In 1936, the Hindenburg took flight. In ‘45, a Soviet flag flew over the Reichstag. In ‘72, napalm rained down on Vietnam. And today, we can see each of these instances as they once looked through the lens of a Leica.
The Leica M10-P “Reporter” is a homage to the great reportage photographers of our time. With a virtually silent shutter release and an obvious omittance of Leica’s red-dot logo, it’s a camera designed to capture moments without the moments ever finding out.
The body’s painted dark green and wrapped in kevlar. And when mounted on a tripod, it’s easily confused for a combat-ready soldier. Okay, the first two parts are true. The heavy-duty build is in recognition of the extremely challenging conditions — wars, disasters, revolutions — under which some of the most iconic documentary photographs were created.
Featuring a diamond weave texture, the Reporter’s body armour is grippy as they come, and especially comfortable to hold. It changes colour through natural UV ray exposure, designed to gradually match the green of the top and base plates.
In terms of technical specification, the Reporter is identical to the original M10-P — most notably featuring a 24 megapixel CMOS sensor, touch functionality, and a built-in level gauge. In other words, the SGD950 price hike is solely reflective of the design changes. More so than a camera, Leica expects users to buy into an idea here; the idea of going through extreme lengths (your bank account would agree) to get the perfect shot.
The M10-P “Reporter” retails for SGD12,950 (lens not included) at Leica outlets.
