Leica M10-P: The Wilkie Collins special edition

Last week it was the Hodinkee Ghost at £13,500. Now it’s the Woman in White M10-P (with apologies to Wilkie Collins) at a far more reasonable £12,750.

Is it my imagination, or are M10 special editions reproducing like bunnies? What could this mean? What does it usually mean? Answers, please, on a postcard to Marketing, Leica Camera AG.

She’s a lady

There is, however, a good precedent for the new white M10-P. She echoes the successful M8 “White Edition” released ten years ago in 2009. She’s likely to be another one for the collectors.

My friend Evris Papanikolas, he of Rock n’ Roll straps (née TieHerUp) has done much to convince me that a camera female. She definitely takes the female gender and she’s the same in German: the camera, she’s a real lady.

We don’t need to worry about such niceties in the English language which has lost its flippers and, indeed, its legs in the course of linguistic evolution. But it’s nice to think this new white Leica, based on the M10-P, is a lady. She doesn’t deserve to be a mere “it”. And she set me reminiscing.

The Bayswater connection

Some 50 years ago there was a real Woman in White who haunted the cafés and restaurants of Bayswater in west London. She dressed habitually in voluminous and wholly improbable quantities of pure white chiffon. She always wore an elaborate white hat that would have done Royal Ascot proud and always carried a white tablecloth to drape over any chair she sat on. The hat was never removed, neither in up-market café nor in superior restaurants. They don’t make ’em (the lady, I mean) like that these days.

Nowadays we would nod sagely and think OCD, something I suffer from in a small and rather acceptable fashion so I do understand. She was quite famous at the time and, I suppose, and was considered eccentric. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to have made it to the internet.

So when I see the pictures of the Leica White edition I am transported back in time. It’s a nice feeling. I can’t help thinking, though, that new Leica will need the same care as the Queensway Queen exercised in protecting her voluminous costume. The slightest smudge will show.

Rare lady

Perhaps it’s as well that the new Leica will be a rare lady — just 350 for the world market — which is 100 more than the Ghost. Dealers tell me they have been promised minute quantities and all have been sold. Believe it or not, there are customers who seek to buy every special edition. Who is to say they are wrong from an investment point of view?

The top and bottom plates of the new edition are finished in white paint while the body is encased in white leather. The accompanying 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M is in silver chrome with white inlays. Oh, and there’s a white strap and white leather case for the lens.

Another week, another special. What can we expect in January, one wonders: The Woman in Black?

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Here’s what Leica has to say about the White M10-P:

Press information

Free for release after: 2pm, 19 December 2019

Leica M10–P ‘White’: the new special edition comes in a set with a Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens

London, 19 December 2019. Leica Camera is delighted to announce the Leica M10-P ‘White’, a new colour option of the iconic rangefinder camera. Limited to 350 sets only worldwide, the all-white design takes its cue from the extremely popular Leica M8 ‘White Edition’ released in 2009. The top and bottom plates are finished in white paint to match the camera’s white leather trim and the silver control elements feature white engravings, complementing the design concept of the Leica M10-P ‘White’.

The technical specifications of both camera and lens are identical to those of the standard models: particularly discreet and concentrating on the most essential camera functions only, the Leica M10-P embodies the essence of the M-Philosophy. Featuring the quietest shutter release of all M-Cameras ever built, the almost inaudible sound makes it the ideal tool for discreetly capturing authentic photographs in any situation. With its handling concept, the Leica M10-P fulfils everything that discerning photographers expect from a Leica M and reflects the philosophy of all past and present Leica M-Cameras.

The Leica M10-P ‘White’ comes as a set with the silver chrome Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens, which complements the Leica M10-P by delivering consistent exceptional performance at all apertures and distance settings. Whether used for selective sharpness at short distances, high contrast available light photography or for landscapes with enormous depth of focus, the Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens delivers outstanding results in all situations and superbly fulfils its tasks as a true universal lens.

The set is completed with a white leather carrying strap with Leica embossing and a white leather case for the lens. All Leica M10–P ‘White’ cameras have a unique serial number.

The Leica M10-P ‘White’ is available for sale from today.

RRP: £12,750 for the set