Cost of your bespoke Leica M can now be calculated at the new beta web site. Taking a full-house specification adds about £1,100 to the £4,869 base cost of the à la carte camera. Bear in mind, though. that this version includes the 2GB buffer of the M-P but without the sapphire screen and frameline lever, both of which cost extra if required.
As you can see, there are some surprising additions such as sapphire glass at £249 and the frameline lever at £120. More interesting, however, is what it costs to lose features or add a bit of paint.
Change the D-pad from standard chrome to black chrome and it will cost £72 while deleting the video function is a hefty £80, Don’t want the red dot on the front so you can see the “classic” screw? That will be an extra £160, thank you very much.
The accompanying calculation shows a final price tag of £6,000, give or take a pound or two. What isn’t too clear is whether the deletion of the red dot (£160) includes classic Leica top-plate engraving or whether it is an extra £168 as shown in the table. Overall, however, considering the above camera is up to M-P specification with some interesting and colourful touches, the overall cost isn’t excessive. You can even have your name engraved for free. But beware because this will actually reduce the value of the camera when you come to sell it.