Leica M7 Edition Hermes drops this December at a price you can't afford
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Nov 16th 2009 2:54PM
posted Nov 16th 2009 2:54PM
We've coveted many a Leica in the past, and when the company pulls out the stops for a limited edition you can bet that it will be quite lust-worthy -- and quite expensive. The M7 Edition Hermes sees the classic M7 35mm camera get a silver chrome finish and a choice of either orange or etoupe calfskin leather. On top of that, your purchase includes a Leica SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH wide-angle lens, a matching classic round lens hood, a LEICAVIT M rapid winder and a leather carrying strap, and will arrive at your doorstep in a linen-covered, silk-lined box. But you'd better jump now, 'cos only 100 of each color will be produced. Available in the UK this December from authorized Leica dealers and at the Mayfair Leica Store for a mere £8,550 (about $14,250). PR after the break.
Leica M7 Edition "Hermes" announced
Very special edition with an orange or etoupe calfskin leather finish
Leica has introed a "very special limited edition" (read: very expensive) version of its classic 35mm rangefinder system camera the M7 with the launch of the new Leica M7 Edition "Hermes".
The second Hermes partnership that Leica has entered into, the special M7 comes in silver chrome with a choice of two calfskin leather finishes - orange and "etoupe".
Just 100 of each colour will be made available, and each individual camera will have a special sequential serial number between 001/200 and 200/200.
The Leica M7 Edition "Hermes" set includes a Leica SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens, a matching classic round lens hood, a LEICAVIT M rapid winder and a real leather carrying strap matched to the colour of the camera, all delivered in a linen-covered, silk-lined box.
Looks-wise there's a few changes from the standard M7. The top plate is engraved with the Leica name in classic script, the red Leica logo has been nixed to stop a colour clash and the normally red "AUTO" and settings on the shutter speed dial have been replaced by the shade of the camera's leather.
The Lecia M7 Edition "Hermes" will be available in the UK from December from authorised Leica dealers and the Leica Store Mayfair for an eye-watering £8550.
Leica has today announced a very special limited edition of its classic 35mm rangefinder system camera: the Leica M7 Edition Hermès. As the successor to the Leica MP Edition Hermès launched in 2003, this is the second series of cameras created in co-operation with Hermès, the Paris-based company renowned throughout the world for its exclusive products.
The strictly limited Leica M7 Edition Hermès comes in silver chrome with a choice of two striking calfskin leather finishes – orange and étoupe – supplied by Hermès. Just 100 of each colour will be made available, and each individual camera will have a special sequential serial number between 001/200 and 200/200.
To complement the design of the camera, the special Leica M7 Edition Hermès set includes a silver anodised Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens, a matching classic round lens hood in silver anodised metal – manufactured specifically for these models – and a Leicavit M rapid winder in silver chrome. A real leather carrying strap, handcrafted by Atelier Hermès to match the colour of each camera, provides the finishing touch. Each set is delivered in a linen-covered, silk-lined box.
The Leica M7 Edition Hermès camera has a number of distinct features compared to the standard Leica M7 model. For example, the top plate is engraved with the Leica name in classic script: the red Leica logo has been omitted to preserve the colour harmony of the leather covering. All control elements of the Leica M7 Edition Hermès have been manufactured exclusively in metal, and the back of the camera is finished in silver chrome. Furthermore, the red colour of the engraved auto and 7 settings on the shutter speed dial has been replaced by the specific shade of the camera's leather. The technical specifications of the special edition set are otherwise identical to the standard model.
The Leica M7 Edition Hermès will be available in the UK from December 2009 and is priced at an impressive 8500 Pounds.
Very special edition with an orange or etoupe calfskin leather finish
Leica has introed a "very special limited edition" (read: very expensive) version of its classic 35mm rangefinder system camera the M7 with the launch of the new Leica M7 Edition "Hermes".
The second Hermes partnership that Leica has entered into, the special M7 comes in silver chrome with a choice of two calfskin leather finishes - orange and "etoupe".
Just 100 of each colour will be made available, and each individual camera will have a special sequential serial number between 001/200 and 200/200.
The Leica M7 Edition "Hermes" set includes a Leica SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens, a matching classic round lens hood, a LEICAVIT M rapid winder and a real leather carrying strap matched to the colour of the camera, all delivered in a linen-covered, silk-lined box.
