Leica M Monochrom
A passion for picture quality. Black and white.


A PASSION FOR PICTURE QUALITY. BLACK AND WHITE.
The next level
Digital black-and-white photography with the M Monochrom
The high standards of the world’s first digital black-and-white camera are carried forward into the next generation – and exceeded.

Instantaneous response
Decisive moments happen once in a lifetime
Thanks to the Leica Maestro image processor and 2 GB of buffer memory, waiting until the camera is ready to shoot is now a thing of the past.

Instantaneous response
With a monochrome sensor
As the Leica M Monochrom has no need for a colour filter, there’s also no need to calculate luminance values by interpolation. The result: black-and-white pictures with unrivalled sharpness – even when shooting in low light.

The next level
Photographers who consciously employ the unique aesthetics of black-and-white photography to express their creativity can rely on the Leica M Monochrom as a modern tool. As the successor to the world’s first digital black-and-white camera, it offers the latest technologies to support creative visualisation in its archetypal form. For pictures of unequalled quality. For pictures with previously unimaginable sharpness, depth and clarity. A pioneer in every respect. A true Leica.

Instantaneous response

Black-and-white photography with unrivalled speed: with the Leica Maestro, the Leica M Monochrom not only features the same high-performance processor as its counterpart with colour vision, the Leica M, but also offers the extra speed reserves of a 2 GB buffer memory. This enables sequential shooting at three times the speed of the previous model – with pictures in the exceptional M quality photographers expect. The pictures are instantaneously available for display in review mode and written as JPEG files and/or RAW data in DNG format to the memory card.
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Leica M Monochrom – the sharpest way to see things in black and white: thanks to a high-resolution 24-megapixel sensor that captures images in 35 mm full-frame format – with three times the speed of its predecessor. As the sensor records only luminance values, this leads to 100% sharper pictures with an exceptional depth, clarity and resolution of details that by far exceed those of colour exposures – even when shooting with the highest ISO sensitivity settings. Pictures that already satisfy professional demands in JPEG format.

A discreet delight

Discreet and solidly built, the Leica M Monochrom brings all the essentials anyone could ever need for unobtrusive photography – to last a lifetime, if you wish. Its endurance is guaranteed by the superior quality and solidity of the materials that go into its construction – top deck and baseplate are machined from solid brass and the camera body is engineered from high-strength magnesium alloy. Equally hard-wearing is the extremely scratch-resistant and almost unbreakable sapphire glass cover plate for its LCD monitor. This reduction to the essentials is what makes it a true Leica.
As if painted with light
The omission of colour filters in front of the sensor allows more light to reach its surface. More light for aesthetic, pin-sharp and finely resolved exposures at sensitivities up to ISO 25000. Pictures that possess a finely grained noise signature at the highest ISO values that are reminiscent of the look of analogue photos. Thanks to the combination of low susceptibility to noise, a bright viewfinder/rangefinder, a low-vibration shutter release and fast lenses, the Leica M Monochrom opens up entirely new dimensions for available-light photography.

Ragnar Axelsson Proof of Performance ISO12500
Creative contrasts
By modifying the conversion of colours to grey scale values, yellow, green and orange lens filters – calculated especially for use with the Leica M Monochrom – offer new opportunities for the exploration of creative effects with light and contrast. This means that the colour of the filter in the original scene becomes brighter and its complementary colour darker. This is effective for creating unusual moods in landscapes, portraits and other genres of photography. At the same time, multilayer coating reduces reflections and ensures high transmission without vignetting.

Full visual control with Live View

In Live View mode, the high-resolution 3″ monitor with a resolution of 921,600 pixels enables complete control of composition, framing, exposure, focusing and depth of field. Live View also offers two additional focusing methods: Live View Zoom for tenfold magnification of the scene or subject, and Focus Peaking, which automatically marks the edges of objects in colour when they are sharply focused. All leading to the same destination: pictures with exceptional sharpness.
Moving pictures in M quality
Video at the press of a button: the Leica M Monochrom has a separate release button for activating video recording in 1080p full-HD format. Thanks to a dedicated adapter, the legendary R-series lenses can also be used for recording video with all available functions. Perfect sound is ensured by an optional Leica microphone adapter set, comprising an adapter and a stereo microphone.

More creative options

With the Leica M Monochrom, characteristic toning effects from analogue black-and-white photography can be applied to images at the touch of a button. Simply save the exposure in JPEG format and select the desired toning effect – it’s as easy as that, and creates fascinating results.
Imaging | |
Lens Mount | Leica M |
Camera Format | Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor) |
Pixels | Effective: 24 Megapixel |
Maximum Resolution | 5976 x 3992 |
Aspect Ratio | 1970-01-01 03:02:00 |
Sensor Type | CMOS |
Sensor Size | 23.9 x 35.8 mm |
Image File Format | DNG, JPEG |
Image Stabilization | None |
Exposure Control | |
ISO Sensitivity | Auto, 320 to 25000 |
Shutter Speed | Electronic Front Curtain Shutter |
1/4000 to 60 Seconds in Aperture Priority Mode | |
1/4000 to 8 Seconds in Manual Mode | |
0 to 60 Seconds in Time Mode | |
Metering Method | Center-Weighted Average |
Exposure Modes | Aperture Priority, Manual |
Metering Range | 0 to 20 EV |
Continuous Shooting | Up to 3 fps at 24 MP for up to 30 Exposures (JPEG) |
Self-Timer | 2/12-Second Delay |
Video | |
Recording Modes | Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 24.00p/25p |
HD (1280 x 720) at 24.00p/25p | |
Video Encoding | NTSC/PAL |
Audio Recording | Built-In Microphone (Mono) |
External Microphone Input | |
Focus | |
Focus Type | Manual Focus Only |
Viewfinder and Monitor | |
Viewfinder Type | Optical |
Viewfinder Magnification | Approx. 0.68x |
Monitor Size | 3" |
Monitor Resolution | 921,600 Dot |
Monitor Type | Fixed LCD |
Flash | |
Built-In Flash | No |
Flash Modes | First-Curtain Sync, Second-Curtain Sync |
Maximum Sync Speed | 1/180 Second |
Flash Compensation | -3 to +1 EV (1/3 EV Steps) |
Dedicated Flash System | TTL |
External Flash Connection | Hot Shoe |
Interface | |
Memory Card Slot | Single Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Wireless | None |
GPS | No |
Environmental | |
Operating Temperature | 32 to 104°F / 0 to 40°C |
Physical | |
Battery | 1 x BP-SCL2 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.4 VDC, 1800 mAh |
Dimensions (W x H x D) | 5.5 x 1.7 x 3.1" / 138.6 x 42 x 80 mm |
Weight | 1.5 lb / 680 g (Body with Battery) |
Packaging Info | |
Package Weight | 5.695 lb |
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) | 9.05 x 9.05 x 6.8" |



























