Hmmm, tasty or what? Leica’s sharpest optic, the 50mm Apo-Summicron-M, is turning up in a new disguise as Little Red Riding Hood. Now we can all emulate Leica boss Andreas Kaufmann: He’s the one who usually sports a bright red lens on his camera, but then he does have special connections.
The only problem for red-dot fans is that this is a limited edition of only 100 shiny anodised examples. Enough to whet the appetite but I can’t see them staying on the shelves as long as the M60 Edition. The collector wolves will be all over them for sure. As for the tech details, we all know of the excellence of the Apo-Summicron fifty so no need to wax on about its virtues here.
Apart from the scarcity — will you be among the first century to order? — there’s a major snag: Price. This seductive red bombshell will set you back all of £7,575 when it arrives on the shelves (for a brief dalliance, I’m sure) on December 9. That’s a premium of £1,535 on the boring old black edition we all know and love.
Dear Father Christmas…..
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It seems kind of fun……..Sort of like those plaid, pastel trousers my grandfather used to wear. I would love to encounter somebody else wearing it.
I’ll keep waiting for the pink version. 😉 🙂
So for Father Christmas this is RUDOLPH?
I think it’s a wonderful lens to be seen in at an art opening.
No, on every level… It gives gaudy baubles a bad name.
Speaking as someone with a substantial Leica vintage collection, this is definitely not for ‘real collectors’. This kind of nonsense gives Leica a really bad name. There have been a lot of signs recently that Leica is losing the plot and this yet another one, I’m afraid.
William
Hi William, Leica has been making special editions for decades. I don’t think this one, ugly as it may be, will give Leica a bad name. I mean, who cares anyway? And I am curious: what are these recent signs you mention, about Leica losing the plot? The only one I can see is the ‘new’ TL without EVF. And the Sofort is a bit silly, but for the rest they seem to be spot on with the Q and the SL.
Cheers, Nico
Thanks Nico. I am aware of previous ‘special editions’. For real collectors, this type of thing is just plain silly. In my local camera club Leicas are regarded as silly ‘rich man’s baubles’ and I no longer mention that I have one, let alone the 40 or so Leicas that I have. Neither the Q nor the SL appeal to me, but I can see how some people are attracted to them. In the ‘silly’ department you can place the various ‘special’ editions like the Rolf Sachs edition and the forthcoming D-Lux ‘Explorer Set’. The new TL is just a re-heat of a camera that did not interest me the first time around. The Sofort is just a tarted up Fuji, but at least it is a ‘new’ camera for Leica at this stage. The boutiques don’t help the Leica image either. I just see a drift away from what ‘real’ photographers want towards ‘male jewellery’. I cannot perceive how I could persuade a fellow photographer to become interested in Leica at this stage. I will continue to buy vintage Leicas, of course, and I will wait in hope for the next M; a hope that Leica will build on its truly great heritage.
William
Well, yes, ok… if you put it that way…
I wasn’t aware Leica has such a bad reputation among photographers…
Good lord, that thing is hideous ! I wouldn’t keep it if one was given to me !!
I wouldn’t…
But I can see the collectors being all over this one.
It’s a lens for rich collectors who will put it in a safe. The Apo is a superb lens, my favorite, but this ugly red thing is anathema to photography : to see and not be seen. I love my Leicas but I hate Leica for that prostitution.