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Leica M7 Edition Hermes drops this December at a price you can't afford

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 16th 2009 at 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.

Gallery: Leica M7 Edition Hermes

[Via Pocket-lint]

Continue reading Leica M7 Edition Hermes drops this December at a price you can't afford

Leica X1 photo gallery proves that big shots do come in little packages

by Darren Murph posted Nov 8th 2009 at 11:48AM

For those who've never really understood the mystique and allure surrounding Leica's retro-styled cameras (and their stratospheric price tags), here's a gallery of shots that might just lend a little insight into the fixation. The outfit's X1 was announced back in September, though initial shipments aren't expected to begin across the pond until early 2010. That said, the shutterbugs over at dpreview managed to procure one ahead of time, and they've hosted up a cornucopia of sample images from the currently unpriced compact. Go on and give that read link a look if your interest in piqued -- we're guessing you'll come away wishing your SD200 could produce similar results.

Leica gets official with M9 and X1 cameras, hands-on ensue

by Darren Murph posted Sep 9th 2009 at 9:30AM

No surprises here (at all), but Leica's 09/09/09 event has just led to the formal unveiling of the full-frame, 18 megapixel M9 rangefinder and the compact X1. The former (which is shipping now) supports all Leica M lenses and ships with a "newly developed glass sensor cover designed to guarantee the suppression of the infrared portion of the light spectrum." There's also a quick-access ISO adjustment button alongside a few other hotkeys, a full metal housing, Kodak-sourced CCD, a fresh microprocessor-controlled shutter (which is supposedly "near silent") and a staggering £4,850 ($8,004) price tag. As for the X1, you'll find a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C), a fixed-mount Leica Elmarit 1:2.8/24mm lens, numerous "auto" modes for the newbies in attendance, a maximum ISO of 3200, 2.7-inch rear LCD and a Live View function that replaces the optical viewfinder. Expect to hear more regarding price when the January 2010 ship date nears, but for now, feel free to peruse the hands-on galleries linked below.

Read - Leica M9 announcement and hands-on
Read - Leica X1 announcement and hands-on

Leica M9 microsite and brochure leaked, new X1 details in tow

by Ross Miller posted Sep 7th 2009 at 11:18PM

At cursory glance there's nothing new here on the Leica M9 that we haven't already seen in the numerous other leaks, but if you're jonesing for more on the upcoming M9 -- and a dash of the CMOS-equipped X1 while you're at it -- Leica Rumors has managed to dig up the screencaptures of the M9 microsite and the M9 brochure. Getting excited for new professional-grade cameras this Wednesday? It's not like you had anything else to look forward to, right?

Gallery: Highlights from Leica M9 brochure leak

Read - Leica brochure
Read - Screenshots of M9 microsite

Leica M9 and X1 leak out ahead of schedule

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 12:42PM

Wondering what Leica has up its sleeve for that destined-to-be-overshadowed event on the 9th? Well, wonder no more: these pics of the long-rumored M9 and something called the X1 just leaked out, along with some specs. We're told the M9 will sport a full-frame 18.2 megapixel sensor and improved low-light performance, but the real surprise is the X1, pictured above, which'll supposedly have a 12 megapixel APS-C sensor, a fixed 24mm lens and that funky grip handle, by which we're oddly fascinated. Maybe Leica's got some surprises left for the 9th after all -- pic of the M9 after the break.

Continue reading Leica M9 and X1 leak out ahead of schedule

Leica to announce new cameras on September 9th, absolute best day to stand out in the headlines

by Ross Miller posted Aug 31st 2009 at 7:16PM

We know Leica's target demographic is decidedly less consumer and more devoted professional photography, but even still, September 9th isn't exactly the most apt timing to maximize press coverage on a next generation camera lineup when your competition of the day will be Apple's annual iPod event and the release of Beatles Rock Band. Still, the urge to make announcements on 9-9-2009 at 9:00AM ET has gotta be too hard to pass up, and possibly not topped until 10:00AM on October 10th of next year. Video teaser after the break; no idea what we're expecting to see from Leica (M8 successor, perhaps?), but we can all but guarantee it won't be priced for mass consumption.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

Continue reading Leica to announce new cameras on September 9th, absolute best day to stand out in the headlines

Leica to open a store in a store in the Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 26th 2009 at 7:47AM

The gadget boutique trend continues, and Leica is latest to jump in for the retail romp, opening a store within a store in West Palm Beach, Florida. That outlet will be inside the Pro Shop for Photographers, which is itself inside the new Palm Beach Photographic Centre, a 26,000 square foot facility for teaching photography, hosting exhibits, and surely cooing over some of the company's sexier special editions. It's a non-profit facility, but we're guessing Leica is hoping its little corner of it will generate a little revenue when it opens in mid-October. Fun fact: despite having all that space, the Photographic Centre doesn't have a single dark room, leaving old-school film photographers with no place to go but the closet.

