A camera like this, in APSC, could have been an immense hit!

Given that you have more photosites available for every little detail instead of segregating them into specializing in just one color, the smaller apsc sensor could have done this job quite well.

What's the practical benefit of this B&W sensor if you're viewing the images on a color monitor with RGB dots? Isn't that kind of pointless?

Leica should go as far as making a super high res monochrome monitor to go with this camera.

I shoot b&w film. I really love the idea that Leica make it Monochrom. For those who photography is more meaning to you. YES, go for it. :)

No, it's not the biggest joke.

The quality of the images I've shot with the MM are superb. It's an excellent camera, rangefinders are incredible tools to work with, there are fewer telephoto lenses than with a big clunky all singing dancing DSLR. Regarding the near obsolete manual focus that I believe has enabled photographers to regain the 'artistic' side to our image creation medium.

You do have to take more care with your exposure, but didn't you have to do the same with film?

Also, being a completely black camera, it is very sexy as sexy as a camera could be? Leica have brought old-style photography up-to-date.

M9 Monochrom is the biggest joke i ever heard .
Not happy enough to limit the possibility of a camera ( only black and white ),
with the excuse to give higher resolution and iso .
You sell it for more money .
Human stupidity have no limit

Patrick Mimran

Am surprised they didn't do a Kodachrome Leica :-) Nice camera I'm sure but way too rich for my blood. If I had the money I'm sure I get this or an MP with Leica Glass. After all you only live once.

The old 'masters' never needed a better screen, if you are going to use this it will be the old way focus recompose shoot. If you want more tele power, a different brand is suggested. For those of us luddites never quite used to AF, and lenses that have the magnificent image capturing qualities, I can't wait. This is the first bridge type camera, it's what many have been longing for.

Anyone who wants colour/ AF there are many other cameras to choose from. Looks brilliant!

Hey, Sad Joe, "Hand of God" doesn't apply here. It refers to extreme dodging in the darkroom, creating an inverse halo around the subject. I'm sure the glass and the image quality are fantastic,but you have to be dedicated to monochrome images to justify this purchase. As to the images, they come from the eye, not the equipment.

This is my first posting to ANY website, but I feel the need to say something. I have used Leica cameras since 1978. I have gone thru periods of not having them, but always returned to having at least one or two. Frankly, they have been my favorite shooter, even for sports. Even now after having a stroke, they remain my favorite. Yes, I have Hassy, Canon, Sinar and a number of other kool cameras...but I always head back to the simple beauty of the sweet Leica shutter stroke. (Yes, the repeat of the word "stroke" is intended. Bad joke.). Always for me the choice was digital shooting in color and converting it to b&w for my personal work. This I did not like. Leica, by adding a b&w camera, has met my somewhat weird needs. I have to say "thanks". Now I just have to start saving my meager funds to get one....maybe 2-3 years. Darn it.

I love the idea of this camera and it is different than others. Just perfect. The world is colorful (http://www.vr-head.com/english/mk-wave/index.html) or black & white, playful and creative. The market offers a camera for every type.

Small, fine manufacturers need a niche and fill it out very creative.

Have fun!

Photographer1968 presumes that we are not REAL photographers. Are there UNREAL or IMAGINARY photographers? He/she should pay attention to what he/she reads, unless he/she is the ONLY photographer out there.

I agree that LEICA means excellent lenses but also, even though he/she doesn't mention it, incredible workmanship and quality that is synonymous with the brand, even if it is a Veblen good.

How soon do you think it will be before we have a camera with swappable sensors?

Unbelievable comments on here. Seriously. I presume that none of you are REAL photographers.
Leica is synonymous with the simplicity and beauty of our photography. I am a b/w tog and l love this camera and Leica lenses are the best in the world. Take the 50mm 0.95 for example. It may be ridiculously expensive to the novice, but to a person who is passionate about photography, it's a dream.
You can keep your plastic Nikons, Canons, Minoltas and whatever else you use - give me a Leica with no bells nor whistles and i'm in heaven. Would you all even know what to do with a camera that couldn't think for you? lol l fear not having read these ignorant comments.
Perfection is not for everyone and in truth, a great photographer can take an awesome photo whether on a Leica, iPhone or pinhole camera. Look at Bill Brandt's pinhole series.
Having said that, the glass in Leica's lenses are beyond exceptional.
Go figure.

Two words:

Veblen good

I have owned a Rolleiflex, several Nikons, fewer Canons, the first Fuji with electronic controls, one Contax, a great Hasselblad and one incredible Leica rangefinder. All this nonsense about the Monochrome is interesting but whimsical. Leica is all about its lenses and craftmanship, there is no question about it. No other camera "feels" like driving a Ferrari; only Leica. Is it expensive? Yes, very. Is it worth it? Depends on your income. Would I buy one? Yes, some day. The pleasure of taking the time to make a photograph with a Leica is an experience all in its own.

whats the point?

of course if i was a billionaire i would buy 6.....

i have a big stock of b and w film in my spare room......i will let you have it for £2000 ono....same results and SO much cheaper

I love the idea of seeing distinct pixels.

Interesting camera. People will have to remember what filters do. ;-)
I do think this camera has a place in fine art photography..not just as a collectors piece.

What is becoming apparent is that this camera will require a very different approach to exposure, namely exposing for the highlights and pulling up the shadows in post processing. Leica M's weighted metering does not help. I suspect the images posted here will have been based on that average metering. Other previewers have pointed to the ability to pull up shadows from the raw files.

Furthermore, as noted in this preview photographers will need a set of filters to get the tones right. I suspect these sample shots did not use such filters.

