In an “iconic pairing of creativity”, Leica today introduces a new Disney 100-themed Q2 to celebrate a century of revolutionary imaging. For over 100 years, Leica has been developing precise optical instruments. The company often unites creative people and those who work with images; therefore, collaborating with Walt Disney, who brought his vision and passion to animated filmmaking 100 years ago, represents an iconic pairing of creativity.
Disney has been producing refined cartoon storyboards using Leica cameras and projectors (then called Leitz) since the very early days of animation. To mark the anniversary of the film studios, Disney and Leica are now unveiling their exclusive new collaboration – a special limited-edition Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder”.
Disney dramatically changed the techniques of animated filmmaking thanks to the innovative Leica technology of the time. This had such a lasting effect that the term “Leica Reel” was coined during this period and came to define animated stills that are run on 35mm film projections. Through this advanced process, the preliminary artwork is then aligned with a soundtrack using combined techniques to get a very precise sense of pace of a sequence.
To honour this unique heritage, the special design applied to this limited edition Leica Q2 camera dates back to a model sheet created in 1937 by one of Walt Disney Studio’s noted animators, Don Towsley.
In addition, a Mickey Mouse print adorns the camera’s top plate. The special edition also includes a protective dust bag with matching original Disney graphics and a special rope strap.
The Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder” is adorned with a very special material reminiscent of the tracing paper on which Disney’s creators pencilled scenes and characters, giving the camera a sophisticated feel and making it even more interesting for amateur collectors.
The special edition is limited to 500 sets worldwide and will be available globally at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and authorised dealers starting in April 2023. The recommended retail price will be £5,400, including UK tax.
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A Nickelback Leica, that would have been something 😉
Joke aside, could there be some connection to the end of copyright for the early Micky mouse?
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/business/mickey-mouse-disney-public-domain.html
New products or new use extends the copyright some way i heard someone say
Or this might be just a plain coincidence.
Regards Vidar H
Why do business with a company (Disney) that has become so polarized? Bad move Leica.
Omg, is this for real..I thought this was an April Fool news. (Just kidding, Leica wants to milk Q2 until they are ready to bring Q3)
Still looking for the M6 Hello Kitty edition.
I can’t wait for the Q2 Donald Duck LE although as it is a Leica I know it will come with a big bill.
😀
I remember when these kind of things were just April fools jokes and nothing more, but now in 2023 they are real! Scary. Coming next Leica x Rolex bubbles version.
I’ve been a Macfilos reader and contributor from almost its inception and the thing I appreciate most-apart from the content of course-is that editor Mike has very skillfully kept the comments free of abuse and ‘political’content and this ‘ethos’ has been accepted by the readers so the task of moderating the comments has been straightforward.
I understand that in the past few months Macfilos has gained many new readers and this may explain why some of the comments above appear to have slipped past the keeper.
Come on folks let’s help Mike by ensuring that all the comments submitted to Macfilos are courteous, respectful and above all else non political.
John Shingleton
The obvious good aspect of this announcement is that the Q3 must be close to getting our pre-orders in.
Michael, it’s now March 31 here in Oz.
April 1 is tomorrow 😁
William, sorry I was just giving background to LaChef Rainbow Ron on how Disney and Florida squared off.
Hi John, I appreciate your background information.
I confess I’ve never understood the LE concept (other than as means to sell cameras!)
However, I can’t help but thinking that a Utagawa Hiroshige LE would sell very well, and certainly in Japan.
If it were to be done, then it best be done tastefully (with apologies to the Bard).
I’m a collector of vintage Leicas and other camera types, including 19th Century cameras, and I have a large number of items in my collection, but I have no interest whatsoever in special or limited editions of any kind, including this item. I just don’t see the point of collecting them, but others might say the same about what I collect. However, I realise that a lot of people are interested in special/limited editions. That is why companies such as Leica produce them. Buying items just to sell them again at a future date at a higher price also holds no interest for me. When people talk about ‘collectors’ they are talking about a wide and disparate group of people with a wide range of motivations for collecting.
To John Wilson’s comment above regarding the Florida business, I have not a clue what this is about and it holds no more interest for me than some of the things going on in my country would hold for people living in Florida. I believe that Mike correctly and for very good reasons has a rule about avoiding political discussion here and I believe we should all abide by that.
William
Mike would have avoided the political aspects by not mentioning Disney which has become a very very hot political organization. But I guess Mike does not follow North American politics but he created excitement on a somewhat boring news post.
Sorry, Brian. I don’t see how we can cover the introduction of a Disney Q2 without mentioning Disney. But William is right, we do try to avoid anything political. Until this was raised, I had not thought about any political aspect and was merely reporting factually on a Leica announcement.
Is there any way or does any body know where most of these special editions are sold, which Country! Since the Wokest of woke company’s picked a fight w Fl, things weren’t great before, they have gotten worse! Ex ceo told fl gov the pressure from the left was too great to resist, the Board disagreed and you hv new CEO who has 5.5 billon hole from streaming services that have failed that he has figure way get them out! They tried raising prices at Park, that fell flat and w boycott of them the next special edition could very well be Magic Castle for homeless if state ever decides Eminent Domain in their interest for greater good and want to take Disney land, Florida is a Eminent domain state!
