The Leica M12 rangefinder camera is coming. Even though the Leica M11 was only released in January 2022 (I got one in the first week) I know that it stands to reason another flagship Leica M body is going to replace it in Leica’s line up. I love my Leica M11. Just like I loved my Leica M10, and the MP240 Safari and M240. But, as soon as the Leica M12 is available I plan to buy one and sell my M11.
It is currently October 2022. Normally with digital Leica Ms, the product cycle is 3 to 4 years, so I’m estimating the release date of the Leica M12 to be January 2026. When it comes to Leica gear, there is no point in wondering if you really want a new part of their range, just buy it. Because just buying it and owning it is better than continual wondering.
Sure, we are likely to see a Leica M11 Monochrome, an M11P, and probably some other limited edition/special M11s before the Leica M12. But the M12 will have to offer some big steps forward in camera technology and in the design of the body just like the M11 did over the M10. So, for now, let’s speculate and I’ll share what I think might happen, and what I want to see happen.
Leica will make a Big Innovation with the M12
This is obvious. Leica is all about big innovations in cameras, and perfects them. Leica is responsible for the use of the 35mm frame in a portable camera. So everyone who shoots 35mm ‘Full Frame Digital’ has Leica to thank for that.
What was the first interchangeable lens mirrorless camera?
Leica has been making interchangeable mirrorless cameras for a century. But who released the first digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera? It was not the Panasonic DMC-G1 in 2008 with a Four Thirds sensor. It was the Leica M8 in 2006. Leica’s innovation.
What was the first full frame mirrorless camera?
It was not the Sony A7 in 2013. Rather it was the Leica M9 in 2009. Leica’s innovation.
Leica is all about photographic innovation. Other companies just jump on board for the ride.
So What Could a Leica M12 Offer?
Thinking about what I want to see in the next Leica M. Leica, are you reading this? Please consider these points for the M12.
A Revolutionary Viewfinder that is both a Rangefinder and EVF
This ground-breaking idea could be far-fetched, even for the Leica M12, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it could be a great, and useful, practical and enjoyable feature for the next generation of Leica Ms. I am a massive fan of the rangefinder viewfinder. I get on well with the focussing patch and it works well for me. I use it, and don’t plan on buying a Visoflex because I wouldn’t use it. Not just because I can’t see myself using it to focus (I don’t really like EVFs) but I just don’t want it on top of my camera. But, I would like to see a way where with the flick of a switch, I can turn my rangefinder viewfinder into an EVF that works just like the Visoflex, and is built into the body.
In Built Sensor Cleaning
I want built in sensor cleaning in the Leica M12. While it is easy to do, I do not enjoy cleaning my Leica sensor because of the fear of making a terrible mistake. Also, mirrorless cameras, rangefinders, are susceptible to dust on the sensor. With the Leica M because you only have prime lenses that don’t zoom in and out, you tend to change lenses a lot, so dust gets into the camera. Dust is a fact of life with photography, if you don’t want to get dust on your sensor or lenses, then just don’t use them.
I think the Leica M11 is less susceptible to dust than the Leica M10. The M10 I had to clean every few months as dust always appeared on the sensor quite often, but with the M11 it hasn’t really happened yet, and the camera has had considerable use. I have a little dust, so maybe with a dust reduction system I’d never have to worry about cleaning my Leica M sensor again.
I want dual SD Card Slots…and Built in Memory
The Leica M11’s in built memory and SD slot is a great idea. The 64Gb means even if you forget your SD cards and can’t get any you can still take photographs. And, you can shoot with 1 copy of your image going to the internal memory and 1 to the SD card. It is great. No worries about accidental erasure. That was a bit improvement of the Leica M11 over the M10. But, I want to see Leica take this further with the M12, and offer 2 SD card slots where one can backup the other. This is because I want to see an ever expanding amount of memory available, and not be locked into the internal storage of the camera.
IBIS? No.
I don’t want to see IBIS in the Leica M12. I’m glad it never made it into the M11. For me, my photography is too pure. I just don’t like stabilisers, which always in my view trade off clarity for stability. That said, here is an interesting comment made by Stephan Schulz in an interview with Thorsten Overgaard: “On in-body image stabilization, it’s really obvious that it’s a question of body size. We have a priority on the body size, which has a great heritage, particularly for the Leica M, and having image stabilization needs some space in the body to move the sensor.
“We cannot talk about future products in our strategy, but you can be sure that we have a close look at in-body image stabilization. We think if it’s helpful for our customers, we may one day do it.”
That said, currently, with IBIS the actual sensor pane could mean slight shifts in the sensor’s position. That means the accuracy of a ‘third party’ focussing system, eg, the rangefinder itself is adversely affected if the sensor is wobbling on its axis with an IBIS system.
USB-C in the Leica M12?
Absolutely. Yes please! The USB-C port in the Leica M11 is perfect for downloading images and charging. It gives me a backup charger which has proven itself useful already.
