Leica Camera invests in Light, the maker of the L16 multi-aperture computational camera


Light is the maker of the L16 multi-aperture computational camera that did not get very good reviews when it came out a few months ago.

Shortly after the first reports came online about the new Light 9-cameras smartphone camera, Light issued a press release today announcing that SoftBank and Leica Camera invested $121 million in the company:

Light, the leader in advanced computational imaging, today announced a Series D funding round of $121 million, led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. The renowned Leica Camera AG also participated in the financing. Light’s groundbreaking imaging platform enables machines to see like humans do, using sophisticated algorithms to combine images from multiple camera modules into a single high-quality image and enabling highly-accurate 3D depth extraction.

“The Leica brand is founded on a long tradition of technology leadership, precision engineering, and craftsmanship. Since the birth of its first digital camera in 1996, Leica has embarked on a path of digital photography technology evolution. With the rapid development of the computational photography, partnering with the innovators at Light ensures Leica to extend its tradition of excellence into the computational photography era,” said Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Leica Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Here is the full press release:

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More Leica M10-P camera rumors


Some additional information on the rumored Leica M10-P camera:

  • Touchscreen (already reported)
  • New paint/cover/color – not sure what this is about, but expect something new
  • New/updated shutter – also not sure if this is referring to the actual shutter mechanism or the shutter speed (maybe we will get 1/800sec?)

Stay tuned for more details.

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Interesting: Leica Geosystems and DJI to develop new Leica Aibot drone for aerial surveys that takes only Sony cameras


Leica Geosystems teamed up with DJI to develop a new Leica Aibot drone for aerial surveys. Interestingly, the new Leica drone is compatible only with Sony cameras (why not the Leica SL/TL?):


Here is the full press release:

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Updated list of upcoming/rumored Leica cameras and lenses


Here is an updated list of upcoming/rumored Leica cameras and lenses (see the previous lists here):

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Leica digest (videos)

→ Leica 75mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/1.25 lens ($12,795) review:

→ 7artisans 35mm f/2 lens ($289) for Leica M-mount reviews:

→ Leica HQ videos:

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Leica 100th anniversary “China 1911 Revolution” limited edition set for sale on eBay


One of our sponsors Leica Store Lisse has an interesting set for sale on eBay: four Leica limited edition cameras made for the 100th anniversary “China 1911 Revolution”. The set includes: Leica M7-1974, Summilux-M 1:1.4/50 ASPH, Leica D-Lux 5, Leica X-1 and Leica M9-1974 all brand new in a box (see my original post from 2011). The price is $31,995 (you can make an offer).

Check out also the other rare Leica items listed for sale by Leica Store Lisse:

Leica 100th anniversary “China 1911 Revolution” limited edition set additional pictures:

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Leica M10-P with touchscreen and a new macro filter rumored to be announced later this year


Two new Leica rumors:

  • A new Leica M10-P camera with a touchscreen is rumored to be announced later this year.
  • New Leica TL macro lens “ELPRO 52” is also coming soon (update: this could be for a new macro filter and not a new lens).

Additional information on “ELPRO” (thanks Mike):

The term “Elpro” means “Ernst Leitz Proxar”, and was introduced with the original Leicaflex. An Elpro is a close-up lens, not a filter, which fits the filter thread of the lens for which it is designed.

The Elpro was the first two-element achromatic close-up lens, computed for maximum quality with the Leica R lenses. Minolta, Panasonic, and Nikon copied the concept, and Nikon still makes a few to assist specific Micro-Nikkor lenses.

Leitz originally used the name “Macrotar”, but this name proved to be already trademarked by a now defunct New York City retail dealer. An original Leitz Macrotar is a very rare Leica accessory.

Via Digicame-info

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