Audi collaboration mirrorless LEICA T
Review and photo examples of LEICA T typ701 “CHARLIE VICE”
Table of contents
Gallery
Review
1．Overview
The LEICA T typ701 is a Leica L-mount mirrorless camera with an APS-C size sensor that was released in 2014.
The LEICA T “CHALIE VICE” was released on March 10, 2016 in a limited edition of 50 sets at Leica stores, Leica boutiques and some limited stores.
The Leica T has a thin and compact body designed by Audi, and an APS-C size sensor with 16 million pixels. The sensor used since the release year is probably the same as the Leica X2 and Leica X typ113.
The Leica T can use the same EVF, Visoflex Typ 020 Black 18767 as the Leica M10 and Leica X typ113. The main specifications of the Visoflex are 2.4 million dots, built-in GPS receiver, and eye sensor.
The battery is the original BP-DC 13 for the Leica T. The battery is attached to the bottom of the camera, just like the Leica M11, and it also serves as the bottom cover.
The Leica T can use Sigma and Panasonic lenses for APS-C size sensors, as well as 35mm full-frame lenses from the L-Mount Alliance. However, for lenses with aperture rings, such as Sigma lenses, the aperture ring on the lens does not transmit information to the camera, so the settings must be made from the camera.
The original strap was a special silicone plug-in type, but it was a strange strap that was difficult to handle, so I bought a metal fitting released by the Thumsup company to attach a regular strap, but shortly after, Leica released the same one at a lower price.
It seems that Leica realized after the release that the original strap was a terrible thing. I think it was unpopular with testers, but did they not use this strap?
The final firmware 1.9 was changed to support “Leica FOTOS”.
2．Usability
I liked the design of the Leica T, so I bought the silver one shortly after it was released. Later, Mapcamera was selling the limited edition “CHARLIE VICE” version for the same price as the regular version, so I traded in the silver one and bought it.
16 megapixels provides enough pixels and resolution for general photography purposes. I bought it as a base for M-mount and R-mount lenses before the SL was released, but I found that it was not suitable for that purpose due to the functional limitations of the dials, which I will explain later. If you want to use it as a base for M-mount and R-mount lenses, the Leica SL series or Leica CL are more suitable.
Since I was using the Leica M10 at the same time, I also used the Visoflex Typ020 EVF with this camera, but it did not have a focus peak display function, and the magnification display function had to be assigned to a dial. Due to the restrictions of dial settings described below, the dials that can be set were usually assigned to shutter speed and aperture, so it was a hassle to change the settings, and the EVF protruded from the compact body, making it difficult to store in a bag, so I hardly used it with the LEICA T.
The Leica T series has a policy of eliminating touch panel operation and physical buttons on the body as much as possible, so there are only two dials to physically operate the camera’s functions.
The problem is that there are restrictions on the functions that can be assigned to these dials, and functions cannot be assigned freely.
The most problematic situation is that the functions assigned to the physical dials differ depending on the shooting mode. When the shooting mode is selected as A mode, which has aperture priority and automatic shutter speed determination, I want to assign focus magnification and exposure compensation to the dials, but the function of the right dial is fixed to ISO selection, and the left dial, which has several functions to choose from, is a difficult choice to make.
When M mode is selected, the function of the right dial is fixed to shutter speed selection, and can be freely set. The function of the left dial can be selected from the panel, but this also has the same dilemma as A mode.
Since it is a software specification, I think it would be better if the functions could be freely assigned to the two dials, but it is unfortunate that this is not the case.
I thought that the Leica T series was a mount with a large diameter for APS-C, but it was converted to the full-size SL mount as it was. This is probably because the design was somewhat forward-looking.
3．Summary
To sum up the LEICA T typ701, the Leica T series is a camera that is suitable for attaching an autofocus lens and shooting casually by leaving it to AF.
