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Leica

Leica’s new Limited Edition… this time it’s an olive green M10-P Safari

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We suspect Leica owners fall into three groups; those who appreciate fine engineering, photographic heritage and the unique handling experience of the Leica M rangefinder camera, those looking for a bit of a statement of status or an expensive bit of male adornment, and collectors trying to gather together every edition of every Leica ever made.

But the Safari edition Leica M10-P does look good, with a dark green satin finish that tones in beautifully with its tan leather strap. Apparently, it’s inspired by adventure and the great outdoors, and exclusivity is guaranteed by the fact Leica is only making 1,500.

It’s going to be teamed up with a Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 lens, also in green, and we’re told this camera/lens combo has been inspired by rugged and reliable Leica cameras designed specifically for the armed forces in the 1960s.

The Leica M10-P has a 24-megapixel full frame sensor and takes regular Leica bayonet lenses the same as those used on legendary Leica rangefinder cameras.

In fact, the M10-P still uses rangefinder manual focusing, just like Leica’s analog film cameras. There’s no autofocus system on these cameras; instead, you focus manually by turning the focus ring or focus lever on the lens to line up a ghost image of the subject in your viewfinder.

Leica experts swear by this system’s speed and instinctiveness but if you’re used to a regular digital camera you’re going to find it has a pretty steep learning curve. The direct vision viewfinder on Leica M models is separate to the camera lens, so you don’t get a through-the-lens view of the scene. This means it relies on ‘bright line’ frames to show you the angle of view for different lenses. This might bother people who like tight, precise framing, but it does offer an exceptionally bright and clear viewfinder that also shows you what’s happening around and outside the frame.

Damn, but that Leica M10-P Safari does look good, though.

Available: from February 15th
Price: Body £6,900, lens £2,300
More information: Official Leica Store | UK

Leica opens flagship store, Gallery and Academie in London

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If you’ve despaired of ever getting your hands on a real life Leica, now’s your chance. Leica UK has just opened a new, larger store on Duke Street in London’s Mayfair district.

The new store opens on February 4th 2019 and is designed to be the UK’s premier destination for Leica fans. It’s not aimed just at well-heeled cognoscenti, though, but also photography amateurs, enthusiasts and professionals of all types.

It will be home to the UK’s first Leica Gallery and the Leica Akademie photography training centre, which offers a selection of workshops for all skill levels. You don’t even need to own a Leica since cameras are provided.

The courses include 1-hour ‘bitesize’ workshops for beginners and enthusiasts learning the basics to longer events spread over several days and hosted by Leica photographers and ambassadors. It will also be possible to arrange bespoke one-to-one sessions.

To celebrate the opening of the new store, the Leica Akademie will be offering free workshops to the public from the 12th to the 24th of February, with the chance to try out selected camera systems for those interested in a particular model.

Leica is very keen to promote the art of photography, and while the prices of Leica cameras and what sometimes looks like an old-fashioned approach can put off many photographers, the company does offer an important and effective antidote to today’s low-attention-span photography-for-likes approach.

Jason Heward, Leica UK Managing Director, says, “For more than a century Leica has been inspiring creativity and helping people to become photographers. Our stores are destinations where we can connect on a deep experiential level through our galleries and our Akademie. You will come to the store to see great photography, or attend a workshop to discover how to take beautiful images. This is what Leica does and has always done. Leica is photography”.

Available: From Feb 4th 2019
Akademie price: Varies – complementary workshops from Feb 12th to 24th
More information: Complimentary Akademie Workshops – for the New Leica Store Mayfair

Leica launches C-Lux compact travel zoom camera with accessories

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What happens when you cross a Panasonic with a Leica? You get the stylish new Leica C-Lux, which looks for all the world like a Panasonic TZ200 but with an extra splash of exclusivity and style.

This is just the latest in a long line of collaborations between Panasonic and Leica. Leica still makes its own high-end rangefinder and mirrorless cameras, but at the cheaper compact camera end of the market, it rebrands key Panasonic cameras with the Leica look.

So the C-Lux is the Leica branded version of Panasonic’s TZ200 travel compact, which has a pretty enviable set of specifications.

The 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor is a good deal larger than the sensors in most travel cameras, which makes a substantial difference to the image quality, and it’s matched up with a 15x zoom lens which gives the equivalent of a 24-360mm zoom range.

The C-Lux can also shoot stills continuously at 10 frames per second, or high-quality 4K video, and with a maximum sensitivity of ISO 25,600 it handles low light shooting too.

Round the back is a touchscreen display – perfect for users upgrading from a smartphone – but there’s also a 2.33 megapixel electronic viewfinder, which makes it much easier to shoot in bright light when the rear screen might get swamped in glare.

The technical specifications may be the same as the Panasonic TZ200 but Leica has added its own dash of flair with a choice of two colours – Light Gold and Midnight Blue – and a range of complementary straps, cases and accessories.

The Leica C-Lux goes on sale in mid-July at a UK RRP of £875, and its bespoke accessories will go on sale at the same time.

More information: Leica website

This camera just sold for 2.4 million euros (£2.1 million/$3 million)

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It’s a Leica 0-series no. 122 which was sold to a mystery private collector during the 32nd WestLicht Camera Auction in Vienna for the highest price ever paid for a historic camera at auction.

The starting price was a mere 400,000 euros, but the bid price went up six times before the hammer fell. The previous record holder at the auctions, also a Leica 0 (number 116), sold for 2.16 million euros in 2012.

The Leica 0’s rarity comes from its pre-production status. Just 25 prototype cameras made in 1923, two years before the Leica brand was launched.

Designed to test the market, this Leica is extremely rare. It’s 95 years old yet all the parts and paintwork are original, together with the matching lens cover and folding finder frame. The camera also has a unique film spool and take-up spool. It’s believed that of the 25 original prototypes, only three remain in their original condition.

Interestingly, the prototype met with a mixed reception, but Leitz launched the camera anyway and it proved an instant success at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair as the Leica 1 (Leitz + camera = Leica).

The WestLicht Camera Auction specialises in the sale of rare and high-value photographic equipment, and the Leica 0 was sold at the 17th Photo Auction in March 2018 – the first was held in December 2009.

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