ISSUE 122
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From £10 film to £6.2 million camera! Leica is celebrating its 100th birthday with a price tag for everyone, from the casual shooter to the wealthy collector 1 £6.2 million: 0-Series No 112 The sale of Leica 0-Series No 112 set the record as the second-most expensive camera ever sold at auction, reaching triple its estimate at the Leica 100th- anniversary auction in Germany. With 3 £15,514: MP King Nerd A one-of-a-kind Leica MP camera engraved by British artist King Nerd – whose real name, Johnny Dowell, is more believable. The camera features his signature design of the Leica headquarters at Leitz Park. This unique affordable and has also been refreshed with anniversary detailing, including a distinctive nickel finish. It won’t make your images any better though, for the extra £150 over the normal mode. 6 £50: 100 Leica Stories book Alongside all this hardware comes
only around a dozen of the original 25 of prototype cameras believed to exist today, this 1923 model predates the first production camera by two years. And the most expensive camera ever sold? Another Leica 0-Series: No 105, the personal camera of Leica founder Oskar Barnack, which made a staggering $15 million in 2022. 2 £2.9 million: M3 Kruckenhauser A Leica M3 once given to professor Stefan Kruckenhauser in 1955, an Austrian mountain photographer, sold for £2.9 million at the anniversary auction. This earns it a place among the top five most expensive cameras ever sold. The special Leica M3, No. 700,000, is the first serial-numbered unit in Leica’s M-Series.
camera was sold for charity, with all proceeds benefiting the Austrian social initiative Licht ins Dunkel. 4 £8188: M11 Wetzlar Edition There’s a bit of a catch if you’d like to own the new Leica M11 Wetzlar Edition. It’s a German-only release, limited to just 100 units. The model features silver-chrome controls and a distinctive black paint finish that will patina over time – just like the Leica M cameras of old. Upcoming editions will follow in Shanghai and Tokyo. 5 £1600: D-Lux 8 100 Years As one of a small range of anniversary cameras on general release, the Leica D-Lux 8 100 Years edition is more
something for the bookshelf: 100 Leica Stories . The book is a tribute to Leica’s impact across photography and visual culture – told through the lens of the photographers and stories that shaped its journey. It includes some historic images, all shot on Leica cameras. 7 £10: Monopan 50 film It’s taken 100 years for Leica to launch its first true Leica 35mm film, but now here’s the Monopan 50, a black & white film with 36 exposures. Monopan 50 pairs well with colour filters to enhance contrast, and is perfect for landscape, architectural, cityscape and travel photography. Best of all, it comes in vintage-style packaging.
The famous big red dot is a centenarian – and it’s throwing
a party in classic Leica style: elegant, historic and with price tags that range from reasonable to eye-watering. Whether you’re in the market for a £6.2 million Leica 0-Series prototype or just fancy a special roll of centenary film for a tenner, there’s something for collectors and shooters alike. To mark 100 years since the first Leica I camera in 1925, the brand is releasing exclusive cameras, limited- edition lenses, special accessories and more – proving once again that Leica doesn’t do birthdays by halves. Here’s some of the kit and the prices.
DEEP POCKETS Considering the Leica was the first pocket-sized camera, you’ll need a fair bit of cash to buy one of the limited- edition models
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