Last week I had a chance to play with the new Leica T at the Leica Store in Palm Beach. Here is my quick hands-on preview (for more in-depth reviews, check my previous Leica T coverage). Keep in mind that this was a prototype camera and the firmware was probably not final (click on images for larger view ):
The Leica T has only two camera controls, an on/off button, video record button and a shutter release, everything else is touchscreen (I guess this was the surprise I mentioned before the announcement):
The flash is triggered by selecting the third position of the on/off button and it actually stands pretty high up:
The Leica T looks bigger than the press images online. The grip was very smooth and it felt comfortable in my hands:
Here is a size comparison with my Leica MP camera and the Ur-Leica:
And another size comparison – the new Leica T vs. the Sony RX1:
Size comparison between T and M lenses:
The new Leica 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 T lens is pretty big compared to the camera’s body (manual focus is by wire):
Leica will announce two new T lenses – 11-23mm and 55-135m (most likely at Photokina):
As we all know by now, the Leia T camera body is made out of a single piece of aluminum:
The battery pops out directly upon releasing the lever – there is no cover:
The EVF did feel plasticky (made in Indonesia):
As previously reported, the camera’s body is made in Germany and the lenses are made in Japan (either by Panasonic or Sigma):
Leica introduced a new strap attachment with the T camera – you attach the strap by just pushing the pin until it locks. The strap can be removed/released with a pin:
The back LCD is touchscreen and it was pretty easy to navigate, change settings and customize it – it works similar to a smart phone:
The EXIF data does contain the information of the M lens but without the actual focal length (this will probably be fixed for the final release):
Under the hood the Leica T camera has only a SD memory card slot and USB connection:
Few random sample images are available on flickr and include few high-ISO samples (JPGs straight out of the camera):