(Words fail me)
Agree – quite dotty!
When I got wind of this latest Q2 limited edition I was certain the Macfilos commentator community would have a field day with no shortage of sarcasm and ‘Mickey Mouse’ jokes. I have not been disappointed. I should have placed a small wager on it… 🙂
Keith, I’m not sure that use of the term ‘Mickey Mouse’ as an insult which means something inferior or second rate or just tiny extends to the non-Anglophone parts of the World. To most people Mickey is just a legend as well having one of the most recognisable images on the planet.
To ‘Le Chef’ the only musical special edition Leica I might consider buying would be a ‘Louis Armstrong’ edition, but that is not going to happen anytime soon. As for politician special editions, whether it is 28mm or 85mm point of view that you want, it would be thumbs down from me, even if it were a politician I might actually vote for. Some areas of human activity have to be politics free zones.
Yes, Leitz did make inroads into the film-making market and still supplies extremely expensive lenses for the film making industry. However, the real success story was closer to home. Taylor, Taylor and Hobson of Leicester was by 1939 supplying 80 % of lenses for film studios worldwide under the Cooke name. Cooke Optics (you can search under this) is still making lenses for the film industry in Leicester today.
William
I’ll take an Armstrong, a Miles Davis, an Ellington, and an Ella Fitzgerald if they’re on offer.
I will not purchase anything Disney related since they have gone political and lost their original recipe.
Two more LE’s to come:
The Chris Martin from ColdPlay Special Edition for the Q2 which will have the body wrapped in kombu seaweed, with a spun lingonberry strap and “Viva la Vida’ engraved on the top plate next to the Leica logo.
The “Rainbow Ron” deSantis LE, which will have the LGBTQ rainbow wrap over which has been placed thumbnail images of every booked banned in Florida schools. This LE will have the new 85mm lens to provide a very narrow field of view.
Needless to say these LE’s are only available to those with their tongue firmly in their cheek…
Le Chef – Brilliant !!! Loved the 85mm lens concept 🙂
I wish I could move to Florida.
According to PEN America 565 books have been banned in Florida…, pretty small thumbnails would be required… perhaps we need an edition without screen?
Do you know what was banned? Maybe they need to get back to teaching instead of indoctrination.
I don’t know where PEN’s figures come from, but leaving that aside, contrary to how it is being portrayed in the left-leaning media, Florida’s recent actions are about protecting children, and the rights of parents in parenting their own children, that’s all.
Coming next year – 101 Dalmatian’s version.
I’ll be more intrigued to see who buys this.
If Leica are doing more collaboration with Disney, does that mean it’ll be followed by Star Wars versions? Own your own Darth Vader or Leica Skywalker edition, with the force is strong in this one tag lines.
Definitely a bit too ‘Mickey Mouse’ for me. Is it just me that thinks the world is becoming really infantile. What next? A bag of Haribos with each purchase? Mind you…
West Yorkshire Cameras send packets of sweets to online purchasers with their camera purchases. One other thought is about whether we can expect a ‘Steamboat Willie’ Special Edition Leica for his centenary in 2028 .
William
I know someone who bought a Leica Monochrom from eBay, signed for the package and, on opening, found the box stuffed with black-and-white humbugs. Someone with a sweet tooth and a sense of humour…
They’re a couple of days early launching this LE…
Nope.
Yet another ‘Micky Mouse’ special job from Leica. The mind boggles! Don
A ‘Mickey Mouse’ Camera? Could appeal to Disney fans as well as Leica fans. There have been very many Mickey Mouse cameras of all kinds over the years. Currently there is a talking Mickey Mouse digital camera for Mickey Mouse Club members. Some of the older cameras such as Kunik Walter Mickey Mouse Camera from 1958 fetch quite a bit of money, albeit not Q2 money, these days. On a recent PCCGB Zoom John Wade showed a large Mickey Mouse figure that came apart in several pieces. You could look into the back of Mickey’s head, but I cannot remember if it was a stereo viewer or just a binoculars.
When it comes to cameras, Mickey has form and a simple search on Mickey Mouse Cameras reveals many predecessors to this item. Almost all of them are collectible to some way or another.
William
I tend to agree with you, William. From a Leica aficionado’s perspective, these special editions hold little interest. I suspect most of our readers fall into that category in that they are primarily interested in photographic tools rather than in collecting. But with a 500 limit, this Mickey Mouse camera will sell out and, I am sure, it will be a collectors’ item in the future. The fact that the Q3 is waiting in the wings will do nothing to halt its progress because, frankly, it doesn’t matter about the technology.
The price is also very reasonable, i.e. the same price as the Q2 Reporter and only $200 more than the regular edition. I agree, it will sell out quickly.