The Andy Summers Signature Edition of the Monochrom is about to hit the shelves. Created in cooperation with the former Police band member, the edition “represents a striking synergy of music and photography.” It is limited to 50 examples and is designed to complement a “signature” guitar from Fender.
Encore
According to Leica’s press release there’s a lot of legendary stuff to take in: “The photo collage that appears on both the camera and Fender guitar highlights stunning photographs from Summers’s collection including a man walking his horse into the ocean captured from a small boat in Montserrat, a striking photo of hooded individuals captured amongst rain and mist on Yellow Mountain in China, as well as an image of celebratory balloons that landed before Summers’s encore at a concert. Coupled with a glossy paint finish, silver chrome operational elements and a gorgeous red line engraving of Summers’s signature, the camera is truly a sight to behold.
Bottom line
The Signature Camera set includes a matching 35mm Summicron-M ASPH lens, a complementary Fender-designed strap and a black Oberwerth system bag.
The Leica Monochrom “Signature” limited edition is on sale now at Leica Stores and Boutiques for just £13,000 including VAT ($14,995 in the USA). Definitely one for the collectors.
(Sitting in the pub garden, writing on my phone..)
Mine’s the David B. Edition M9; black (unobtrusive) Leica badge from the M8.2; black felt-tip marks down the left & right edges of the shutter blades (to cut down on spurious response to sunlight when the camera’s held vertically) and cryptic message under the baseplate: “Help, I’m a prisoner in a Leica factory”. Offers around £16,000, please.
Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, it does.
The good news? We don’t need to lose any sleep over not being one of the 50 to own this.
It is definitely a ‘sight’ alright.
Does any one have an idea which market place is the biggest for Leica vs Leica special edition?
I don’t think that’s been released. But we can assume that a small part goes to super collectors who buy almost anything in the way of special editions. Then there will be some who are specially involved with the subjects, Andy Summers for instance. And we also know that he Asian market is strong on special editions seemingly for investment. Very few examples of a 50-string edition will actually be used. In the past special editions of film cameras have done well in the appreciation stakes, but I cannot think of any that are as egregious as the current crop. And editions based on digital cameras are as yet an unknown.
They are in bad taste but I am happy Leica does this as they collect fools gold to stay afloat and to fund real gems.
Excellent Brian – my feelings exactly!
Leica achieved fame partly because of its compact, quiet, unostentatious products. These grotesqueries are 180 degrees away from that ethos. They are vulgar and in exceedingly bad taste.
is it heresy to suggest that it looks bloody awful!?
You are not entering into the spirit of this ‘intellectual debate’! I did not even look at the camera before posting as I am not remotely interested in it. You should check out the picture of Miles, though, which is way better than either of the objects shown above and it has a great Leica story to go with it. I will let you guess whether I am being ‘tongue in cheek’ here, but the picture of Miles is genuine. It is a pity that I cannot post it here.
William
Probably worse than the Kravitz edition. But then people do buy these (only 50 sales needed) and they then get put away in the hope of future riches. But not all special editions achieve this.
So we are looking for 50 people, with more money than sense, and no taste – Not the most onerous or complex criteria in todays world.
And to answer Jasons question above – no it’s absolutely not heresy, my grandfather always told me honesty is the best policy, and saying what you see is allowed. Unlike today’s business world, where it’s no longer acceptable to tell the truth, if the truth isn’t wanted.
I’m waiting to see the Miles Davis at Newport 1958 edition. On the album cover Miles is pictured with an M3 and Leicameter and he is wearing a cream jacket and dark glasses and is looking way ‘cooler’ (not a word I normally use) than any rock star. He famously did not use the Leicameter, but kept the M3 on the settings put on the camera by the store clerk. Miles could always get magic out of playing within a narrow range.
Dr Kaufmann please note, if you want to capture any ageing jazz fans.
William
What I find odd is this obsession with rock stars — with the rather tenuous link that they are all reportedly Leica users. Surely there are far more interesting people of note who also use Leicas? Of course there was that Italian designer chap who I’d never heard of and have promptly forgotten. But you have a point, William. Why not a jazz Monochrom. Do you know any musicians of note who use a Leica?
Till Bronner, the German jazz trumpeter, uses Leicas and there was an exhibition of his work on the Leica stand at Photokina in 2014. There is a video which shows him being interviewed by Mrs Kaufmann. The exhibition was related to a book of his photos of what might broadly be called ‘entertainers’. You may recall seeing a large photo of Gregory Porter, taken by Till, on the wall in the Leica Works Canteen when we were in Wetzlar last year. Till is a fine trumpet player (he plays on a couple albums that I have), but in the jazz world he would have nowhere near the status of the legendary Miles Davis who used a Leica over 60 years ago.
William
Ah, that well known photographer Andy Summers! How about a Hank Marvin SE or perhaps a Mick Jagger one? Indeed why not an Angela Merkel or Donald Tusk edition. Of course the really select one would be for Luxembourg PM Herr Bettel – they could offer one limited to the number of people outside the principality who’d ever heard of him before his silly theatrics yesterday. Joking apart one does wonder who would want to buy any of these fripperies!
The Xavier Bettel edition would need to be quiet small, say 1/100 scale, to correspond with its importance. And it wouldn’t need a lens. Just a body cap and a neck strap embroidered with broderie anglaise.