For a company that hasn't made any significant changes to the design of its flagship camera in the 60 years since the introduction of the M3, the Leica T (Typ 701) ($1,850, body only) is a bold statement. Its sleek aluminum unibody design is a huge departure from the classic aesthetics of the Leica M (Typ 240), and its forward-thinking, touch-screen interface is a reminiscent of the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy NX. The T is a great-looking camera, and the image quality that its 16-megapixel APS-C image sensor captures is excellent, with lots of detail through higher ISO settings thanks to a hands-off approach to in-camera noise reduction. But, because of some operating quirks, a high price tag, and the simple fact that competing models deliver more for your money, it's a tough camera to recommend. Our Editors' Choice for high-end mirrorless cameras is the Olympus OM-D E-M1, which is a fast-focusing, fast-shooting camera with a Micro Four Thirds image sensor.
Design and Features
There's no arguing the fact that the T is a gorgeous camera. Leica sent us a review unit in a silver finish, but it's also available to order in black. The body is cut from a single block of aluminum, and is hand polished, giving it a truly breathtaking look. It measures 2.7 by 5.3 by 1.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 13.6 ounces without a lens. It's fairly small compared with other premium mirrorless cameras, though not that far off in size from the Fujifilm X-Pro1 (3.2 by 5.5 b 1.7 inches, 15.9 ounces), which is a little bit bigger, but includes an integrated viewfinder.
The body doesn't include standard strap lugs. Instead, there's a hole on either side of the body, accessible only by using a special tool (or, in my case, a bent paper clip) to eject the protective covers. The included silicone strap plugs right in, but I found it a bit too short for my liking. I wasn't able to use the standard long leather strap from Tap & Dye that I prefer to use with mirrorless cameras, so I opted for a wrist strap that screws into the tripod socket to secure the T in my hands. The polished aluminum looks great, but I wouldn't feel comfortable holding onto the body without a strap of some sort. It just doesn't feel as steady in my hand as a camera with a more traditional finish.
All of the T's physical controls are located on its top plate, to the right of the accessory hot shoe and pop-up flash. There are two control dials, a power switch and shutter release, and the video record button. That's it. If you want to shoot with the T, you're going to have to get used to using a touch screen to configure and supplement the two control dials.
At 3.7 inches, the rear display is big. It packs 1,300k-dots into that space, giving it an extremely sharp appearance. I had no issues using it outdoors on bright days, but I did miss the tilting rear display that Fujifilm includes in its top-end X-T1. The X-T1 includes an integrated electronic viewfinder. If you want to add that functionality to the T, you'll have to invest in the Visoflex (Typ 020) EVF. At nearly $600, the Visoflex is a pricey add-on, but it does include an integrated GPS module.
The rear display's touch sensitivity is excellent, on par with a good smartphone, and the user interface is responsive. It's a 16:9 aspect ratio, so the 3:2 Live View feed only takes up part of the screen. A column of touch controls runs along the right side; it adjusts the shooting mode, accesses the menu, and toggles the amount of information displayed over the Live View feed. If you're worried you'll accidentally activate one of these controls while shooting, fear not; the entire column can be disabled or enabled with a tap. There's no button to review images; instead you just swipe up from the bottom of the screen to switch to Playback mode.
The standard shooting modes—Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual—are available via the Mode setting. Leica also includes a number of preset Scene modes (Auto, Sports, Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Snow/Beach, Fireworks, Candle Light, and Sunset), which surprised me. Scene modes on a Leica seem out of place.
Tapping the camera icon below the Mode icon takes you to the main shooting menu. From here you can control any number of settings. By default there are eight settings on the screen, arranged in a 3-by-3 grid. The ninth position is a plus sign, which allows you to add any available setting to the grid. You can also press and hold any icon to drag it to the trash. With a little effort, you can customize the menu so that it gives you quick access to the settings you use frequently. There's a wrench and screwdriver icon at the top of right column that offers access to all available menu settings.
The function of the right control dial varies by mode—it adjusts the aperture when shooting Aperture Priority, the shutter speed in Shutter Priority, and the shutter speed in Manual mode. If you're not shooting in Manual, which dedicates it to aperture control, the left dial is customizable. You can set it to adjust exposure compensation, set the ISO, adjust the white balance, change the focus mode, enable the self-timer, or change the flash mode.
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