Leica has introduced the Leica M9, the first digital rangefinder camera with a full-format 24 x 36mm sensor. The M9 uses the Leica rangefinder M System with improved setting controls, while all of the camera's features and functions are designed, like its predecessors, for absolute dependability and endurance.

With an 18-megapixel CCD image sensor, the camera can professionally capture full 35mm film format shots. Compatible with all M lenses built since 1954, the camera is capable of a wide range of focal lengths from 16 to 135 mm.

Menu navigation has been simplified for more intuitive control. Simply holding down the ISO button and turning a dial can adjust camera sensitivity. Many other functions – including sensor sensitivity, exposure correction, white balance, image-data compression and resolution – are quickly and easily accessible by pressing the set button.

The new M9 viewfinder/rangefinder system is ideal for reportage photography, available-light exposures and discreet portraiture. The high-contrast viewfinder guarantees fast and precise focusing.

The camera features a silent, microprocessor-controlled, metal-leaf, focal-plane shutter that enables shutter speeds of up to 1/4,000 second.