Leica CL “Edition Paul Smith” Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18mm Lens

Following up on 2012’s X2 “Edition Paul Smith”, this 2019 “Edition Paul Smith” is the second collaboration with renowned fashion designer, Paul Smith. This special edition CL features a bright blue top plate with other vibrant accent colors on the buttons and striped along the bottom of the camera. There is also a sketched eye engraving on top of the viewfinder along with the Paul Smith name and text “look and see” on the back of the camera. These drawn and written elements are in reference to Smith’s quote, “many people look, but often they don’t see.”

In addition to the unique camera body, this edition also includes the anodized black Elmarit-TL 18 mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens, a colorful rope strap, and a cleaning cloth with a photo collage of heritage Leica cameras. This is all packed within a unique Paul Smith Design box and the set is part of a limited edition of 900 units.

At the heart of the camera system is a 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor, which is paired with Leica’s Maestro II processor to produce high-resolution, clear stills with native sensitivities ranging from ISO 100-50000 along with a top continuous shooting rate of 10 fps for up to 33 DNG+JPEGs or 140 JPEGs. A mechanical shutter affords precise speeds up to 1/8000 sec, and flash sync to 1/180 sec, while a silent electronic shutter can be used to reach a top speed of 1/25000 sec.

The sensor and processor also enable UHD 4K video recording at 30 fps for ultra-high resolution playback, along with support for Full HD at 60 fps and HD at 30 fps. Focus peaking is available as well to help ensure your videos are in focus.

Ensuring you are capturing tack-sharp photos at all times is an upgraded contrast-detect AF system with 49 selectable points available. The focusing system offers fast and accurate performance in a variety of lighting and shooting conditions.

• Built-in electronic viewfinder has a 2.36m-dot resolution and 0.74x magnification for bright, clear eye-level viewing. A manual +/-4m diopter is also available to suit different visions strengths.
• Rear 3.0″ 1.04m-dot LCD has a touchscreen design and supports familiar gesture controls for seamless, intuitive navigation while shooting or reviewing imagery.
• Top status LCD is used to quickly monitor shooting settings.
• Top and bottom covers are constructed from milled and anodized aluminum alloy while the front and rear body shells are magnesium alloy for an overall construction that is rigid yet lightweight.
• Two dials with center buttons are featured on the top plate for easy settings adjustment and four-way rear directional pad can be used for intuitive selecting of focus points.

Integrated IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi allows you to wirelessly connect iOS and Android devices to the CL for sharing photos and movies to smartphones or tablets for posting online. The free Leica App facilitates sharing imagery between the camera and device, and the app also enables a remote function for wirelessly adjusting the camera’s shutter speed, aperture, and for releasing the shutter. The app can also be used as a remote electronic viewfinder to benefit composing self-portraits or group shots, or when working from difficult shooting angles.

Leica’s mirrorless L-bayonet mount offers users the ability to connect both full-frame SL-series and APS-C TL-series glass, which benefits from electronic communication for blazing fast autofocus, electronic aperture control, and optical image stabilization. Additionally, as with most mirrorless today, the L mount can accept a variety of adapters, such as the M-Adapter L which provides shooters with access to the entire M-mount lens library. Leica will have adapters for the S, R, and Cine series as well, ensuring compatibility with a range of Leica’s best lenses.

Included with the camera body is the wide-angle prime Elmarit-TL 18 mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens, which provides a 27mm equivalent focal length to suit working in a variety of shooting situations. The lens’s optical design has four aspherical surfaces to control spherical aberrations and distortion for sharper, clear imagery and its autofocus design permits full-time manual focus override for increased control.