The rumor is that a new Leica M9 Titan will be released by the end of the year, most probably as a limited edition. It is possible that this would be the M9 related announcement at Photokina. The Leica M9 Titan will be sold as a kit with a lens (not sure which one) for the price of €18,000 (vat tax incl). I am told that the body will be made of real Titanium (which could explain the price tag) and not just "Ti plated" like this M6 Titan I found on eBay:
Another small p&s camera from Leica is also expected for Photokina, probably the Leica D-Lux 5.
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Nope… this would not explain the price tag.
18,000€… it is just the red colour of the dot.
its a collectors item… who cares. Anyone buying a leica special edition does so because they have tons of cash to begin with.
Actually, that’s about right for titanium (shockingly). Titanium is a much harder metal to machine than, say, aluminum alloy or some other types of alloy. As a scuba diver, I know that titanium equipment costs about 3X non-titanium equipment. For instance, Atomic Aquatics makes a T2x regulator (with stage 1 and 2 in titanium) that sells MSRP for $1,500 or so, whereas the regular steel version of the exact same regulator (the Z2x) sells for $500. There is no real advantage to using titanium equipment underwater; in fact you have to add weight on your person to compensate. Nonetheless, there is a draw amongst the wealthier divers to the tianium metal.
In automobiles, I have purchased and owned titanium wheels for racing purposes, and I can tell you they cost at least 4X to 5X over the non-titanium metal wheels. In that context, the weight savings of the titanium metal does make a difference (every pound counts in the mind of a racer).
In this instance, obviously a titanium camera body will not render a better picture. But if you want a titanium version, be prepared to pay 3X; this is consistent with the titanium market. So, yes, the titanium to me does explain the price tag.
Let me correct that I just said above. “titanium wheels” should be “titanium wheel lug nuts.” 20 lug nuts in titanium saves quite a big of weight over 20 lug nuts in steel. I’ve never owned actual titanium wheels; they would be incredibly expensive for me to own.
And when are we going to have a Leica M in Carbon Fibre?
How about a M9 in titanium metal AND carbon fibre instead of leather
Matching lens would also be made of titanium. Now THAT would be a light camera.
Here is a website talking about the titanium M7, which is made entirely of titanium and hence 13% lighter. http://www.leicapages.com/m7.html