Leica's new 'entry' M rangefinder camera costs $3,995
In case you're cost-cutting when looking for a full-frame compact cam.
Good news: Leica just made its M-series cameras more accessible... relatively speaking. The company has introduced an M-E (Typ 240) model that preserves the compact rangefinder design and a 24-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, but at a slightly easier to swallow $3,995 price. It's not what we'd call a budget camera, but it beats spending thousands of dollars more. You will have to live with some limitations, though.
While the Typ 240 now has a healthy 2GB buffer that allows shooting three frames per second, the sensor only shoots at a max ISO of 6,400. It won't be a low-light champ, even if the full-frame sensor helps overall performance. You'll also have to settle for 1080p video recording, which may feel out of place when many phones can capture 4K.
The camera reaches stores on July 25th. It may be a tough sell if you're looking for image quality above all else, especially when Panasonic (Leica's usual hardware partner) offers the Lumix S1 for considerably less. This is more for people who crave Leica's particular combination of design and lens choices and can't quite justify paying the usual premium.
