The Leica M-P (Typ 240) ($7,950) is a premium version of the company's M (Typ 240) rangefinder camera with a few cosmetic changes, a more durable rear LCD, and a larger buffer for longer continuous shooting. It's the same camera from a handling and image-quality perspective, so refer to our review of the M to find out more about the camera. The original M is clearly a better value, and its higher rating stands up even after some time on the market. There are other full-frame mirrorless cameras now that can use M lenses via an adapter, although only Leica makes models with an optical viewfinder. One of those, the Sony Alpha 7R ($1,099.00 at Amazon UK) , is our current favorite in this category, but if you have Leica lenses, you'll still get the best image quality by shooting with a Leica camera.

Design and Features

The M-P($4,899.95 at Amazon) is the same size and shape as the M, with controls in all of the same places. It's the smallest full-frame interchangeable lens camera on the market at 3.1 by 5.5 by 1.7 inches (HWD), but brass top and bottom plates make it a bit heavy at 1.5 pounds. The Sony Alpha 7 and its siblings are a bit larger (3.75 by 5 by 1.9 inches), but lighter (1 pound).

Leica provided an M-P in black for review. The finish is black paint over brass, just like the standard M. A silver chrome version is also available. The black paint will wear over time, exposing the brass underneath, but that won't happen if you opt for a chrome camera.

The biggest cosmetic difference you'll notice is a lack of Leica's telltale red dot logo on the front of the camera. It's gone, replaced by a screw. The screw looks large and ominous in product photos, but it's barely noticeable in reality—it's functional, as it provides access for technicians to adjust the camera's mechanical rangefinder system in order to fine tune focus accuracy. The M logo that adorns the front of the M is also gone.

The other change to the façade is the addition of a frame line preview lever. This sits next to the lens mount and allows you to change the projected frame lines that are shown in the viewfinder. It's useful if you've got a wide-angle lens attached and want to see what kind of frame you'd get by switching to a telephoto, or vice versa. The lever is nothing new to folks who have shot Leicas for years, but it was dropped from the original M, and also from current model with a CCD image sensor, the M-E ($6,989.00 at Amazon) . It's not a feature that I've missed in my time shooting with the M, but if you're more attached to it, it's a compelling reason to spend the extra money on the M-P.

The top plate on the original M is plain, but the M-P has an engraved Leica logo in script, along with block text letting you know that the camera is a Leica and that it originated in Wetzlar, Germany. The script logo has been around forever, you'll see it on Leica III cameras from the 1950s and earlier, and certainly adds to the M-P's classic look.

The Made in Wetzlar text has been removed from the rear, and on the black version of the camera, the thumb wheel and directional control pad are now black instead of silver. The rear LCD is protected by sapphire glass rather than Gorilla Glass, so it's less prone to light scratches. The sapphire glass makes the image look like it has slightly more contrast than the M's Gorilla Glass to my eye, but you really have to look at them side by side to notice that subtle difference.

There have also been some firmware updates for the M since our review last year, and those carry over to the M-P. Our gripe about auto ISO not functioning when the shutter speed was set manually is gone—that's not the default behavior, but you can set the camera to do so if you want to. It's also possible to set the rear dial to directly adjust exposure compensation, without having to hold down the front button while doing so. A few other odds and ends have been addressed over time; Leica has published the full list of updates here.

Performance and Conclusions

The M-P has a 2GB memory buffer, twice that of the original M. It doesn't improve start-up time; we still clocked that at 1.7 seconds, and the shot-to-shot time is still the same at about 3.2fps. But you can capture more images before that rate slows. I was able to shoot 20 Raw+JPG or Raw images, or 22 JPG shots before slowing down—that's a little bit better than double the burst capacity of the original M. The larger buffer does take a longer time to clear, even when using a SanDisk 95MBps memory card—about 40 seconds for Raw+JPG or Raw and 17 seconds for JPG—but you can continue to use the camera as images are committed to memory.

Image and video quality are identical to the M, so you can refer to that review for more detail.

See How We Test Digital Cameras

It's hard to throw the word value around when you're writing about a Leica product, but I'll do it anyway. The M-P isn't as good of a value as the M. To my eye, it's prettier, and the sapphire glass LCD does eliminate the need to add a screen protector, but a good Schott glass screen protector can be had for around $30. If you really want a frame line preview lever, it's easier to justify the $700 premium that the M-P carries with it, especially if you're in love with its stealth design. The extended shooting buffer is a fine addition, but I've never felt limited by the buffer on the M, as it's not really a camera that's suited for capturing fast-moving action.

At the end of the day, both the M and M-P are the best and the most versatile digital rangefinders that the company has produced to date. They carry a hefty price tag, and it's up to you whether the M-P is worth the extra money. We're rating it slightly lower than the M, based on the price differential and in changes in the market since the M's release. Many rangefinder devotees won't find our current Editors' Choice for full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Sony Alpha 7R, and its integrated EVF to be an acceptable substitute for a camera with an optical finder. But at about $5,000 less, it's an alternative for photographers who have M lenses and want to use them on a digital body. The experience won't be the same, and our tests have shown that M lenses tend to perform better on Leica bodies, but it's something to consider if the M and M-P are outside your means.

Leica M-P (Typ 240) 4.0 See It $4,899.95 at Amazon MSRP $7,950.00 Pros Big, bright optical viewfinder.

Large, high-contrast rangefinder focusing patch.

Full-frame CMOS image sensor.

Compact for a full-frame camera.

Live view with focus peaking.

Detailed images at every ISO.

Excellent build quality.

Sharp rear LCD.

Resistant to dust and splashes.

Sapphire glass display cover.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is included. View More Cons Very expensive.

A little slow to start up.

Manual focus only.

1080p video could be better. View More The Bottom Line The Leica M-P (Typ 240) is a premium version of the standard M with a scratch-resistant rear LCD, extended shooting buffer, and inconspicuous design—but it's priced at a premium as well.

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