With a New Image Sensor and Image Processing Engine,
Now Equipped with Live View and Full HD Video Recording

On September 17th, the day before the opening of "Photokina 2012," a comprehensive trade fair for cameras and imaging equipment where the world's camera manufacturers gather in Cologne, Germany's fourth-largest city, Leica Camera AG hosted a special event at 7 PM, inviting customers and journalists from around the globe. The company unveiled its new products, to be showcased at the trade fair, for the first time in the world.

The announcements included the "Leica M," the successor to the current M9; the "Leica M-E," an entry-level M digital camera; the "Leica S," the latest model in the medium-format digital SLR line, replacing the current S2, along with three new lenses exclusively for the S system. Also introduced were the compact digital cameras "Leica D-LUX 6" and "Leica V-LUX 4," a customized version of the Made in Germany premium compact digital camera X2 called the "Leica X A La Carte," and a special limited edition of the X2, the "Leica X2 Paul Smith Edition," created in collaboration with renowned British designer Paul Smith.

The M System Enters a New Era in Technology and Naming

Among this impressive lineup of new products, the most noteworthy is undoubtedly the new "Leica M," a digital rangefinder camera that represents a significant technological leap from the M9. It features a 24-megapixel CMOS sensor, co-developed with CMOSIS, and the high-performance "Leica Maestro" image processing engine, previously found in the professional medium-format SLR "Leica S." This combination delivers unprecedented image quality and response speed. Furthermore, the 3.0-inch LCD monitor with 920,000 pixels enables live view functionality, allowing users to preview the image captured by the lens during shooting (with two types of focus aid functions), and the full HD video recording capability is also a groundbreaking innovation.

To facilitate the use of live view and its focus aid functions, two dedicated buttons have been newly added to the front of the body. Additionally, a thumb rest has been incorporated into the top cover, on the upper right side of the rear, near the setting dial, to enhance grip and handling.

The materials used are top and base plates milled from solid brass, with a unibody magnesium alloy die-cast chassis. The body is further protected from dust and moisture by a special rubber sealing.

Adding to the excitement for Leica fans, an accessory called the "Leica R Adapter M" has been introduced, allowing most of Leica's R lenses to be used with this new M system.

Other accessories are also abundant, including the external electronic viewfinder "Leica EVF2," the "Multi Function Handgrip M" with GPS functionality, three types of "Finger Loops," and the "Leica Microphone Adapter Set" for high-quality audio recording during video capture.

With this new "Leica M," where all elements involved in image generation, starting with the image sensor, have been developed in-house, Leica has opened a new chapter for digital rangefinder cameras, further solidifying its unique position in the world of photography. The same can be said for the simultaneously announced S system; the new "Leica M" and its system offer an experience that can only be found with Leica.

The Special Event and Venue Layout: A World Uniquely Leica!

The special event held at the exhibition venue on the evening of the 17th, as well as the venue's layout, were uniquely Leica and groundbreaking, entirely distinct from other camera brands.

The special event was divided into two parts: the first stage starting at 7 PM and the second stage at 9 PM. While the second stage was dedicated to the new product announcement, the first stage, preceding it, was a deeply moving and special occasion for those familiar with the history of photojournalism.

The main theme of the stage was a photograph that ignited an anti-war movement across the United States and the world: the image of a 9-year-old girl, burned by napalm and fleeing naked during the Vietnam War. Known in Japan as "Girl Fleeing Napalm," this iconic photograph, taken with a Leica on June 8, 1972, was literally a "picture that changed the world."

Remarkably, Nick Ut, who took the photograph for the Associated Press, and Kim Phuc, the subject of the photo at age nine, appeared on stage. Also present were related individuals such as David Burnett, a Saigon bureau photographer for AP at the time who was with Ut, and they offered their comments. Furthermore, Magnum Photos photographers Steve McCurry and Barbara Klemm, who, like Ut, captured "pictures that changed the world" with a Leica, also took the stage, receiving thunderous applause from the moved guests.

Even more groundbreaking was the venue's layout. While the 5,000 square meter space was impressive, approximately two-thirds of it, 3,300 square meters, was dedicated to a gallery. This gallery showcased works shot with Leica by 20 photographers, including Ut, McCurry, Klemm, Elliott Erwitt, and Nobuyoshi Araki.

Visitors to the Leica booth could immerse themselves not only in new products but also in the world of Leica, the "camera that changed the world," from contemporary photojournalism to masterpieces of artistic photography, alongside historically significant images.
Leica remains, unequivocally, Leica.
This was a night that reaffirmed that fact.

Leica Camera Japan
Tel. 03-5221-9501
http://www.leica-camera.co.jp