Leica News & Rumors » Leica M Series

Leica MP Taiwan Centenary Establishment Limited Edition Camera

LR admin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 01:31:58 +0000

A new Leica MP limited edition was announced in Taiwan (Republic of China) to commemorate the country's centenary establishment. Only 100 pieces will be produced. The price is NT$360,000 (US$12,185):

"Comes in Leica's original wood-made box, the camera features a copper and zinc-alloy body, while the the upper and lower lids are military grey, which resembles the Leica M2 Grey film camera that was launched in 1960. The Leica MP also uses "Vulcanite" leather that was on the Leica M8.2. Another special feature is the engravings of "MP100 - XXX" on the top camera shoe, the chinse words "Exciting Hundred 1912 - 2011", and Taiwan's national flower, the plum blossom. Such a limited edition Leica MP camera would surely appeal to collectors."

Additional coverage:

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Leica Akademie with Craig Semetko

LR admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:36:03 +0000

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Last year I had the chance to participate in one of the Leica Akademie Weekends with Craig Semetko and I can highly recommend it. The price of the 2012 course is $495, but you will receive a $150 voucher that can be used toward the purchase of any Leica serial numbered M products plus other freebies.

For more info check those links:

Craig Semetko also has a new book out:

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Leica classes at FotoFusion 2012 (South Florida)

LR admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:35:58 +0000

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Leica will host three separate shooting programs during Fotofusion 2012 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Offered in collaboration with the 17th Annual International Festival of Photography and Digital Imaging, these workshops on January, 24th,26th and 28th, 2012 provide the perfect opportunity to "test drive" the Leica M9 or select compact cameras, while working in real world situations with a Leica representative:

For detailed information on all Fotofusion workshops click on www.fotofusion.org.

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What’s in stock right now?

LR admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:33:44 +0000

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I am constantly updating the "In stock" list located on the sidebar. This is what is available right now at our sponsors (still at the "old" prices):

New M products:

Used M products:

Update: several lenses sold out already and I removed them from the list.

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Interesting interview with Stefan Daniel

LR admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:15:12 +0000

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Megapixel had an interview with Stefan Daniel (Director Product Management at Leica Camera AG). Some of the interesting points:

Leica is in the process of creating a special order department to handle custom and limited edition versions.

In terms of announcing new products, Leica has "a strong focus on 2012".

On the size of the sensor in a potential Leica mirrorless camera: "Leica with an interchangeable lens should have at least an APS-sized sensor".

On the optical vs. digital viewfinder: "I think that the quality of the 1.4MP finders is already very good, and sometimes even more accurate than an optical finder, think of white balance or exposure. Over time, as technology is improving, optical finders will get less and less important. The X100 finder is a very nice concept and well executed".

On M rangefinder with video/CMOS sensor: "Offering additional functions such as video and live view would extend the usability of the M camera significantly. CMOS is a prerequisite for it, therefore it will be the technology of the future".

On M rangefinder with AF: "we are totally aware that we could aim at a much larger clientele with AF and are currently studying solutions".

Next S lenses: "a 30mm and then a 30-90mm zoom as well as a super wide angle 24mm in 2012".

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The story of the 350kg stainless steel “Fake Leica”

LR admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:35:50 +0000

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As promised, here is the story of the 350kg stainless steel Leica camera from the Foto Henny Hoogeveen Leica store in Lisse, the Netherlands:

The sculpture was created by the Chinese artist Liao Yibai. There are only three copies of this "Fake Leica": one is located in the store in Lisse, Leica Camera AG got the second one and a distributor got the third copy.

The camera body is based on Leica M6 and M7 and even has M9 design pieces on the back (LCD screen). This is where the name "Fake Leica" comes from:

The lens is a Summicron 50mm 1:2, 1953-1960 style:

The details on the camera are amazing:

You can get more information on the design process from this PDF document.

