Leica is promising a "special highlight" on April 24, 2014 in Berlin at 7pm... Telling us to keep the evening free and be excited. It's definitely going to include the new mirrorless camera we mentioned earlier. That being the case, one or more lenses to go with it shouldn't be unexpected. More details to follow!

Just an observation here; is the (rumored) "Leica T (Type 701)" named so after the codename (see below) and the reverse of the Leica X Vario (which is Type 107)? Just saying... ;) Update: turns out, it's likely "T" for Touchscreen!

Here's what we know so far (some of which we told you about months ago). These are not rumors, like some sites out there are pushing - who shall remain nameless. Some sites even believe the X Vario is a Panasonic re-badged. *sigh* We have more info, which we will share in due time... We are also the ONLY site to offer this info (you read it here first). Don't believe us? Recall that we were the only site in the world that saw the Leica M-E coming...

The new Leica T has been announced and well, we nailed the specs below. ;)

All-in-One Hit List of Specs

A new mirrorless camera will be announced

be announced 16.5 MP APS-C sensor with interchangeable lenses

with lenses Made by Panasonic , with Leica branding (see below!)

(see below!) Lenses designed by Leica (no surprise here)

All autofocus lenses (with manual focus but no aperture controls)

Held to be competition for Fuji, Olympus and Sony

...so much so it's code-named " Typhoon "

" Will cost $3k USD for body only (we blew this one; $1,950)

(we blew this one; $1,950) And $4k+ USD with lens …

… Consumer/prosumer - not enthusiast class

WiFi enabled; can use Image Shuttle App

Mount M lenses (with adapter, supports 6-bit coding, 20 lenses)

Swiveling camera strap and lugs

Leica "T" for Touchscreen; 3.7" LCD

Battery BP-DC13

Visoflex (Type 020) EVF w/GPS; "high resolution" and "exclusive to T system"

16GB internal storage (plus SDHC cards)

Comes in TWO colors with matching accessories

5fps with a max of 12 consecutive in buffer

Full HD video (30fps)

NO image stabilization (IS)

SF 26 flash unit with tilt function

Lenses to be Offered

Initially:

Vario-Elmar T 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH

Summicron T 23mm f/2 ASPH

Later:

Vario-Elmar-T 55-135mm

Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm







Pictures of Entire T System

You can see pretty much, well, everything here!

Official Blurb (Specs)

A large APS-C sensor with 16.5 megapixels ensures colour fidelity, the finest details and pictures with exceptional brightness and clarity, even in unfavourable lighting conditions. And even on large-format screens. And for pin-sharp videos in full HD resolution. Top "performance at the press of a button. Fast, precise and almost silent autofocus. Exactly like the newly developed image processor, which instantaneously displays the results on the big touchscreen display. The integrated Wi-Fi module lets you transfer pictures directly from your Leica T to a smartphone, tablet PCs or computer. With the ease of wireless communication. You can also share your pictures quickly and easily on social media or by email with the Leica T app for iOS or the Browser Gallery on Android devices. Particularly practical: With the remote function of the Leica T app, you can, for example, use your smartphone or tablet PC as an electronic viewfinder and shoot with your Leica T by remote control.

Updates to Story

Updated March 10, 2014!

A new mirrorless camera will be announced

be announced APS-C sensor with interchangeable lenses

with lenses Made by Panasonic , with Leica branding (see below!)

(see below!) Lenses designed by Leica (no surprise here)

All autofocus lenses

Held to be competition for Fuji, Olympus and Sony

...so much so it's code-named " Typhoon "

" ...

Updated March 24, 2014!

We have received further information from Leica on the event as it draws closer. Loose translation of the text, followed by the invite! This time, we've left the name intact as some out there didn't believe us the first time around. ;)

Nothing compares to and is more inspiring than the first touch. We invite you to experience the haptic fascination of German engineering. Join us and celebrate with us the latest Leica innovation!

Updated March 27, 2014!

Camera has a 16MP sensor

sensor Will cost $3k USD for body only

And $4k+ USD with lens ...

... Consumer/prosumer - not enthusiast class

Updated March 28, 2014!

We have a bombshell update... Turns out this will NOT be a Panasonic after all! It's truly more like an X camera, made/assembled - at least in part - in Germany. Thus the prices (e.g. German labor costs). The rest in Japan. More we will not say on this... Sorry for the earlier info (such is the nature of the rumor business). Honestly, we were all expecting it to be a Panasonic - and early information suggested that it was. We'll keep you updated!

Updated April 4, 2014!

We forgot to mention WiFi - recall the filing of the camera with the NCC in Taiwan: Leica T (Type 701).

Now for something a little more radical... Is THIS a photo of the new camera? With a Zeiss Biogon T* 2,8/25 ZM lens? It very well could be, as it is (somewhat) supported by pictures leaked earlier, though clearly the design has changed. If you compare the this new photo with the invite image shown above, you can see similarities. One thing's clear; Leica is going the Apple route with this one. Interesting also is that this photo supports some rumors of possible T/M compatibility, at least through an adapter.

Updated April 7, 2014!

Initial lenses to be offered:

Vario-Elmar T 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH

Summicron T 23mm f/2 ASPH

Updated April 13, 2014!

We have new pictures of the upcoming Leica T (Type 701) aluminum unibody that will be produced in Germany using a new manufacturing process:



















Updated April 21, 2014!

An invite (seen below) went out - from the Leica Store LA that's hosting an event on Thursday from 10am to 10pm for the unveiling of the Leica T. One tantalizing clue is the line, "Come experience the next tactile Leica innovation that is engineered to be touched." Since we haven't seen any pictures of the back of the camera either... And Leica "T" could stand for Touchscreen... Leads one to believe that the entire back of it will be a large LCD touchscreen. In looking at one of the above photos, it is also clear that the camera strap won't have the usual split ring; rather a swiveling lug.

Update (4/22/14):

We're trying to confirm this, but it looks like "Other improvements" in the new Leica M firmware may just coincide with a new EVF (Electronic View Finder) released with this new camera. This would be huge as the existing Leica EVF2 suffers from many shortcomings... Resolution, lag/jitter, etc. Many have held out hope that the Olympus VF-4 (the newer, better version of the Olympus VF-2 upon which the Leica EVF2 is based) would be supported... Which so far has proved elusive. This is probably why. Quite possibly the Leica Visoflex (Type 020) we saw registered around the same time as the T. The new EVF also has an extra feature... GPS!

Update (4/23/14):

Here's another picture of the camera, with case:

MEGA update: We have pictures of essentially the entire Leica T System for you guys!

Update (4/24/14):

This will be our last update in this post, thanks everyone for keeping an eye on it!

We nailed the specs, BTW... ;)

The new Leica T has been announced!

The Original Invite