The Camera Body will become more minimalist
Safe to say the Leica M12’s body will look like an M. But there will probably be more buttons removed from it. I agree with Eric Kim the FN button on the M11 is not useful, and can be merged with the select button on the arrow dial for most of its uses. I’d hope for a skinnier M body as well. And, that Leica will keep the option for the brass material. I like the hefty feel in my hands, it helps me keep the camera stable. And yes, a choice of chrome and black. I’ll always pick silver chrome, because I love the look.
The Leica M240 was a fat beast.
The Leica M10 was a return to a skinnier body that was easier and felt better to use. It was more enjoyable.
I don’t agree with Eric about removing the frame line lever. I use it a lot because I change lenses and want to preview different focal lengths when out and about. Eric Kim says, “nobody uses that lever in the front of the Leica M rangefinder camera,” remember Eric, just because one of us might use or not use a feature, doesn’t mean it is the same for everyone else in the Leica users community.
Base ISO of 64ISO
We got that in the M11, and I hope that Leica continues the low base ISO in the M12. We always hear about camera manufacturers boosting their top ISOs to higher and higher numbers (still they are not usable past 32,000ISOs) but there are significant uses of lower ISOs. They let me shoot wide open with fast lenses at slower shutter speeds in daylight for a unique look. And the tonal range from lower ISOs just can’t be beat.
Video Recording in the Leica M?
I doubt we’ll see the M12 have the capability to record video. Don’t get me wrong, it will have the technology (sensor, processor) to be able to record 4K or 8K video, but the M system is a purist’s camera. Leica removed video recording of the M240 with the M10 for that reason.
The Touch Screen and Connectivity
We will have the usual WiFi, improved touch screen with an updated user interface in the M12. The current interface in the M11 is good, but there are improvements that could be made, especially in the size of the buttons you can touch and interact with.
Sensor Resolution
The elephant in the room. How many megapixels will the Leica M12 have? On the one hand, I think it’ll have the same resolution as the M11. Don’t get me wrong – it won’t be the same sensor. By the time the M12 is released, Leica will likely have made some massive strides in sensor technology and will blow us away with something new and revolutionary. But, I don’t know if they will see the need to increase resolution. Will it be needed? The 2012 Leica M240 was 24 megapixels.
The 2017 Leica M10 was 24 megapixels too. The M10-R was a stop gap with higher resolution, until the 60 megapixel monster M11 came out.
I think we’ll see Leica keep the 3 levels of resolution in the M12 sensor, just like the M11, offering different levels of dynamic range. It’s a great feature of the M11.
Even if Leica does increase the sensor resolution in the M12, the argument that the resolution will be too high for the lenses is moot. Not only has Leica been bringing out new lenses with higher resolution sensors in mind, such as the 35 and 50mm Summicron APOs, and the new 35mm Summilux, but even the current line up of lenses is great.
In an interview with Thorsten Overgaard, Leica lens designer Peter Karbe said “We got rid of the worry of such things, the higher resolution and all. The new lenses are prepared to work with higher resolution.”
Yes I would like to see a boost in sensor resolution in the Leica M12. But also in other areas of sensor performance. I don’t know what they could be. Currently the Leica M11’s sensor is the pinnacle for me, but I would want to see Leica keep the M’s sensor current, and at the pinnacle of sensor technology with the M12. That said, as Peter Karbe mentioned, “Of course, if you are doing pixel peeping and such … It’s like looking at the thickness of the paint. But, Look at the picture.”
“Look at the Picture”
That is the important point. Who really cares what technology the Leica M12 will offer? No one cares what camera you use to take a stunning photo. Be it a phone, a compact, a disposable, or even a Leica. It is the emotion they feel when viewing your photo that counts. And the camera used for it doesn’t matter. What do you want to see in the Leica M12? What do you think there will be? Please let me know.
I have no insider information about what Leica is planning with the M12. This is purely my predictions, and wish list after having enjoyed their digital Ms since the M240 and the film MP. I’m a prolific Leica shooter, and can’t imagine using another camera system.
19 Responses
M12
Rangefinder hybrid EVF Inc focus peaking
IBIS
Sensor shift
Dual Card
7FPS
Increased RAW buffer
Sensor cleaning
Ultra fast start up time
Increased battery performance
Those improvements would never make me buy an M12. Image quality will be more or less the same. Yet nothing beats the unique qualities of analogue color and thus is where research needs to be done. Either bring out a camera that can shoot and automatically transfer a chemical image into a digital file or “simulate” film ( Fuji is trying but did not manage to get close at all). Sure Leica says it is all about pure photography but a CMOS sensor is not really that pure and the M6 loaded with some analogue film will still get you results that a M11 or 12 can never achieve because you would need an extremely good HDR function in order to mimic the way that analogue film handles the balance of color, light and shadow. Working with digital cameras is still frustrating in this regard. If you take an image in a dark room with a brighter window it can’t expose for both so you either turn down the highlights or push the shadows and this will never look as good as in an analogue picture which can be developed so that it comes much closer to how the human eye/brain processes the scene. HDR tries to fix this but it looks ridiculous.
Thanks for a great comment. I agree with you. There is a certain beauty in imperfection with photographs, which is why I’ve starting shooting with the Sunny 16 Rule a lot more. It does seem that in the modern digital world we care more about achieving a perfect looking histogram more than a photograph we enjoy looking at.
