A Dream Came True - Leica M10-D
This is it! A dream finally came true. The camera I have longed for years...
First you ignore it you can’t afford it, second you could put the money together but you wouldn’t justify it, then you start considering selling some equipment and saving money from paid photography gigs, and then slowly you start envisioning the dream… You convince yourself, after all you live once!
…That’s how it started.
The Leica M10-D was launched in 2017. It is the third iteration of the Leica M10 series after the standard M10 followed by the refined M10-P.
If you follow this blog you may remember I sold my unloved X100V. Yeah i know its a great camera that has received much love and praise but for me it didn’t sparkle much enthusiasm. You can read my own review here.
So yeah I sold that little bugger, sold a few other Canon L lenses that i was not using anymore and then started the hunt! It took me some time but eventually my patience paid! I found the little gem i was dreaming for.
And…what a Beast !!! Compare to a Leica M6, which is already fantastic built the M10-D made of brass is another league altogether, stiff, hefty, cold, dense, but at the same time stealth, soft, round on the angle and super stylish…. What a joy to hold in your hands!
I understand that for some people a camera is just a tool but for me, as you may know already a camera is a lot more than just a tool. To me a camera needs to convey passion, a camera needs to be a beautiful item that give pleasure and provide sensation.
The Leica M10-D sports a full frame 24 MP sensor. It is known for not having a screen.
It was discontinued in late 2021. While not official it is said that Leica sold circa 2,000 copies of this camera in less than 4 years. It is the second generation of screen less camera after the M-D based on Leica M9.
I’ll tell you the truth….and I know i’m a minority, I don’t care so much about sharpness and IQ, for soulless pictures I have my dumb-smartphone. It takes good enough images. To me the only reason why I go out to take pictures is for that fleeting moment of holding the camera and triggering the shutter release. Beyond that, it becomes just a photo and more often than I would admit the outcome doesn’t live up to the pleasure I got when I compose my frame.
I enjoy that sense of ownership, the slow down process, the tactile feel of the knobs, the sound the shutter makes, the density of the brass, all that provide the experience I come to look for when I take my camera and go for a walk…. I take pleasure in the process of taking images and not at blowing up images on my computer.
And so this is why the Leica M10-D is to me the absolute best camera. No screen to come in the way, no screen to light my face up when I don’t want it, no screen to shine smudges of my nose, and more importantly no-thing that reminds me that I screwed up my setting!
Just enjoying the moment without distraction. The rest is just bonus.
If Im lucky I end up with few acceptable shots if not…oh well i had a great time handling this beautiful piece of history… what else can I ask for ?
