Leica Camera AG is a German company that manufactures cameras, lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes, microscopes and ophthalmic lenses. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1914. The name Leica is derived from the first three letters of his surname (Leitz) and the first two of the word camera: lei-ca.
A digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor.
Note: For a quick understanding of numbers like 1/2.3, skip to table of sensor formats and sizes. For a simplified discussion of image sensors see image sensor.
The Leica M mount is a camera lens mount introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3, and a range of lenses. It has been used on all the Leica M-series cameras and certain accessories up to the current film Leica M-A and digital Leica M10 cameras.
The Digital Classic Camera Leica M3 is a miniature replica camera with the outer appearance of an old Leica M3 viewfinder camera. It comes delivered in a massive wooden box. Its digital camera processor is made by Zoran. Its body is made of metal, covered with leatherette. Some of the metal levers are movable but without function. The camera is very small and light. A special flash in oldtime style is available for Minox's series of classic analog and digital replicas. Two buttons and the 2 digit display are the user interface, a special USB-cable must be plugged in as a computer interface. Despite its proper image quality it could also be seen as a toy camera, or even better as a 'model camera'. In webcam mode it has only a resolution of 320x240 pixels.
The Leica M9 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera from Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2009. It uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak image sensor, and is compatible with almost all M mount lenses.
Leica X1 is a compact fixed-lens, large-sensor digital camera by Leica. The pre-production model was released to reviewers in September 2009.
The Ricoh GXR is a compact digital camera first announced by Ricoh Company, Ltd, Tokyo on November 10, 2009. Unlike conventional cameras which either have a fixed lens and sensor or interchangeable lens and a fixed sensor, the GXR takes interchangeable units, each housing a lens, sensor and image processing engine. This allows each unit to have these features optimised to one another and a specific task, whereas with conventional interchangeable lens cameras, each different lens must use the same sensor and engine. The sealed units also prevent dust from reaching the sensor, which can be a problem with other cameras where the sensor is exposed whilst a lens is being changed. A significant disadvantage of this system is the extra cost involved in having to buy a whole new sensor with every new lens.
A mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC), frequently simply mirrorless camera, also called DSLM, and sometimes also called EVIL features a single, removable lens and uses a digital display system rather than an optical viewfinder. The word "mirrorless" indicates that the camera does not have an optical mirror or an optical viewfinder like a conventional digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), but an electronic viewfinder which displays what the camera image sensor sees.
The Pentax Q series is a series of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras made by Pentax and introduced in 2011 with the initial model Pentax Q. As of September 2012, it was the world’s smallest, lightest interchangeable lens digital camera. The first models used a 1/2.3" back-illuminated sensor CMOS image sensor. The Q7, introduced in June 2013, uses a larger 1/1.7" type sensor.
The Fujifilm X series of digital cameras consists of Fujifilm's high-end digital cameras and is aimed at professional and keen enthusiast photographers. It is part of the larger range of Fujifilm's digital cameras. The X series itself is not characterized by a single common sensor size or technology.
The Leica M Monochrom is a is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera of Leica Camera AG, and features a monochrome sensor. The camera was announced on May 10, 2012. Delivery started September 2012 in black finish only. A Leica M Monochrom in Silver was announced May 22, 2014.
The Leica SL is a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera announced by Leica Camera AG on 20 October 2015. The SL is promoted as a camera system for professional applications. Beside the Leica S-System, the Leica SL-System is the 2nd professional camera system in the company's product portfolio.
The Leica M is a digital rangefinder camera announced by Leica Camera on November 19, 2015. The shutter and cocking mechanism are much quieter than in the earlier and higher-priced M Typ 240, and allow two frames per second to be recorded in single shot mode. The model omits the Typ 240's live view and video capabilities, and has a much simpler menu structure and one-button access to white balance settings. The Leica M has a CMOS full-frame sensor with a 24 Megapixel resolution, with an ISO of up to 6400. The usual brass camera body has been replaced with an aluminum alloy top plate, for a reduction in weight.
The Leica M10 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera in Leica Camera AG's rangefinder M series. It accepts Leica M-mount lenses. The camera was introduced on 19 January 2017.
A full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera is a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera with a digital sensor the same size as 35 mm format film.
The Leica M-E is a digital rangefinder camera announced by Leica Camera on June 24, 2019. The Leica M-E is an 'entry-level' model in Leica’s M mount of rangefinder cameras. It features a 24 Megapixels full-frame CMOS sensor, Leica's Maestro processor, and a 2GB buffer for sustained burst capture. Video can be captured at 1080/30p. As with all Leica M-series models, the camera is hand-built and weather-sealed. The camera is essentially a Leica M but is made with alloy metals which is lighter than the usual brass top and bottom plates. The camera is finished in "Anthracite Paint" with black leather wrap.
The Leica M Monochrom is a digital rangefinder camera manufactured by Leica Camera. It was released on 30 April 2015. The Leica M Monochrome uses a full frame 24 Megapixels CMOS sensor that, like it’s predecessor the Leica M Monochrom, has no color filter array. It is therefore Leica's second black and white only camera. It is essentially a monochrom version of the Leica M. The M Monochrom offers an increase in ISO range up to ISO 25,000, a new 3 inches 921,000-dot LCD screen and live view shooting including focus peaking and 10x magnification. Also included is full HD video recording.
The Leica X-U is a compact underwater camera by Leica Cameras, released on 20 January 2016. The Leica X-U combines the APS-C format CMOS sensor of 16.5 megapixels with the Leica Summilux 23 mm f/1.7 ASPH lens. The camera records video in 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second in MP4 video format. Made in Germany in collaboration with Audi Design, the Leica X-U has a aluminium top plate and an anti-slip TPE protective armor. The camera is fully waterproof at depths of up to 15 mm or 49 feet.
The Leica M-D was a digital Rangefinder camera released by Leica Camera on 28 April 2016. The M-D is the second digital camera in the Leica M mount line-up without the rear LCD screen. The first such camera was the Leica M Edition 60 on 16 September 2014, which was released to mark the sixtieth anniversary of its Leica M rangefinder system. Only 600 of these models were made, and were sold for about $18,000/£12,000. The M-D however was a full production model. The camera went on sale in May 2016 with a price of $5995/£4650.