100 % agree (+ Video option as well)
LEICA M12
Rangefinder hybrid EVF Inc focus peaking
IBIS
17 Stops Dynamic Range
240 MP Sensor shift
Dual Type B Card
7FPS RAW
Increased RAW buffer
Sensor cleaning
Ultra fast start up time
Increased battery performance
Tilting LCD
That’s a perfect Leica M
A tilting LCD I don’t know. I hardly use the screen. 7FPS, yep I’d want that in the next Leica M.
Why? If you are looking at your images on a computer screen it makes no difference whatsoever. It is only when you make a large print that you can possibly tell the difference. How many large prints do you make? Even then, the printer itself will make a greater difference than increased sensor resolution.
Compare the color rendition of the various sensors, I think you will find greater differences in color profile than you might expect. Which is most the pleasing v.most accurate? What light are you using to view your print? Again even the time of day you are shooting in will produce greater differences than variation between good sensors. Don’t compare a Leica M to an entry level digital camera–it’s an unfair fight.
Regarding the hybrid finder, Stefan Daniel has said that Leica experimented with the concept, but ended up with unacceptable compromises to both viewing approaches, resulting in a no-go. Space limitations are key. His comments appear in the linked article, and he repeated these comments in another recent public discussion…
https://www.reddotforum.com/content/2017/02/the-leica-m10-a-discussion-with-stefan-daniel-and-jesko-von-oeynhausen/
Note that Fuji never had a true rangefinder in their ‘hybrid’ system, so no company has done this successfully.
You used this terminology at one point near the end of the video when discussing possible new Leica lenses. To be clear, that’s not the way it works. Roger Cicala, the guru from Lensrentals, explained it best. Read the Appendix at the end of the linked article, “Why Perceptual Megapixels Are Stupid.”
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2019/10/more-ultra-high-resolution-mtf-experiments/
Peter Karbe likes to promote new lenses, but the old ones, even from more than 60 years ago, still work fantastically well on the M11.
The FN button by the shutter release is not useless. Having a programmable button right near the shutter release gives the digital camera extended life. Assuming other electronics do not fail, the mechanical actuator will one day. At that point, you can just program that button to be the shutter release. People always complain about digital cameras obsoleting. The location of this button is a hedge against that.
Thanks for a great bit of insight. I can see your point of view. I’m in 2 minds though because if a button failed, Leica’s after sales service is legendarily excellent, so I always feel safe from problems and looked after as a user of their cameras and lenses. Also I tend to update the digital bodies as new ones are released. My film bodies and lenses are for life, but digital I update with Leica’s cycle.
我的希望是：M12有8000万以上的传感器，增大黄斑对焦，使对焦更容易，但千万不要有视频功能，千万不要内置峰值对焦，峰值对焦本身就是来源于差不多的概念。
Translation: My hope is: M12 has more than 80 megapixels, increasing the macular focus to make focusing easier, but it must not have a video function, and must not have built-in focus peaking. The peak focus itself is derived from a similar concept.
Considering the Q3 today, and acknowledging that we’re discussing a different camera, here’s what we can expect in improvements:
– Leica is likely to incorporate the Maestro IV processor.
– While an EVF seems unlikely, a Rangefinder with a closer focusing distance of 0.3M might be introduced to complement new lenses (assuming it’s optically feasible). This would probably come before an EVF.
– We might see a bump to 1TB internal storage, reminiscent of the Hasselblad X2D. Consider the leap from 64GB in the M11 to 256GB in the M11M and subsequently the M11-P.
– Dual SD is off the table, but a single SD card slot beside the battery, similar to the Q3, might be a possibility.
– The FN button’s location might change, possibly moving to the top or the top back, akin to its position on the Q3.
– While I’d love to see IBIS, I doubt it’ll be included without enlarging the body. This is evident from the Sony models I’ve used where integrated IBIS results in a larger body.
– A tilt screen is almost certain. Given its importance in street photography and the current screen’s design, it’s a much-desired feature. Additionally, attracting younger photographers seems to be on Leica’s agenda.
– Video functionality will likely be reserved for the Q Line.
– Regarding the sensor, if Sony enhances the resolution for their forthcoming A7RVI, then Leica might adopt it. This mirrors the approach with the A7RV and M11 sensors. The innovation ball is in Sony’s court, perhaps aiming for 100MP. But only Sony can confirm this.
Thanks for some great insights.
The tilt screen is a must. Not a full selfie flip out ridiculous thing, but something you can look down on for shooting from the hip. Even if it was something like Fujis XPro 3? But most likely the same as the Q3.
It will be hugely controversial I’m sure, but discreet hip shots for street is so much trickier without. It’s nothing but form over function to leave it out now. Leica are 51% form obviously, but, come on, it’s time….
I agree. I’d enjoy shooting from the hip with the next Digital M. Thanks for some great thoughts.
The m8 was not the first interchangable lens mirrorless camera, not even the first digital rangefinder. both of those honors go to the epson r1d from 2004