Leica's high-res mono rangefinder — the M10 Monochrom, 40MP CMOS, black-and-white only, 2020.
The Leica M10 Monochrom was released in 2020 as the black-and-white-only member of the M10 rangefinder family, following the earlier CCD-based Monochrom and the M Monochrom (Typ 246). Like its predecessors it uses a sensor with no colour filter, dedicated entirely to monochrome capture at high resolution.
The M10 Monochrom is a full-frame digital rangefinder with a 40-megapixel black-and-white-only CMOS sensor and the Leica M bayonet mount, compatible with M-mount lenses. Focusing is by coupled optical rangefinder through the bright-line optical finder, and because the sensor records luminance directly without a colour array it resolves fine detail and offers a wide ISO range. It is a stills-only camera with no video.
It suits documentary, street and fine-art photographers who work only in black and white and want the highest detail the M system offers. The high resolution and clean high-ISO output make it a capable low-light tool, and the manual-focus rangefinder handling continues the deliberate M working method, with every exposure committed to monochrome at capture.
When buying, check the shutter count, inspect the sensor for dust and marks, and test the screen for dead or stuck pixels. Verify the rangefinder patch contrast and vertical and horizontal alignment as a key buying check, confirm the frame lines and finder are clean, and check the base-plate, card-door and battery health. As a CMOS body it is free of the CCD sensor-corrosion issue that affected the earlier CCD Monochrom, M8 and M9, so the main concerns are mechanical wear and screen condition.