Special thanks to Foto Henny Hoogeveen who provided all the images used in this post. If you are in The Netherlands, you can stop by and see this 350kg stainless steel "Fake Leica" at the following address:

Foto Henny Hoogeveen
Kapelstraat 3
2161 HD , Lisse
The Netherlands
TEL: +31 – 252 – 415349

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Leica M7 Xinhai Revolution limited edition launched in China

LR admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:15:14 +0000

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Leica Camera launched a new Leica M7 Xinhai Revolution limited edition in China:

"On 10 October, Leica launched in China a limited edition M7 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution.

Distinguished guests were invited to witness the launch of this camera in the ex-residence of Song Ching Ling.

Clad in green leather, this edition is limited to 101 pieces. The top plate is also inscribed with the words "天下为公。孙文", and over at the back has the words "辛亥革命一百周年纪念，1911－2011”. A matching 50mm f/1.4 Summilux lens comes with the camera.

Following this limited edition M7, Leica also intends to produce similar ones for the M9, X1 and D-Lux 5."

Via Leica Camera

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Sample photos taken with the new Leica M-Mount A12 Ricoh GXR unit

LR admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:41:13 +0000

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Thephoblographer published some sample images taken with the new Leica M mount A12 unit for Ricoh GXR during hurricane Irene in Queens, NY. I contacted Thephoblographer and they sent me some pictures of the new A12 GXR unit (they will soon have a detailed review of the combo online):

More info on the Ricoh GXRA12 Leica M-Mount unit is available here.

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Leica MP à la carte production temporarily halted till early 2012

LR admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:04:57 +0000

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Robertwhite (a major UK retailer) published on their website that the Leica MP and MP à la carte production is temporarily halted till early 2012 "due to the discontinuation of an integral component":

Leica à la carte lets you customize your MP or M7 camera. The standard MP model is currently in stock at B&H, Adorama and you can even get it for the old price of $4,595.95 at Amazon:

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Leica M8 firmware update 2.014 is out

LR admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:03:46 +0000

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The new firmware update version 2.014 is now available for download (under "updates"). The improvements are:

Support of the new lens Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm/f3.4
Optimization of internal processes

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Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M Aspherical lens video review

LR admin — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:59:26 +0000

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Kai from DigitalRev does another entertaining video review of the Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M Aspherical lens (it seems that DigitalRev has one in stock):

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Leica iM mirrorless design concept

LR admin — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:58:23 +0000

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Those two images were sent to me anonymously with the following text:

Mirrorless APSC camera with movable screen
iM mount
Noctilux iM 0.95/35
Compactness and simplicity for endless creativity

My guess is that those are just designer's concept renderings not related to Leica Camera AG.

Here is another Leica p&s design concept.

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The most expensive Leica camera ever was sold during the last Westlicht auction

LR admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:12:43 +0000

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The last Westlicht auction is over: the Leica 250 “Reporter” sold for 180,000EUR and the experimental Leica MP2 camera sold for a whopping 402,000 EUR (around 537,000USD)! The initial expected price was between EUR 150000-180000 and for now this is the most expensive Leica camera ever sold. From the descriptions:

“The MP-2 was the first experimental M cameras with electric motor drive built in the late 1950′s, only 6 cameras were produced in black paint finish, only 4 are known to exist”

The next Westlicht auction will take place on May 28th, 2011.

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If you hurry, you can still get a Leica MP or M7 before a $400 price hike

LR admin — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:52:07 +0000

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I just confirmed with Leica and B&H that the MP and M7 cameras will now cost $4,995 in the US ($400 price increase)S :

If you hurry, you can still get a black MP at Adorama for the old price of $4,595. A black M7 is also still available for the old price.

Amazon currently still has two Leica MP cameras for $4,595. Several Leica M7 cameras are aslo available.

Update: some Leica S lenses and at least one M lens will also be getting a price increase. I am trying to confirm this information.