These features will make the camera a challenge to fully exploit. For most photographers the alternatives, such as the D800 or the expected M10, will allow them to attain excellent work with less effort and without a major shift in shooting technique. I, for one, look forward to seeing how this camera will perform "in the right hands".

what do you get, when you put a reborn Leica Co after going bankrupt, together with an almost defunct Kodak company making their sensors, well, the niche products that have very poor after sale service, cameras that are about two years behind the market curve in developments, etc.

In the analog era, the investment in R&D by Leica was quite limited, after all in 50 years basically nothing much was ever changed. THen came the digital era, and they were left in the dust, not understanding exactly what had hit them. Their product line, late on any measure in the development curve vs the market.

Last I heard from their own employees, was that they were so strapped for cash they could not invest in having a modicum of inventory to supply dealers in a timely manner, let alone all the developments needed in R&D.

Kodak also was a great name, even one of the early developers of digital cameras, but what they did not have was an idea of what to do with it all.

The more I read and look at the specs of this new masterpiece of deception, the new Monochrome Leica M9, the more I have to wonder the sanity of those who invest in this sort of equipment. Of course photography is the least of the issues at hand, as if it was really about making great pictures, what you need and want is the equipment with the greatest possible flexibility to offer you a wide choice of options from which to select the most appropriate ones according to what you are about to take pictures off.

Now to have the privilege to spend twice as much money for a fraction of the options, is about having to look in a mirror and ask yourself is you are totally deluded or what.

Take a 34 megapixiel file from the new Nikon with a Zeiss lens, and then compare it with the 18 Monochrome from Leica, and you have to scratch your head how they could even sell one camera body.

Furthermore, you have the choice of creating the image in b&w or color among two hundred other benefits.

I respect the aggressiveness and creativity of Asian manufacturers, but only one European company with a great tradition of the photo black and white could launch a camera like this.
Since the beginning of digital photography, knowing the number of lovers of flimes BW, I always wondered how a camera that would photograph only in BW.
Well Leica gave us this gift, now we shoot like we want: black-and-white.
I'll wait for the messages of our colleagues, because this camera will take a while to arrive in Brazil.
It is very expensive!
My friend, passion is priceless.
Be creative, work and earn money to live your pleasure
Long life for BW

interesting for the people who love B&W

doesnt work, look at L1000262-DNG for example, everything is the same drab shade of grey and subject is lost in the background. That's what you get from the luminace channel with no RGB weighting. Look at B/W photography (especially movies) from the 1940s-50s and see how gorgeous the images are. Those movies all made use of color filtration in conjunction with the native color response of the film to get the compostion across. Unless Leica can match that this is a useless toy for the filthy rich.

If you talk about quality of B&W only, dont look at your LCD-Color screen ;-)

I really hate this fan boys thing... OK.. if you have lots of money, buy this Leica...and guys, if you just have money to spend for canon, nikon, etc... don't bother complaining about this leica. just go out .. and do some photograph. lots of people become rich from any type of camera....

There are a lot of photographers (professional and amateur) shooting exclusively in B+W.
Ok, the price is way too high.
But there is no other digital range finder with good old mechanical manual focus.
Look at the samples, I think they are excellent. L1000090 for example. Beautiful grey scaling.

Seems to me like it would make sense to have the LCD super hi-res (e.g. 921,000 pixels) without color filters. It would make it match the sensor and give superior brightness and reviewing ability, losing color only in the menu system which seems a great compromise to make for the benefits.
Having a crappy screen on this camera is inexcusable. Not the right place to save a few $$ and definitely doesn't serve potential customers.

The sharpness is really a pleasure to see. Grass, hair, fabrics... beautiful!
I wish someone would manufacture a $100 pocket camera with B&W sensor. It would be great toy to play with.

Leica is is also kind of philosophy.

People nagging and complaining about those masterpieces are just prooving enviousness. Either because they can't effort a Leica or just because they're too poor in skill to apprehend what its made for.

For those who desire to own a Leica, and are short of money - well then, Leica have some bridge and compact cameras in their line-up. But be warned, they're expensive, too.

Wow - alot of people completely missing the entire point. Why even bother making comparisons to another camera brand? The fact is the M Monochrom is a rangefinder. NO ONE else makes a digital rangefinder! For people like me who prefer to use a rangefinder (especially digital), there is no other option. Personally, I just don't enjoy using a DSLR anymore, I have no desire to use one ever again.

If you're happy using a DSLR and you can make the images you want, that's great and I'm happy for you! But complaining about the price of Leica makes as much sense as complaining that Lamborghini, Ferrari and other luxury brands are too expensive...

you don't purchase a Leica to take better pictures, any more than you buy a Rolex to get a better record of time. It's all a bunch of nonsense to discuss the unique quality of pictures made with a Leica, as most of the time, the LEICA is so slow that you will miss out on the great images, to start out with. If I compare my Canon with the Leica, the Canon runs circles around the Leica ( and I have them both). So let us be honest with ourselves, the Leica is not a very competent tool to make images. No one, I assure you, will be able to see a picture and say, well that could only have been achieved with a Leica. That might have been true, circa 1950, but today in the digital age? not a chance. Leica's business model is not about making the best cameras to take pictures, but to sell to those who enjoy the feel and quality of an almost hand made tool. A Cartier watch, if you know what I mean.

Leica would make a TON of money if they bumped this camera down to lets say $1000-$1500? Instead they are just a niche market for the super rich.

Hi There Richard
Thank you - What a fine preview. It's nicely written, entertaining and seems to me to get to the heart of the matter.
all the best
Jonathan Slack