First impressions of the Leica M10-P

I am so thrilled to be the new owner of a Leica M10-P. I can hardly believe it. An M10 has been a dream camera since they were announced. I never imagined I’d actually own one. But, circumstances have allowed me to begin putting together what I consider the ultimate “kit” for me, and the M10 is at its center. I couldn’t be happier.

I went a little beyond what I’d intended and got the M10-P version rather than the original M10. Leica often releases a modest “P” update to camera models a year or two after the original version ships. The M10-P adds a few nice updates to the original:

• Rear screen is a touch-screen
• The shutter is quieter. It’s nearly silent.
• Removes Leica red dot logo from front
• Adds “Leica” script engraving to top
• Color-matched metal hot shoe cover

Prices on the M10 and M10-P have dropped since the recent release of the M10-R so I felt better about going for the newer model.

TL;DR: I’m so happy with this camera I could shit bubblegum.

It handles exactly like my beloved M6. This is all I wanted. In 2009 I sold my film Leicas to fund an M8. I hated that camera. It was too fat. It felt chunky and clumsy in hand. It didn’t feel like the M6 I sold to get it. The M8 was slow, terrible in low light, had IR issues with the sensor, and was kind of ugly for a Leica. But really, what I didn’t like was how it handled. It felt, wrong.

Not so with the M10-P. This camera feels how a Leica M is supposed to feel. It’s made from dense, machined brass and magnesium, Gorilla glass, has an immaculate finish, and everything feels soooo good to the touch and works with confidence-inspiring, satisfying clicks.

Speaking of satisfying clicks, that shutter! It’s so quiet I almost can’t hear it. This is a real shutter, so making it this quiet must’ve been quite a trick.

The viewfinder is amazing. Going back to .73 magnification and adding a bit of eye relief makes focusing while wearing glasses downright pleasant. Only the original M3 gives me the same feeling of “Wow!” while looking through it.

As for the digital-ey bits, they’re kept to a miniumum. There are like three buttons and a directional pad. Play, Live View, Menu. That’s it. The menus are sparse, simple, and plain. No ports, no extra holes, no video. It’s a nice change.

Basically, it’s an M, through and through and I love it.

Now I can switch between film and digital and use the same lenses, same kind of viewfinder/focusing, same size and shape…same experience.

I’ve only had it for a few days, so I’ve not even taken any photos worth posting. I’ll get to that later. In the meantime, I’m walking around the house snapping pictures of my dog and family and random objects and having the time of my life.