[Via ubergizmo]

Magazine hints at Olympus E-P2 before year's end, Leica M9 for September

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 4th 2009 at 12:58PM

There's not exactly much in the way of specifics on either of these just yet, but the usually-reliable French magazine, Chasseur d'Image, has seemingly revealed in its latest issue that Olympus will be rolling out its E-P1 followup, the E-P2, before the end of the year, and that Leica will be releasing its M8 successor, the M9, as soon as September. The real kicker is that the E-P2 is said to be bringing with it an oft-desired viewfinder, while the M9 will reportedly be a full-frame camera, and presumably cost more than a small car. Of course, neither are anywhere close to being official, but it may not be the worst idea to stick with your current gear a little while longer to see how things shake out.

Read - Photo Rumors, "Chasseur d'Image magazine: Leica M9 in September"
Read - Leica rumors, "Olympus EP-2: released before the end of the year, with a viewfinder"

[Thanks, Tony]

Leica S2 DSLR hitting UK scene in October for eye-opening $26,165 without lens

by Ross Miller posted Jul 29th 2009 at 11:55PM

Remember Leica's S-system flagship DSLR camera? We'd wager a nickel you probably stuck this in the deep in the back of your brain after its September 2008 debut, figuring something that boasts 37.5 megapixels and Leica branding was gonna be just out of your budget range. Well, you were right. The company announced that it'll be out in the UK as of October this year, and the starting price is £15,996, or about $26,165 in US dollars. Since you're going on the wild side anyhow, why not consider the S2-P, which features a sapphire glass monitor screen and "Platinum Service" support package? That'll set you back £19,092 ($31,229). Bear in mind both those prices are for body only, and with lenses range anywhere from £3,096 to £5,160, you might as well forget about that year of salary.

Panasonic HDC-HS350 allows you to record over 30 hours of HD

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 8th 2009 at 7:55AM

If you liked the HDC-TM350, then we can pretty much guarantee you'll be a fan of the HS350, unveiled by Panasonic today. Essentially identical to its elder brother -- but for the hard disk bump on its right side -- the new AVCHD camcorder ups internal storage from 64GB to 240GB and retains all other salient features: 10.6 megapixel 3MOS sensor, 12x optical zoom and SDHC expansion up to 32GB per card. The increase in storage allows for over 30 hours of continuous full HD recording, meaning that your battery will give out long before you need to fiddle with your storage options. No word on the when, where and how much questions, but if we had to guess we'd say soon, everywhere and plenty.

Leica debuts D-LUX 4 Safari special edition camera

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 7th 2009 at 3:01PM

Leica has never been one to shy away from special edition cameras, but we're not about to start complaining, especially when they keep churning out packages that look like this. As Leica fans will no doubt notice, this one is just a regular D-LUX 4 camera, but with a new olive drab, safari-style appearance that has also graced Leica's high-end M8.2 rangefinder. Of course, while this model is thousands of dollars cheaper than that camera, it is still a somewhat hefty $995 (stylish, water-resistant case included, naturally). Look for it to be available this August.

Voigtländer adapter expands lens pool for Micro Four Thirds cameras

by Darren Murph posted Apr 27th 2009 at 5:33PM

Granted, this was totally expected, but we can't possibly be more excited to see such a peripheral emerge before the Micro Four Thirds segment even has a chance to blossom. Cosina, parent company of Voigtländer, has just introduced a new adapter which aims to make Micro Four Thirds cameras (you know, like Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G1) compatible with a slew of existing Voigtländer, Leica and Carl Zeiss lenses. Unfortunately, we're told that the device is mechanical only, which could cause issues with some of the more advanced features that require tight knit camera-lens communication. Head on past the break for a full list of suitable lenses, and feel free to ping your favorite Japanese importer with a mailing address and at least ¥19,800 ($205).

[Via Wired]

Continue reading Voigtländer adapter expands lens pool for Micro Four Thirds cameras

Leica M8 Special Edition White on sale in June for a very special $9,000

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 3:49AM

Sure, that white leather and chrome looks good now, but how's it going to look after a few months of handling? Is a beige Leica M8 with muck and ass accents really worth ¥882,000 (about $9,000)? Rangefinder fans will undoubtedly say yes when this goes on sale in Japan in June.

Leica special edition white M8 spotted at car show in Tokyo

by Laura June posted Apr 17th 2009 at 1:48PM

Some keen-eyed fellows at the Audi Forum Tokyo car show were just hanging out, checking out an R8, when bam! The recently announced special edition white Leica M8 appeared out of thin air, ready to impress. We don't know what the circumstances were, or how the cam came to be there, but it's looking really fly, we can tell you that much. There's still no official word on pricing or availability, but rumor has it that it's going to appear sometime in May and might cost around €7,000 (about $9,150). One more shot after the break.

Leica rolls out truly special Special Edition white M8 digicam

by Laura June posted Apr 7th 2009 at 4:12PM

Seems like Special Edition white digital cameras are quickly becoming a trend, and one that we'll freely admit to being fans of. The Leica M8 has gotten a fresh coat of paint (as you can see above) and it's looking pretty good. We're not hearing many details yet -- no release date or price -- but don't expect it to be cheap. The wild stuff never is.