Last year Leica announced the first digital back for any 35mm SLR. It took quite a while until the back was ready for shipping but now it is reality.

Digital Outback Photo have posted an “Experience Report” of the Leica Digital Module R (DMR) in the USA. You can read the whole Leica DMR Experience Report here, but here’s a quote-

“In the end we don’t think that this camera is a real competion to a Nikon D2x or the Canon 1Ds Mk. II because the the Nikon and Canon systems are more modern and sophisticated (autofocus, image stabilized lenses, flash systems, highly integrated digital systems developed over quite a few generations). On the other side we also understand that some may fall in love with the Leica optics. We ourselves wait for the Leica M Digital. If that camera delivers as much as the DMR shows today the Leica M Digital will be on our shortlist for a top class street camera.”

DMR Features:
* Uses a 10MP Kodak CCD chip
* Was developed in cooperation with Imacon/Hasselblad
* Multiplier is 1.37x (crop factor)
* ISO 100-800 in full f-stop steps
* First camera using DNG as its native RAW format
* Uses SD cards only
* Sensor has no AA filter