Photography

Jony Ive and Marc Newson design Leica M camera for (RED)

Jony Ive and Marc Newson design Leica M camera for (RED)
Jony Ive and Marc Newson created the one-of-a-kind Leica digital camera which will be sold at auction to raise money for the (RED) charity
Jony Ive and Marc Newson created the one-of-a-kind Leica digital camera which will be sold at auction to raise money for the (RED) charity
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The control dials and shutter button have been sunk into the top-plate of the Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M
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The control dials and shutter button have been sunk into the top-plate of the Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M
The Leica M (RED) took a collective total of 2,149 hours over a nine month period to create
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The Leica M (RED) took a collective total of 2,149 hours over a nine month period to create
The Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M is an unsurprisingly sleek-looking device
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The Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M is an unsurprisingly sleek-looking device
Just as with the Leica M, the Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed camera boasts a full-format CMOS sensor and a high performance processor
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Just as with the Leica M, the Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed camera boasts a full-format CMOS sensor and a high performance processor
The Leica M (RED) will be sold at auction to raise money for the (RED) charity
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The Leica M (RED) will be sold at auction to raise money for the (RED) charity
The special Leica M will be sold at a Southeby’s auction on November 23rd with the proceeds going to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
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The special Leica M will be sold at a Southeby’s auction on November 23rd with the proceeds going to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
The (RED) Leica M will come with a matching Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm F2 ASPH lens
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The (RED) Leica M will come with a matching Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm F2 ASPH lens
Jony Ive and Marc Newson created the one-of-a-kind Leica digital camera which will be sold at auction to raise money for the (RED) charity
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Jony Ive and Marc Newson created the one-of-a-kind Leica digital camera which will be sold at auction to raise money for the (RED) charity
Only one of the special Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M cameras will be made
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Only one of the special Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M cameras will be made
The traditional Leica leatherette trim has been replaced by more than 21,000 hemispheres in the anodized aluminum outer shell of the Leica M (RED)
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The traditional Leica leatherette trim has been replaced by more than 21,000 hemispheres in the anodized aluminum outer shell of the Leica M (RED)
View gallery - 10 images

This special edition Leica M digital camera has been designed by Apple's design guru, Jony Ive, and industrial designer, Marc Newson, for the (RED) charity. The one-of-a-kind camera features a laser machined aluminum body, an anodized aluminum outer shell, and looks like the love-child of a Lecia M, a MacBook and the Instagram logo. It will be sold at auction to raise money for the charity.

Based on the current Leica M, this camera is sure to make some people start wishing for an Jony Ive-designed iCamera, and others to question what went wrong with the Pentax K-01 designed by Marc Newson. It took the design duo (and a team of 55 engineers) a collective total of 2,149 hours over a nine month period to create the Leica M for (RED). This includes the 85 days it took to produce the 561 models and almost 1000 prototype parts that were needed.

The result is an unsurprisingly sleek-looking device which took one engineer 50 hours to assemble, and combines classic Leica design elements with modern production techniques. While the famous red dot is still there, the traditional leatherette trim has been replaced by more than 21,000 hemispheres in the anodized aluminum outer shell. In typical Ive fashion the camera boasts a laser machined aluminum body.

Rather than standing proud, as they do on other Leicas, the control dials and shutter button have been sunk into the top-plate and feature ridges to make them easier to turn. But these smooth lines have come at a cost, there's no hot-shoe for an external flash or accessories like an electronic viewfinder.

The control dials and shutter button have been sunk into the top-plate of the Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M
The control dials and shutter button have been sunk into the top-plate of the Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed Leica M

Despite those limitations, should the eventual buyer decide they actually want to use the camera to take photographs, rather than place it on display in a glass box, they can be reassured that it boasts some solid photographic credentials. Just as with the Leica M, it has a full-format CMOS sensor and a high performance processor. It also comes with a matching Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm F2 ASPH lens.

The special Leica M will be sold at a Southeby’s auction in New York on November 23rd with the proceeds going to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Estimates of what it will fetch range from $500,000 to $5,000,000. But, to beat the current record for the world's most expensive camera it will need to exceed $2.77 million.

Sources: Leica, (RED)

View gallery - 10 images
5 comments
5 comments
f8lee
Darn - if they only made two of them I'd get them both (one for backup, of course)
Lewis M. Dickens III
Wow, Ive is good!
The Apple Smartphones are now the finest looking of all and then this clean and simple design.
Too bad that he didn't design the yacht.
Clearly he also understands Joe Columbo.
Bill
Rann Xeroxx
I am not really a fan of this camera. Personally think the iPhone looks nice but also think its style over substance as it has greater break points, is less comfortable in your pants pocket. Leica camera's really did not need this make over, they are already nice looking the way they were.
barkei46
After an engineering review and some cost cutting a low cost version of this camera is bound to be available in the shops in the not too distant future.
The financiers currently supporting Leica will be looking for any opportunity to get brand attention and having a Jony Ive product will be a chance not to be missed.
So just hang on if you want one, coming soon near you ...... but still with a hefty price tag no doubt.
Dejan Krsic
sorry boys, but that is exactly opposite of what good, responsible design should do. exactly what gives design bad name. all that work of clever, talented people should be invested in something with more social value: even if it is good and affordable camera, that could easily be integrated to computer/mobile etc. in one simple word: this is bullshit. but then, we have to remember that Jobs and Ive actally killed at large portion of camera manufacturing business with iphone and its integration to computer and social networks. so now, they can dance on the grave of digital cameras.