With the onslaught of a variety of compact system cameras from various tech giants and with impressive technical specs, Leica Monochrome can already be considered an outdated camera. But the real question is whether it has become obsolete or not. The answer to this question, according to most professional photographers and tech analysts, is in negative. It is widely believed that while this camera might be outdated, it still retains that classic look and functions that every photographer appreciates. And while there might be other cameras with better functions, Leica Monochrome remains to be among the foremost choices of the photographers having a penchant for B&W photography.
Black and white images have a fascination and classic look of their own and for such photography, there are very few cameras in the market. Leica Monochrome not only provides the best quality when it comes to B&W photography, it also showcases that classic look that is the very distinguishing feature of the vintage cameras.
for many photographers, the combination of Leica M9 and Monochrome is something that they can rarely get from anywhere else. While there are other impressive compact system cameras with perhaps even better specs, such as Olympus OM-D and Sony RX100, photographers who have used Leica M have rarely diverted from it.
A distinguishing feature of Leica Monochrome is that, even though it happens to be a digital camera, it gives that feel and look of classic M film cameras from Leica. With a very simple physical structure and minimal functionality, the camera uses some of the finest lenses in the market. Results from this camera using the 35 Summilux FLE or 50 Summilux ASPH is particularly amazing.
When it comes to black and white photography, there are not many cameras in the market that can offer accurately desired results. Leica Monochrome is one such camera and is considered by many professional photographers to be the best choice for black and white photography. The combination of Leica M with 50 Summicron ASPH APO is considered one of the very best for B&W photography, although the lens is a bit costly. The image quality of the camera is not very distant from that of M9 or M9-P, except that there is no color in case of Monochrome. A unique quality of this camera is that it has better performance at higher ISO compared to many other colored cameras.
So while there might be more advanced compact system cameras in the market with better technical specs and features, the worth of Leica Monochrome remains to be quite high among the photographers. Considered to be one of the very best cameras for black and white photography, this device might very well be outdated but it is certainly not obsolete. Price of the camera at $8000 certainly seems a bit high but most professional photographers plainly consider it worth it. But still, it seems out of the reach of amateur and aspiring photographers with rather constrained budget limits.
