Leica M-Monochrom

Leica M-Monochrom is Leica's Pro Mirrorless digital camera originally announced on May of 2012. It includes a 18 MegaPixel, CCD Full frame size sensor with a peak resolution of 5212 x 3472.

The M-Monochrom is placed #69 out of 70 in Pro Mirrorless cameras & all round #462 out of 1465 for cameras in our database. You can check our Advanced camera finder to see camera ratings based on your custom requirements.

Below is a diagram of different criteria used in the scoring system.

The Leica M-Monochrom has a history of related cameras. Underneath, you can find all earlier and most recent models alongside main specifications.

You can look at the M-Monochrom from different angles in the gallery here.

Here is a collection of upsides and downsides of the Leica M-Monochrom based on things which are oftentimes seen as important in a digital camera.

The specification of the sensor in the Leica M-Monochrom is 36mm x 24mm (Full frame). The 864 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 5212 x 3472 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2.

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The CCD sensor has 18 megapixels and features a standard ISO range of 160 - 10000. RAW format is saved so the user has more margin for error.

The picture underneath shows the M-Monochrom's sensor size when compared to other popular sizes. The M-Monochrom sensor has a crop factor of 1 and is outlined in green.

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To get an idea of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Leica M-Monochrom weighs in at 1.32 lb (600 grams or 21.16 ounces) & the dimensions of the camera is 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5"). The weight of general Pro Mirrorless camera is 722 grams so the Leica M-Monochrom is lighter as compared to various rivals.

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Underneath is a shot of the Leica M-Monochrom alongside a soda to help you get a sense of its size.

The top view just below will illustrate the button design on the M-Monochrom.

The M-Monochrom uses the Leica M mount and has 62 lenses on sale. Here is a few of the lenses we have in our collection that will fit the M-Monochrom.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Carl Zeiss Distagon T 2,815 ZM15mmf/2.8 550g

Voigtlander 12mm F5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar12mmf/5.6 230g

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Carl Zeiss Distagon T1.4 35 ZM35mmf/1.4 381g

Leica Summarit-M 90mm F2.4 ASPH90mmf/2.4 360g

Leica Elmar-M 24mm f3.8 ASPH24mmf/3.8 260g

Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar T 485 ZM85mmf/4.0 310g

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Leica APO-Summicron-M 90mm f2 ASPH90mmf/2.0 500g

The M-Monochrom has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Cameras that incorporate NFC and Bluetooth support can easily be used wirelessly by smartphones. You can transfer images and sometimes adjust settings without the hassle of connecting directly with the camera.

Several apps also allow a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external monitor. Virtually all cameras enable you to recharge the battery with the USB port.

Leica M-Monochrom does not record video. In case you are looking for a digital camera to shoot just pictures, it might not be a concern.

Leica M-Monochrom doesn't have weather sealing so rainy conditions might ruin the camera.

The Leica M-Monochrom includes a 2.5" fixed display having a resolution of 230k dots.

Please note that the display screen has no touch support.

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The View Finder specifications for Leica M-Monochrom are below:

• ViewFinder Optical (rangefinder)
• ViewFinder Magnification 0.68x

For sunny outdoor situations that make the camera screens washed out and challenging to see, viewfinders will be pretty helpful.

Leica M-Monochrom has the ability to shoot continuously at 2.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

Leica M-Monochrom comes with external flash ability but comes without built-in flash. The max flash sync is 1/180 seconds.

Leica M-Monochrom lacks Auto focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more quicker and accurate as compared to Contrast Detect focusing.

Leica M-Monochrom has the ability to use manual focus when needed in low light or you want more accurate focus control.

The battery power for the Leica M-Monochrom is built to last for 350 clicks according to the CIPA measurements which is lesser in comparison with it's competition. The typical Pro Mirrorless camera battery life is 460. Olympus E-M1X has the highest (870) battery life in this category of cameras.

Here is a list of Pro Mirrorless cameras that have the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Olympus E-M1X
M-Monochrom vs E-M1X870 yesnoyes

Fujifilm GFX 100
M-Monochrom vs Fujifilm GFX 100800 yesnoyes

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Canon R3
M-Monochrom vs R3760 yesnoyes

Nikon Z9
M-Monochrom vs Z9740 yesnoyes

Leica M11
M-Monochrom vs M11700 yesnono

The following chart presents a analysis of the Leica M-Monochrom for different forms of photography. To understand more, have a look at the specific section underneath.

The Leica M-Monochrom receives a points tally of 71 which is above average, and means the camera is a respectable option to use for portrait photos. Photographing portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor dimension, support for RAW photos in addition to the flexibility to utilize off-camera flash.

Having a above average score of 65, the Leica M-Monochrom is a very decent fit to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera gives a good balance of image quality plus portability.

A horrible sports photography score of 45 indicates the Leica M-Monochrom is just not acceptable for photographing sports. A camera needs to have good focusing and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is really important in choosing a travel camera. All things considered, the Leica M-Monochrom gets a moderate 54 for a travel camera which makes it fairly acceptable to buy for your holidays.

If you are looking to choose a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most essential factor is going to be image quality. The Leica M-Monochrom and it's moderate score of 58 for a landscape camera is fairly appropriate in the current marketplace.

A vlogging camera should come with a moving display screen, mic port and ideally IBIS. Taking everything into account, the Leica M-Monochrom is just not acceptable as a vlog camera as it comes to a horrible rating of 9.

If you are in the market for replacements to the M-Monochrom, here is a range of the top ranked cameras that fall under the category of Pro Mirrorless.

The diagram here gives you a summary of the M-Monochrom vs it's highest ranking competitors shown above.

Here are a handful of other cameras you may consider as alternatives. To check out a detailed comparison, visit the "compare" link.