Leica is known for creating some of the world's most exquisitely expensive cameras, but the German company is introducing something a tad more affordable with the M Typ 262.
Though the M Typ 262 offers a 24MP full-frame CMOS sensor like the rest of Leica's camera lineup, it has a pared-down pared-down feature set that does not include video shooting. The Typ 262 is also built with an aluminum top plate, which makes it 100 grams lighter than the brass-clad Leica M Typ 240.
Most importantly, while the Leica M Typ 262 is outfitted with a rear LCD it's not used to display a live picture and instead users will have to rely on the optical rangefinder to find focus and frame their shot.
It's a nod to Leica's analog roots and the Typ 262 is meant to be used as a true rangefinder camera, but this omission seems odd because streaming a live-view picture from the sensor to the screen isn't an impossible feat. The Omission is especially striking, because the feature is available on many, many cameras including your basic point-and-shoot and smartphones.
Of course, there's more to the Leica Typ 262 than just cut corners. Leica has also engineered a new, silent shutter mechanism, which the German camera manufacturer claimed to use a considerably quieter shutter cocking mechanism than the system used in previous models.
The new mechanism also allows the camera to take up to two frames in single shot mode and users will be able to take three frames per second in burst mode.
Though the Typ 262 is the least expensive of Leica's M-series cameras, it still costs a whopping $5195 or £4050 (about AU$7,173) and it's available now. By comparison, the higher-end Typ 240 goes for $6,950 (£4299, AU$7,950).
