CityAM: Leica UK sees slower sales despite new camera launch

Leica-logo
This comes from cityam.com:

“Leica Camera, which is owned by German parent company Leica AG and distributes cameras in the UK, reported a 12 per cent dip in turnover for the year ending March 2013, to £13m from £14.9m a year ago. This fed into a 16 per cent fall in gross profits and smaller profits before tax of £561,000 for the year, according to accounts.”

I am just not sure where CityAM got that financial information since Leica is no longer a publicly traded company and I seriously doubt they would disclose their financial statements, especially if they are not positive.

Update: CityAM emailed me and confirmed that they got the information from Leica house filings (www.companieshouse.gov.uk), which I guess are mandatory for private companies in the UK.

Posted in Other Leica Stuff | Tagged | 11 Comments

CMOSIS, the maker of the Leica M 240 sensor, to be acquired by TA Associates

Leica-M-24MP-SMOSIS-sensor-board

CMOSIS, the maker of the Leica M 240 sensor, will be acquired by the global growth private equity firm TA Associates. No other details of the acquisition were provided. Here is the full press release:

Read More »

Posted in Leica M | Tagged | 1 Comment

Results from the last Westlicht camera auction

Leica-camera-at-Westlicht-camera-auction
The results from the last Westlicht camera auction are now available online. Here are some additional details:

Read More »

Posted in Leica Auction Madness | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Leica increases the value of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award for the Leica centennial in 2014

2014 Oskar Barnack Award
Leica Camera AG, Solms, is celebrating 100 years of Leica photography in 2014. To celebrate the centennial, the company will be doubling the value of the cash prizes for the prestigious international photography competition, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. Oskar Barnack, after whom the award is named, was the man who constructed the so-called Ur-Leica in 1914 and thus revolutionised the possibilities for photographic expression.

From 2014 on, the winner of the main category of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award will be presented with a cash prize of 10,000 euros in addition to premium-quality Leica M-System equipment (a camera and lens), valuing a further 10,000 euros. The Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award for emerging talents aged 25 and under will also be made more attractive. With immediate effect, this award entails a cash prize of 5,000 euros. The winner of this category will also receive a Leica M camera with a lens. The award winners will be selected by an international jury of experts in spring 2014.

Read More »

Posted in Leica Press Releases | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Leica cameras at the next Tamarkin auction

Leica-at-Tamarkin-Rare-Camera-Auction
Another Tamarkin Rare Camera Auction will take place this Sunday, December 8th at 10:00 am EST. Here are some of the Leica camera highlights (the full catalog can be downloaded here):

Read More »

Posted in Leica Auction Madness | Leave a Comment

Top 10 LeicaRumors posts for November 2013

Leica-custom-made-camera-by-Jony-Ive-and-Marc-Newson-for-REDSony-A7r-full-frame-mirrorless-camera Leica-T-type-701-camera
Leica-price-increase Sinar-logoLeica-M-RED-camera
Leica-Monochrom-Ralph-Gibson-limited-edition-camera-2 Digiscoping-with-Leica-M-240-spotting-scope-APO-Televid-82-2 Leica-T-shirts-6
These are the top 10 most visited LeicaRumors posts for November 2013:

  1. Leica M camera designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson for RED sold for $1.8 million
  2. Die Welt: “Leica’s nightmare is Sony”
  3. Leica T (701) camera without a rangefinder coming soon
  4. Jony Ive and Marc Newson on the one of a kind Leica M (RED) camera
  5. List of Leica lenses impacted by the price increase
  6. Leica Camera AG takes over Sinar Photography AG, the Swiss manufacturer of view cameras
  7. Leica M (RED) camera on display at the Leica Store in New York Soho
  8. Leica Monochrom “Ralph Gibson” limited edition camera
  9. Digiscoping with the Leica M 240 and Leica spotting scope APO-Televid 82
  10. “Official” Leica T-shirts now in stock
Posted in Top 10 Posts | 1 Comment

“Dummy” Leica M type 240 firmware update 2.0.0.12 released

Leica M Type 240 camera
Leica released a new “dummy” firmware update 2.0.0.12 for the M type 240 rangefinder, but you don’t have to really upgrade if you already have version 2.0.0.11:

Read More »

Posted in Leica M | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Guide to Street Photography: Matt Stuart (video)

“Disappearing into the background is Stuart’s way of allowing funny and colorful scenes to unfold, uncontaminated by his presence. Shooting on a small camera is an essential part of the disguise. Although Stuart shoots digital for commercial commissions, his street photography is captured on a celluloid-format and entirely mechanical Leica MP.

Read More »

Posted in Leica M, Leica Photographers | Tagged | 21 Comments