Digital Leica M7 prototype
By Heinz Richter
During my recent visit to Leica in Wetzlar on 6-09-2023 I was treated to a private tour of the Leica archives. I saw a lot of interesting things, known and unknown (more about that later). That by itself was a definite highlight of my visit, but little did I know about what incredible highlight was waiting for me. About half way through, Tim Pullmann, our guide, brought out a large box, stating that I most likely had never seen what was inside.
"It's a digital Leica M7," he said.
That statement alone got me thinking. After all, the first digital Leica M camera was the M8, so what was this all about?
Out of the box came, what was definitely a Leica M7, mounted on a rail, together with a Leica R9. I guess to call it a prototype is a bit premature. It was an early attempt to explore the feasibility of placing a digital sensor into the body of an M7, a Versuchsaufbau (experimental setup) . The DM_R digital back that had been marketed for the Leica R8 and R9 was modified to fit the back of the M7, to provide a sensor and some of the electronics.. Since the basic body of the M7 had no room inside for any additional electronics, a Leica R9 was used to provide the necessary electronics to run the digital DM-R back and to trigger the shutter via several cables from the R9 to the DM-R back.
While not even close to the first digital Leica M, the M8, it was definitely the first digital Leica M camera ever. After seeing this setup, it is easy to understand why the first digital M camera, the M8, had the same 10mp resolution as the DM-R back for the R8/9. Unfortunately, Mr. Pullmann's time was limited because he was needed to set up for the auction weekend, starting the next day. That unfortunately prevented any closer inspection of the camera.
All photographs Leica M 240 with 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit
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