Not One But FOUR New Cameras From Leica, Mon Monochrom, X2, V Lux 40 & M9 Hermes.

New from Leica come four new cameras, not wanting to drivel on, lets get straight into things.

First come the Leica M Monochrom, this is not just a new camera, but a world first, the first digital camera ever to be dedicated to the art of black and white photography, featuring a 18 megapixel CCD that records true luminance values, designed to only picture the subtlety that a classic B&W rangefinder, essentially, for want of more elegant phrasing, it doesnt "see" colour.  2.5" LCD, and 1/4000 sec shutter speed. along with the old faithful SD/SDHC storage, and don't forget, this is a full M camera, which means full compatibility with all M system lenses.  Price?  A mere £5000.

Next up comes the Leica X2, put simply as the name suggest it is the new version of the X1, ill fated and overpriced niche market digital compact Leica released last year to limited acclaim and success, the problem with the X1, and which they hope tio cure with the X2, is it was substantially more expensive than even Leica's overpriced Digital compacts at £2000, and didnt perform nearly as well as the super high end M series, and with no Video, it just wasn't an attractive option for consumers.

The new X2 promises significantly improved performance, with a 16.2MP CMOS sensor, 1.44M dot 'Viso-Flex'electronic viewfinder, and improved autofocus system, all for a lower price point of £1500.

Then we have the updated V-Lux 40, this new version is of course essentially a Panasonic Lumix with leica branding, as are all Leica Bottom end of the range cameras, however, the package is still very attractive.   The new camera features a 20x optical zoom, equivalent to 24-480mm, GPS, Full HD video in AVCHD format at 50 full frames per second, and 14.1 Megapixels, all for a remarkably reasonable £500, granted, it 2.5 times the cost of the Panasonic version, but would you give up the Red Dot?

Last but by no means least we have a special edition Leica M9-P which continues Leica's tradition of collaborating with Hermes, which started way back in 2003 with an original M series being clad in Hermes precious calf, and has continued ever since.

The Leica M9-P is a well known piece of equipment, a quality rangefinder with very few equals outside of Hasselblad's pieces, so very little needs saying about that, the kit however includes a Hermes clad M9-P, Hermes Shoulder Strap, both made from Hermes Veau Swift calf in ocre, and the option of either one or three lenses.

Price is key here, only two sets will be produced, the first will sell for £18,000 will one lens, the second containing three lenses will retail in June for around £36,000.