. If I use LV in a very dark situation or make an very underexposed photo, may be with the lenshood on, the screen shows not a complete dark field. There is a brighter part in the left upper part of the screen. This issue is doesn’t exist in the menu. So that must be a software-issue. Leica says, this is normal, but I’m not satisfied with this problem. Does your Leica has the same issue? Thanks

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

Great review. You probably didn't notice, but is there a difference in internal processing speed - in this higher resolution camera - than in the M10P? You would expect the higher resolution images to take more time to process by the camera. Can you take, say, 5 photos very quickly without any "objectionable" slowness in the image processing?

[@mathphotographer]

Great idea for another short video, thanks, will look into it.

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

@@mathphotographer , I have both of Leica's Noctilux lenses, the f/0.95 50mm and the f/1.2 75mm. Using my M10's built-in rangefinder I have had terrible luck focusing both of those lenses 'wide open.' You could make an interesting video regarding when you can and when you cannot feel comfortable focusing with the M10-R's built-in rangefinder. When should/must you go to Leica's EVF?

[@CipherKilledit]

Cool! Killed it!

[@lenshiker]

Important Question: Do you experienced any FREEZING with the R? I got such big problems with the P that i m going to sell it and get the R. Thx!

[@dahlias888]

what lens did you use?

[@KiinaSu]

Ngl except the fringing the photos are looking super great. Colors, sharpness, bokeh, everything seems great. I can see why people buy a Leica

[@w.scholz9705]

Hi, it would be interesting to have a comparison with Leicas SL2 concerning the dynamic of the sensors.

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

I've been sitting here thinking up (interesting) work for YOU. If the M10-R sensor is amazing at very high ISO's, why would anyone bother shooting at ISO 100 - my usual ISO setting? Is there any point to shooting at ISO 100?

[@gettons1980]

Thanks for the comprehensive review! Do you think that M-mount compatible Voigtlander lenses (such as the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 II Nokton-Classic MC Lens - VM Mount) would work fine with the new sensor?

[@mathphotographer]

Yes they do. Resolution will not be an issue in almost all cases.

[@victorcarmelo8606]

Thank you, very interesting review. Wonder how the high MP sensors compare on different Leica cameras including the Q2.

[@frankluo230]

Interesting to see Leica has 40mp and 47mp sensors in M10r and SL2 respectively. In your opinion, does this 40mp sensor feel more special than the Panasonic borrowed 47mp sensor? Something intangible and subtle but you can tell it is there.

[@saschaathosproietti7846]

Hi Math, beautiful Pre-Review as always. just to let you know, the maximum Exposure time of M10P is 4 minutes, not 120 sec, wich is on Q2 for example or M240/p . so M10P has 4 minutes of maximum exposure time in B, clicking (holding) the front button, same as this M10-R ;)

[@mathphotographer]

Absolutely right, I noticed my mistake in my subsequent M10-P/M10-R video and corrected it. Thanks for pointing out.

[@NikCan66]

Great review as usual

[@andreaxyz3959]

did it heat up?

[@mathphotographer]

Usually not. In a recent test (video to come) on macro shots in bright and hot sunny weather conditions the body became warm. But not hot.

[@vproven]

If only I had a gold brick lying around under my bed. 🤓

[@8II0000II8]

It'll probably only buy you the body , you're going to need another brick to buy lenses and stuff lol

[@sexysilversurfer]

Keep the brick it’s more useful than a Leica.

[@Outoffboxes]

Kannst du bitte in einem Video erklären, was es mit dem Bildfeldwähler der Leica M10 P auf sich hat ? Vielen lieben Dank, deine Videos sind super, da du Schweizer bist, glaube ich, verstehst du meine Sprache

[@Sams911]

great camera, but as a 10P owner who is a street photographer and never uses long exposure, not enough of a difference to justify ... I will wait for the M11... I wonder if they will drop the price of the M10P now though?

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

I have the M10 and consider myself a street photographer. With the higher resolution of the M10-R you should be able to crop your images without losing so much detail as before - with your M10-P.

[@Sams911]

@@Gravitys-NOT-a-force no doubt a higher resolution sensor is a plus, but having just bought the P, I cannot justify the cost of moving into a R, I'll wait for the M11 with faster buffer, better processor, and other improvements.

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

@@Sams911 is the image processing speed of the M10-R objectionable? No one's discussed that yet.

[@Sams911]

@@Gravitys-NOT-a-force it's the same as on the M10P which isn't exactly lightning fast to begin with... so adding all those pixels (file size) would only bog it down even more, right?

[@MarttiSuomivuori]

I think I have to get one of those. I am fighting against the urge...

[@chirag4]

Sir, it feels a little problematic to focus 50mm Summilux on my M10-P *White* limited edition ... so I wanted (since June) to buy a Magnifier 1.4x but still confusion persists. One disadvantage of magnifier, I won't be able to see outside the Framelines, & the essence of RF is lost. (I don't wear spectacles.) If there was an alternative, I would have got 28 Summicron (2nd choice - 35 FLE Summilux), .... because i think the framelines of M10 match 28mm more than any other focal length, and then 35mm, .... but 50, 75, 90mm may not be so easy to nail focus. There is no Leica Store in my city, or I would have tried the magnifier and discovered it myself. Thanks.

[@JLeoH]

You may have to send in your camera + lens for calibration. Maybe you can travel to Frankkurt, Wetzlar is close. If you cannot go at the moment, buy the visoflex electronic viewfinder. With that, you will focus using the sensor itself!

[@mathphotographer]

There are Leica magnifiers for the optical viewfinder on M cameras as well as diopter corrections lenses. They can be screwed into the optical viewfinder with no flaws, removable and usable. Alternatively you could go for the EVF from Leica which can be placed in the hot shoe of the M10-P or M10-R. This will support focus peaking as you know it from LCD live view.

[@chirag4]

@@mathphotographer Thanks a lot, i had ordered last month, 1.4x will be arriving soon.

[@digitallyhandmade6727]

Great review!!

[@carlosmcse]

Still is even the M11 is out. 100% the best digital M to date.

[@mathphotographer]

Yes - have a look on my channel and you will find several videos about the Leica M11.

[@carlosmcse]

@@mathphotographer hopefully you kept the m10r! 😀

[@zeissiez]

Ultra resolving 45MP sensor, ultra sharp Leica lenses, but that ultra classical focusing mechanism..... 😅

[@Bayonet1809]

IBIS would have been nice on this model, I believe it is the highest resolution ILC without stabilisation.

[@astraeusone]

beautiful friends

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

I agree. He has good looking friends. :-)

[@mathphotographer]

Lol - thanks! :)

[@dadasesa4108]

Still very archaic look.

[@Irnbruist]

please don't take it personal, but this is a hilariously bad intro haha

[@johnstaveley7473]

Stop waving your hands about - makes it unwatchable!!

[@sergiohenrique9694]

not sturdy at all. made very cheap. avoid this product.

[@mathphotographer]

Not sure what you mean, Sergio, but of course respect your opinion. I have the camera and its actually a very robust and reliable piece of work :)