Leica has launched three M lenses in limited quantities of between 250 and 500. They include two Safari-themed designs and one silver anodised version of the popular 75mm APO-Summicron.
The olive-green paint associated with the Safari models was first used as a superior-quality enamel finish for military use. The Leica M1 “Olive”, made for the German armed forces in 1960 went on to become an ensuring success story. While the olive-green M3 and M4 designs were manufactured exclusively for the military, there was a growing demand among personal customers which resulted in the first Safari, an R3, in 1977. The was followed by the M6 TTL Safari of 2000, the M8.2 Safari in 2009 and the M-P (Typ 240) Safari of 2015. More recently, the M10-P Safari edition was announced last year.
To complement this latest iteration of the Safari, there are now two new lenses. Both are finished in the distinctive olive green, with red and white inlays but are otherwise identical in specification to the standard versions. The 28mm Summicron-M f/2 ASPH is limited to 500 examples worldwide and will retain in the UK at £3,800, including VAT. The matching 90mm APO-Summicron-M f/2 is limited to 250 examples and will cost £4,000.
The new 75mm APO-Summicron-M is restricted to 300 copies and features a silver-anodised finish with feet scale and focal length inlayed in red, and all other engravings inlaid in black. Again, as with the Safari models, the technical specification is identical to that of the serial black lens.