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L-camera-forum Q&A session with Leica

LR admin — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:37:04 +0000

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The German version of the L-camera-forum meeting/Q&A session with Leica just came online. The main points:

R-solution: Leica is working on a mirrorless solution, but for financial, technical and other reasons the exact details are still unclear.
S-system: three new lenses are expected - 24 mm ultra wide angle, 30 mm super wide-angle (with optional central locking) and 30-90 mm zoom. Still evaluating a possible tilt-shift lens.
X-system: new firmware by the end of 2010, X system will continue with a new model, but will keep the "Leica simplicity". Do not expect HD video, GPS, etc. in the X line.
M-system: M9 successor will not have AF-assist/focus confirmation, weather sealing is on the their wish list, M9 firmware is stable, cracked sensor is caused by the manufacturing process of the supplier (will be replaced for free).

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Firmware 2.005 for Leica M8 & M8.2 now available online

LR admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:22:07 +0000

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The new firmware 2.005 for Leica M8 and M8.2 can be now downloaded from Leica's website.

What's fixed:

Resolving the error message "Shutter fault": When shooting in C-Mode (Continuous) or taking several pictures consecutively in S-Mode (Single), the message "Shutter Fault" may appear on the display.

Additional notes:

After updating to the new 2.005 firmware the LEICA M8 with quiet 1/4000s shutter and LEICA M8.2 can not be „downgraded“ to the previous firmware.
User profiles will be deleted during the update process and will need to be recreated after the firmware upgrade process.

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Leica M9, X1 now in stock

LR admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:46:17 +0000

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A rare sight: the complete Leica digital cameras line

A black Leica M9 and one Leica X1 are currently in stock at the Leica Store in Palm Beach (phone: 561.253.2606, email: info8@ProshopForPhotographers.com).

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New Leica M8 firmware update 2.005

LR admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:23:28 +0000

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One lucky Leica M8 owner got his camera back from a factory repair with a surprise - firmware version 2.005. The shutter fault is one of the expected fixes.

Previous posts indicated that the next Leica M8 firmware was being tested. Expect the official release very soon, maybe even next week.

A new firmware for Leica M9 is also expected.

Thanks to Richard from Warsaw for the screenshot.

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Leica has not stopped making film cameras

LR admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:57:11 +0000

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This post on rangefinderforum (quoting the Japanese magazine Asahi Camera, June 20th issue) indicated that Leica has stopped producing film M cameras back in 2009:

"On 30th May, Leica Camera's CEO said in his lecture at the Japan Camera Industry Institute that Leica has already stopped making film bodies. He also revealed the fact that they had already stopped making them in 2009"

I was not sure if the above text just got lost in translation, so I contacted Christian Erhardt (Vice President of Marketing Photographic Division, Leica Camera USA) and this is the answer he gave me:

"Your questions comes timely, in fact just earlier this week I was in our factory where I saw the production of Leica’s M product lines. While we do not have a constant production of certain lenses and cameras, we have the ability to produce batches of those products. For example: Certain exotic lenses & cameras are produced in batches to be able to produce an economically feasible number of products.

In this case the M analog production line is just next to Leica’s M9 production line to which we have shifted our focus to better manage the backlog and reduce the wait for our customers.

As you might be well aware from the past, we have always stated that as long as it makes sense for Leica Camera AG to produce M analog cameras we will do so. At this time we are reaching our targeted numbers for M analog cameras and do well with the offering of Leica M a la Carte cameras. Just recently Leica Camera AG offered a special Leica M7 Hermes Camera. This camera was quickly sold out and is a sought after collectors camera.

At this time I have no indication that the Leica M analog cameras will be taken out of Leica’s product offering."

FYI: only 5% of Leica's sales are generated from film cameras.

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Leica M8 firmware in testing phase

LR admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:29:45 +0000

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This is the response a LUF member got from Leica when he sent his Leica M8 for repair:

"Shutter fault in C-Mode this is a bug inside the firmware and should be gone with the next firmware update. New firmware is being tested now and as soon as we have the ok, it will be available for download on our homepage."

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