Hands On With the Leica M Edition 60

Leica answered a few prayers, and left a lot of folks baffled, when it announced the limited-edition M Edition 60 at Photokina. The full-frame digital rangefinder is strictly limited to 600 units, each paired one of the company's finest lenses, the current version of the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. And it omits one thing that almost every digital camera has—an LCD display.

I've seen online forum posts from a few film stalwarts who wanted this type of camera, one that eliminates the temptation of reviewing a photo immediately after it's captured, and it's finally here—there just aren't a lot of them available for purchase. And, if you do want to buy a set, be prepared for the price: $18,500. That's a $6,100 premium over the standard M (Typ 240) ($4,799.99 at Amazon) and 35mm f/1.4, but Leica limited editions tend to appreciate in value over time.

The camera's release marks the 60th anniversary of the original M-mount rangefinder, the M3. As you can see from the side-by-side of my M3 and the M Edition 60 above, the basic form of the camera hasn't really changed in that time. The film advance lever and rewind button are gone, as is the frameline preview lever, but the basic shape is the same. The M3 was available in silver chrome, with a few rare examples in black painted brass, but the Leica 60 uses stainless steel for its top and bottom plates, and in the barrel of the Summilux with which it ships. There is a hot shoe, so you can use an external flash, a PocketWizard ($105.00 at Amazon) , or an auxiliary optical finder, but there's no accessory port so you won't be able to add an electronic viewinder as you can with the M (Typ 240).

The lack of a rear display eliminates a lot of the controls that one is used to with a modern digital camera. Do you hate navigating through menus to change camera settings? Good news, there's no menu here. No menu at all. The camera shoots Raw DNG images only, JPG capture is not supported, and all of the settings are adjusted via controls on the body and lens. ISO sensitivity is set manually via a rear dial—the same type you use to set the ASA film speed on a metered film Leica like the M7 ($4,995). There's no auto setting for ISO, but you can set the shutter speed to automatically set based on the lens aperture and ISO speed. Like a film M, the shutter speed, whether it be manually or automatically selected, displays in the optical viewfinder. If you're shooting in full manual mode the viewfinder also shows you if your shot is going to be under, over, or properly exposed based on the M's internal light meter.

So what's it like shooting with the M 60? Not that different from a film camera, it turns out. I didn't get to take the M 60 for an extended test drive—there aren't a lot of these to go around—just about a half hour walking the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn on a rainy, gray day. The M 60 is sealed against dust and moisture, and while I did have a companion holding an umbrella over my head to shield the M from rain—it is a limited-edition model, after all—the drops of rain that did make their way to the top plate wiped off the stainless steel with no problems.

Despite its dreariness, the day was bright enough where I could set the lens to f/1.4, the ISO to 200, and the shutter speed dial to the automatic position, so I was only really worried about framing and focus. The viewfinder uses the same 0.68x magnification that digital M users are used to, but the M 60 does use white LED projected frame lines. Interestingly, the camera doesn't have strap lugs. Leica includes a half-case with an integrated strap, but I didn't get to see it. I used a wrist strap that secures via the tripod socket instead. If you like using a wrist strap with a rangefinder, I recommend the Camera Leash from Holdfast Gear. It's a leather strap, but it's wide so it doesn't dig into your wrist, and will prevent you from dropping $18,500 of camera and lens to the ground.

I still shoot film when I have the time, so the lack of instant feedback wasn't jarring. And, despite having room to record hundreds of images on a 16GB memory card, I didn't overshoot. When I'm using a film camera, I take a shot, and unless I feel like I missed it or did something completely dumb with settings, I move on. And that's just how I used the M 60.

But that's not the case when shooting with most digital cameras. The temptation to hit the Play button and check what I've just captured is always there, and if I think that I was just a little bit off with my framing or want to try a different aperture to change the depth of field, I take another shot. And often another, and another. I don't think I'm alone in this, and, while there have been times being able to review have prevented me from blowing a shot, most of the time I just end up with redundant images.

LCD or not, if you shoot enough, your instincts will tell you when it's a good idea to capture another exposure. Shooting with a rangefinder gives you an edge in this regard—there's no viewfinder blackout when the image is being made, so your eyes see what's happening through the viewfinder as the shutter opens and closes, and the viewfinder shows you what's happening outside the frame as well, so you can better anticipate action and adjust your framing to compensate. There's a tradeoff—you'll never have the same precision in framing an image as you will with the through-the-lens view of an SLR.

It does help to have a really good handle on how the M 60 meters. Its internals are the same as you'll find in the M (Typ 240). Like film Ms with internal meters, dating back to the M5, the modern M is center-weighted by default. That's all the M 60 has—it lacks the multi-segment metering that you can enable with the M 240. But even with a center-weighted pattern, shooting an object against the sky can fool the meter. To capture the image of the stop sign I metered off the gray asphalt street, holding the shutter halfway down to lock exposure, and then pointed the lens skyward to frame, focus, and fire off the shot. And, because the M 60 only shoots Raw images, I just needed to bring the highlights down a bit in Lightroom to get the shot looking the way I wanted it to.

It's pretty clear that Leica is aware that the M 60 isn't going to fly off the shelves. If there was a huge market, the M 60 would have been a standard issue rather than a limited edition. As it is, I'd imagine that a good portion of the 600 sets are going to end up in the hands of collectors. And, those souls who have been yearning for a digital without an LCD are going to have to pay a premium for the privilege of shooting with this camera. If you're one of them, best of luck securing a set, because you'll love the experience. If it isn't in the cards financially, well, you can go the M7 and Tri-X route. It's classic, and you won't be able to adjust the ISO from shot to shot, but you won't be able to chimp at images right after you've shot them. Rangefinder aficionados shouldn't forget about the non-limited version of the M (Typ 240). It's expensive in its own right, but it also handles a lot like a film M. You'll just have to muster the self-control to keep from hitting that Play button after making a photograph.