Looks-wise there's a few changes from the standard M7. The top plate is engraved with the Leica name in classic script, the red Leica logo has been nixed to stop a colour clash and the normally red "AUTO" and settings on the shutter speed dial have been replaced by the shade of the camera's leather.
The Lecia M7 Edition "Hermes" will be available in the UK from December from authorised Leica dealers and the Leica Store Mayfair for an eye-watering £8550.
Leica has today announced a very special limited edition of its classic 35mm rangefinder system camera: the Leica M7 Edition Hermès. As the successor to the Leica MP Edition Hermès launched in 2003, this is the second series of cameras created in co-operation with Hermès, the Paris-based company renowned throughout the world for its exclusive products.
The strictly limited Leica M7 Edition Hermès comes in silver chrome with a choice of two striking calfskin leather finishes – orange and étoupe – supplied by Hermès. Just 100 of each colour will be made available, and each individual camera will have a special sequential serial number between 001/200 and 200/200.
To complement the design of the camera, the special Leica M7 Edition Hermès set includes a silver anodised Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens, a matching classic round lens hood in silver anodised metal – manufactured specifically for these models – and a Leicavit M rapid winder in silver chrome. A real leather carrying strap, handcrafted by Atelier Hermès to match the colour of each camera, provides the finishing touch. Each set is delivered in a linen-covered, silk-lined box.
The Leica M7 Edition Hermès camera has a number of distinct features compared to the standard Leica M7 model. For example, the top plate is engraved with the Leica name in classic script: the red Leica logo has been omitted to preserve the colour harmony of the leather covering. All control elements of the Leica M7 Edition Hermès have been manufactured exclusively in metal, and the back of the camera is finished in silver chrome. Furthermore, the red colour of the engraved auto and 7 settings on the shutter speed dial has been replaced by the specific shade of the camera's leather. The technical specifications of the special edition set are otherwise identical to the standard model.
The Leica M7 Edition Hermès will be available in the UK from December 2009 and is priced at an impressive 8500 Pounds.
HAHAHAHAHA TRYING TO USE DIFFERENT COLORS JUST LIKE APPLE!!!! BE ORIGINAL!!!!!!!
without question, these are the ipod nanos of the camera world.
because apple invented colors.
Kodak, in 1926, did the multi-color thing with a line of cameras. Dorwin Teague designed the cameras with 5 different colors, the same number and colors as the iPod line that first had them.
The only thing 'brilliant' about Apple using the colors was Jonathan Ive knowing about how it worked for Kodak. Anyone who spent time in an industrial design class would've learned about the cameras.
$14,250 buys a lot of hookers.
and coke
and politicians.
err well, on second thought maybe not so many nowadays.
Aren't 1 and 3 the same?
To a photographer, this is like a 3-way with Rita Hayworth and Angelina Jolie. Plus, it lasts your entire lifetime.
"at a price you can't afford"
Why do these guys continue to assume we are all as poorly paid as a blogger?
because we are. Most of us. At least, I am.
Leica must be hurting financially. These 200 total cameras will sell out easily to collectors. Rebasing them in different colors and packaging with extra markup really only points to their bottom line.
of course, their a luxury brand. nowadays people are settling for good "enough"
Sad to think they are a "luxury brand" rather then a brand for real photographers. I still own my M3 which I've had for a good two decades, and which was in the hands of my uncle before me.
I've lost a lot of respect for this company, with lens quality being so good these days from the likes of Nikon and Canon, its come to a point where you have to be truly stupid to pay $10,000 more for an M7 with a different colored Hermes brand attached for EXACTLY the same camera that cost 10 grand less (the M7 sells for ~$4,000 new).
Even if you could afford it its a stupid purchase. My old M3 is in horrible shape, dented, scratched, and generally ugly. Its seen some tough times, looks like shit, all at the cost of taking the best pictures in my life. Who cares what the camera looks like? Real photogs should really care what the photograph looks like.
