Leica creating a buzz with promise of new camera

Premium German camera company Leica is teasing its fans ahead of a surprise launch of a new model.

Premium German camera company Leica is teasing its fans ahead of a surprise launch of a new model.

Called the Mini M, it is currently represented as a plain black box on Leica's website, accompanied by a June 11 release date. Leica doesn't exactly churn out cameras. It offers its dedicated followers a small range of exquisitely crafted and designed models, each of which features a hefty price tag. Each camera is also the demonstration of how to retain a design ethos and a look and feel without rejecting the advancements in technology that are making photography as popular and as simple as it is today.

As such, the black box has got camera bloggers excited and the consensus appears to be that the Mini M will be the company's long-awaited entry into the 'mirrorless' market. Mirrorless four thirds, or hybrid cameras, combine the best elements of a digital SLR camera - great image sensor, interchangeable lenses, professional quality - with the best elements of a compact, point and shoot digital model - lightweight, small, simple to use.

By doing away with the last part of the pentaprism inside a DSLR camera and substituting it with the viewing screen, a hybrid camera can be much smaller, yet still pack a serious punch in terms of performance. As smartphones continue to decimate the traditional digital camera market, hybrids are the only area where demand is growing.