While Leica’s place in history was cemented by not only the war photographers who used it to document life on the frontline in World War II and Vietnam, but it’s place as the camera of street photographers the world over (it was the choice of ‘Father of Photojournalism’, Henri Cartier-Bresson), it’s good to see that the German brand rests not on it s reputation but on where it’s going next.
The Leica T Series was created to celebrate 100 years of the company and minimalism is key: in both form and function. The result of design collaboration with Audi this is the first camera ever made from a single block of metal.
A slick snapper where clutter is kept to a minimum, the T Series has four main control elements. The idea is that this is a camera you can take from the box and get shooting instantly. There aren’t too many functions, but there aren’t too few either. The customised ‘My Camera’ section on the large touch screen allows you to rearrange and delete settings, completely customising each and every shot. The APS-C sensor is a 16-megapixel Sony chip and there are four high power lenses available.
Crucially for a modern photographer, share-ability is a key element in the camera’s DNA and the Leica T comes with both Wifi connectivity and a sidecar mobile app that you can download allowing you remote control of the camera through your Smartphone. All of which means that whether taking images of inner city conflict that will be seen the world over, or simply taking a shot of your lunch to annoy people on Instagram, the Leica T is a camera that will take you there with minimum fuss and maximum style.
Out now, approx. Dhs 15,000