I think you're missing the point of it being a limited run, they're for collectors and will be worth 2x as much in 5 years... My D3X and 14-24, 24-70, 85 1.4 and 70-200 as well as my Zeiss glass don't come close to anything Leica has made.... Ever... My M6 and the glass I have for it have a "feel" about them that is just untouchable, its like the ghosts of all those who worked on anything Leica have come to help me shoot a photo every time I push the shutter... This feeling is what makes Leica, Leica... Im more of an M6, M3 kind of guy, but there is no doubt the M7 is brilliant, and these cameras will increase in value despite them sadly sitting in a box and never being shot. Leica is not loosing money, demand for their gear is so overwhelming they have had to delay the S2 and X1... So be a snob, your efforts are futile....
Boudu: Leicas aren't "work" cameras - they lack a lot of modern conveniences that journalists, sports photographers, wedding photographers, etc, have grown to love.
What they are are immensely enjoyable, impeccably designed, cream of the crop cameras. They get out of your way and don't stand between you and the picture. I'm going to be owning my very own Leica very soon (not the M7, dear God, I'm not rich), and I cannot wait.
The Hermes M always where the most beautiful M cameras. Maybe the chrome MP is equally nice but its hard to decide. And actually its not even very expensive. If you go into a store and buy a random M7 with 35 asph. 'lux it costs you 10k, so 14k isn't much of a deal ..
You're right! I just wiped my arse with a hundy myself and there are 39 more where those came from.
$14,250 can feed a town of africans.
Ya but they would be hungry next year. This will last decades.
It could also feed a town of Irish people.
The camera and lens alone costs around $10,000 in the US.
Why the tough love Engadget? I thought we were in a global recession. I see we still have people willing to pay excessively for these social icons. I bet the same people that buy these are the ones that are telling me that I need to lower my carbon footprint!
ape: A Leica Rangefinder is not really a social icon - it's a social icon the same way driving a M1A1 Abrams tank to work is a social icon - it's a high-end professional tool that would do a very poor job at what "normal" people do, but excel at professional tasks.
If I had the money a Leica M9 would be in the books - though probably not this "special edition" bull, that's just a waste of money.
Huh? Is that 35mm as in 35 million megapixels or something? Seriously, is 35mm film still being produced anymore?
You are a fool.
I'll take one camera of each color please. And I'd like them wrapped in gold foil.
Gold foil is actually relatively cheap....plus it would just fall apart...
Hermes = Uncle Jesse's real name.
looks more grey than chrome. should be shinny if its that many bones.
Oh come on, these are gonna be a hit with bailout receiving CEO's!
It's like a Rolex watch. There are 20 buck watches that keep way better time. But if you're crapping out money and you want it, go right ahead!
I'm just going to buy the China knock-off on eBay, the Licka Herma M700
You mean the 3.5 megapixel with MP4 file playback compatibility for $19.99 and free 3 week shipping?
$14 250 ... for this camera why ? guess some ppl have extra bugs to throw up
It's a Rolex. A Ferrari. A big yacht you don't even have the proper papers to be the captain of. You get the idea :)
Uhh... it's Hermes x Leica, neither of which is known for being cheap. Considering that Hermes produces bags worth several hundred K, I don't think $14K is really that much. If you can't afford it, it really wasn't aimed at you in the first place.
I mean... counterfeit luxury goods are just as good... right? /sarcasm
yes, different colours ............ Apple have patent on the rainbow?
OMFG< Ford and Honda are going to be really pissed.... other people offering products in colour other than black
Jobsian Fanbois get a freakin life!
These are for 16 year old girls with rich parents who think they're "artists". But mainly, they're just whores.
Was I the only one that thought that said HERPES instead of HERMES?
the letters "M" and "P" look quite different, my friend
They should have went all the way and just made these film.
they are
Oh good grief they are film!
I'm sure it is a well made camera that enables you to take some great pictures, but so is my Nikon F100 that I paid $200 for. Some people have way too much money.
All I saw was Hermes, and the WANT took over...
14k$ hermes
50$ herpes
You can say what you want, but I'm sure that a lot of rich kids and douche bags will buy this just to bee "cool".
Makes me wanna puke ...
Those look a lot more like an MP with an M7 rewind knob. Lack of M7 logo, lack of red dot, engraving on top of top plate, shiny chrome release button, rounded film release (and I assume frameline selector) and MP style film advance lever.
Also, your "press release" is not worded as Leica tend to word their press releases.
I call shenanigans.