Using it as a body for manual lenses is not as convenient due to the restrictions on assigning functions to the dials. The fact that the EVF is an add-on also makes it less convenient to use with manual lenses compared to mirrorless cameras with built-in EVFs such as the α NEX-6,α NEX-7.
Mount Adapter
The following mount adapters are available from Leica. When using the R Lens Adapter for L with Leica SL, TL, or CL cameras, the lens information is recorded in exif when a Leica R ROM lens is attached. I would like other companies’ L-mount cameras to behave in the same way, but unfortunately I have not seen any cameras that do this.
- M Lens Adapter for L Black 18771
- M Lens Adapter for L Silver 18765
- R Lens Adapter for L Black 16076
I had the M-Adapter-T: 18771 and R-Adapter-T: 16076 that I purchased when I got the LEICA SL typ601, so I tried using a manual lens with the Leica T, but the results of the shots viewed on the large 3.7-inch, 1.3-megapixel high-resolution display always looked in focus when reduced, so I was often disappointed when I enlarged the images on my PC after shooting. I felt that it was essential to check the focus by magnifying it when shooting.
By using the R-Adapter-T: 16076, you can record lens information in exif for Leica R mount lenses with a ROM terminal. With the latest firmware, LEICA T v1.9, the Leica T typ701 also records ROM lens information in Exif as shown below. When using a non-ROM lens, “R-Adapter-L” is displayed.
In addition, adapters for L-mounts are available from various companies, but care must be taken with lenses for rangefinder cameras whose rear lens is close to the film surface. The area around the sensor of the Leica T is the same size as an APS-C size sensor, and the wall is close to the mount, so a large rear lens cannot be attached because it interferes with the wall. For example, Russian Jupiter 3 lenses cannot be attached.
The MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21, which is sold by Sigma and converts Sigma SA mount and Canon EF mount to L mount, cannot be used with the Leica T series, Leica CL, or Leica SL.
Leica L-mount bodies have been included in the compatibility table since the LEICA SL2 and LEICA SL2-S, so it is highly likely that cameras made after those will be usable.
Also, if the connection terminal of the mount converter is masked, it can be used as a MF lens. In that case, the electrical contacts are disabled, so the lens aperture cannot be adjusted and it must be used at full aperture.
Specification
| Items | LEICA T(Typ701) | LEICA TL | LEICA TL2 | LEICA CL |
| Effective Pixels | 16.03 megapixels | 16.20 megapixels | 24.24 megapixels | 24.24 megapixels |
| Image sensor | APS-C | APS-C | APS-C | APS-C |
| Internal recorded memory | 16GB | 32GB | 32GB | なし |
| Internal Flash | exsist | exsist | None | None |
| Back LCD | 3.7″ TFT LCD 1.3 million dots | 3.7″ TFT LCD 1.3 million dots | 3.7″ TFT LCD 1.3 million dots | 3.0″ TFT LCD 1.04 million dots |
| View Finder | Option (VISOFLEX) | Option (VISOFLEX) | Option (VISOFLEX) | 2.36 million dots Electronic Viewfinder |
| Recorded memory | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Battery | BP-DC 13 | BP-DC 13 | BP-DC 13 | BP-DC12 |
| Size(mm) | W x H x D 134 × 69 × 33 | W x H x D 134 × 69 × 33 | W x H x D 134 × 69 × 33 | W x H x D 131 × 78 × 45 |
| 重量(g) | 384 (Include battery) | 384 (Include battery) | 399 (Include battery) | 403 (Include battery) |
| Body color | Silver Black Limited color | Silver Black Titan | Silver Black | Silver Black |
| Release date | May 26, 2014 | November 26, 2016 | August 10, 2017 | December 16, 2017 |
Options
- M-Adapter-T: 18771
- R-Adapter-T: 16076
- Battery: BP-DC13 (18772-silver/18773-black)
- Bizoflex Type020: 18767
- Leather case
- Thumb rest
- Normal strap attachment bracket
- Dedicated strap
Reference links
Update history
- 2025.4.19
- 2024.03.10
- 2023.08.14
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