In conclusion, the Leica M10-P is my favorite digital camera I've ever used.
Maybe that's a somewhat uncomfortable way of saying it, but when I started using it, I felt like I'd "finally met" it, and I've been hanging it from my neck almost daily for over a year since I purchased it in February 2019, taking pictures of it.
In this article, I will introduce the long-term use review of the Leica M10-P.
The CAMERA. No more, no less
The Leica M10-P is a digital camera from Leica. This is an interchangeable lens camera with a so-called full-size sensor that realizes compactness and high image quality, and is an upgraded version of the M10, the latest model in the M-type series.
The biggest feature of the camera is that it is a camera itself.
Despite the digital camera being released at the end of 2018, it doesn't have video capabilities. I can only take pictures (by the way, I can't use autofocus either).
The design of the camera is purely "camera" so that it embodies such a pure "machine for taking pictures".
There are almost no buttons on the back as well.
It's truly alien in a digital camera where the number of buttons and dials is increasing one after another as functions increase. It's as simple as if it were an Apple product. However, if this is an inconvenience, it is not at all.
If you focus on "taking a picture" itself, this is probably enough of a button.
Beautiful and compact. A camera you'll want to carry with you every day
Anyway, it's fun to touch it. It's not a pain to carry around. This may be the biggest advantage of the Leica M10-P for me.
Originally, I didn't like to carry my camera around in private. It's a different story when it comes to carrying around a big, heavy, mechanical camera on a daily basis. So far, I've had to settle for an iPhone or GR that fits in my pocket (both of which are my favorite cameras).
The Leica M10-P, however, has little of that "gadget" or "work" feel. The design is simply beautiful, and the overall compactness, including the lens, makes it easy to take it with you.
The hint of brass and the matte texture of black chrome. The feel of the leather. All of them fit into my hand as if I had been using the camera for a long time.
The quiet sound of the shutter and the vibration in the hand, which is a characteristic of the Leica M10-P, is as smooth as silk. Some people may feel as if they are opening and closing the doors of a luxury sedan car.
Excellent design, portability and ease of use. I've been carrying this camera with me everywhere I go because of the "good feeling" that it creates, and I've been capturing various scenes from everyday moments to surprises on my travels.
Incidentally, the M10-P has a more luxurious and rigid feel than the Leica M-A film camera, which has almost the same design.
Shooting with a direct connection to awareness, which is possible only with manual control
I have had some complaints about many digital cameras in the world.
The point is that you don't know what setting you're making until you turn it on. Because of this, it wasn't uncommon for me to miss out on a photo opportunity because the setting wasn't right for the scene when I went to take the picture.
However, just by looking at the Leica M10-P from above, you can see all the shooting settings such as ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and focus distance.
This has allowed me to make a habit of changing the settings by turning the dial at hand whenever the brightness of the environment changes drastically, such as when I am indoors or out in the sun, so that the time from finding a good shot to taking a picture is much shorter.
Incidentally, the ISO dial is a new mechanism that has been installed since the M10, but I think there is a big difference between having it and not having it.
In addition, the manual focus is also an advantage for fast photography. Modern autofocus is excellent, but it's not without hesitation. With a manual camera, you don't have the frustration of the camera getting lost in focus and not being able to release the shutter.
Even if the focus is a little out of focus, it's better to take a picture than not to take one.
A rangefinder that allows you to relax your shoulders and be free
The most distinctive feature of the Leica M10-P and all other Leica M models is the viewfinder.
Regular mirrorless and DSLR cameras, as well as smartphone cameras, project the world through the lens into the viewfinder.
A rangefinder camera, on the other hand, looks at the world through bare glass that does not pass through the lens, and focuses on it by overlaying a double image through a small window in the viewfinder.
Honestly, it's a camera that requires special operation. Before I purchased it, I thought it would be a hassle.
However, when you actually use it, it's very open.
In the open viewfinder, the frame of the area to be photographed with the current lens is displayed, so you can see what's outside the shooting area through the viewfinder.
I prefer to look through the viewfinder and take pictures with strict framing, but I can't do that with a rangefinder because of its construction.
I feel that this kind of restriction has allowed me to face photography more openly.
Anyway, high resolution. The pictures you get are beautiful.
I don't know what it means to say "high image quality", but when I look at the photos taken with the Leica M10-P, I feel very beautiful.
The sensor is 24 megapixels, which is a very average spec for a modern camera, but you can feel the color that cannot be measured by numbers.
I develop most of my photos in RAW, and I feel that the RAW data of the Leica M10-P is superior to that of the same Leica Q2.
The only complaint is…there is! Three things to look forward to in the Leica M11
That's all I have to say about what I like about the Leica M10-P.
But being the "best camera of my life" doesn't mean it's not free of complaints.
Slow recovery from sleep.
This is my biggest complaint. It takes about two to three seconds to return, and it feels slower to return from sleep than when it turns on from the power supply OFF.
Even though you can check and change settings without turning on the camera, if the camera is slow to come back from sleep, you may miss your chance to take the shot. For this reason, when I get a hint of a photo opportunity, I half-press the shutter to come back from sleep beforehand.
It would be great if it was a little lighter and thinner.
From the M10, it is almost the same thinness as the M type in the film era, but it is still a bit bigger. It would be nice if it was just a little bit more, just a little bit lighter and thinner.
It would be great if the LCD and operation buttons could be flat.
As with the above item, it's almost a joke area, but one of the people in Leica said, "The LCD is still protruding, so I hope I can make it flat someday.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
A camera that is both special and a "tool" at the same time
This is a very long review of the Leica M10-P. What did you think of it?
If I may add one last thing, it's that it's a "tool".
The Leica M10-P is a special product that has a lot more to say than this. However, there is only one thing you can do with it: take a picture. That's all there is to it.
These cameras are designed and assembled with extraordinary care, and they are also sold at extraordinary prices.
But the purpose of it all boils down to one thing: producing great photos.
Since then, I've been carrying it around with me every day, taking lots of pictures with small scratches and smudges.
