As part of the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Leica Camera AG presents a special design variant of the Leica M10-P: the M10-P “Reporter” is an uncompromising reportage camera, suitable for even the most challenging conditions.

Many Leica cameras throughout the company’s history have been developed with the needs of press and reportage photographers in mind. This is illustrated by exceptional models such as the Leica 250 of 1933, whose film cassette accommodated 250 exposures, or the Leica MP of 1956 – a Leica M3 variant which was equipped with the Leicavit rapid winder, following the suggestions of renowned photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898–1995) and David Douglas Duncan (1916–2018).

The core of the new camera, the M10-P, is a slight evolution of the popular M10 rangefinder with its biggest feature being a shutter that Leica says is the quietest of any M camera ever. To make the rangefinder even more stealthy, the M10-P also removes the prominent red Leica dot that is found on the M10. The resulting camera is designed to be more of a photojournalist tool than the hobbyist body the M10 frequently finds itself.

The resulting camera is designed to be more of a photojournalist tool than the hobbyist body the M10 frequently finds itself.
Building on that idea, the M10-P “Reporter” wraps the digital rangefinder in Kevlar as an “homage to the great reportage photographers.”
With its dark green, the Leica M10-P “Reporter” brings to mind the extremely challenging conditions under which many of the most remarkable reportages of our time were created. Kevlar is a synthetic fiber frequently used in the production of ballistic protective clothing. Through exposure to natural UV rays, the camera’s body armor will gradually turn the same color as its top and base plate.

The armor’s diamond-weave texture makes the Leica M10-P “Reporter” especially grippy and comfortable to hold. All of the camera’s engravings are inlaid in light green, resulting in a more discreet effect than the white inlays customarily used on black-finish cameras. In terms of its technical specifications, the M10-P “Reporter” is identical to the serially produced Leica M10-P.

A total of 450 units of the Leica M10-P “Reporter” will be available worldwide.
You can reserve yours for $8,795, which is only a slight premium on the $7,795 cost of the base model.

More info on Leica’s website.