Photokina 2014: Leica’s Jaw-Dropping Camera Line-up

German manufacturer Leica has long been known for crafting impeccable yet ridiculously expensive cameras and optics. This year the company is going all out in Photokina and announcing several models throughout the event.
First one up is the M-edition 60 Leica, a commemorative model for the 60th anniversary of the company’s M-series. Basically the camera will be a Leica M-P model with a Summilux 35mm f/1.4 lens and offers an almost bare-bone feature set. However, it differs from the traditional M-P model in the sense that it doesn’t have the LCD panel at the back and instead has an ISO dial.

The camera’s body will be constructed from stainless steel with anthracite-colored leather. Leica will only manufacture 600 units of this model with each costing a jaw-dropping $19,425.
For the photography purists, there’s also the Leica M-A film rangefinder. The device is 100% mechanical and completely devoid of any electronic components (not even a battery). Users will only be able to control a few of the camera’s settings including focal length, shutter speed and aperture. The Leica M-A will be sold at a much lower price than the M-edition 60 at $4750 by October. 

Now we’re on to the good (and crazy expensive) stuff. As you may know, 4K is quite a big thing in the camera industry nowadays and if you’re a camera manufacturer, it would be crazy not to include a 4K-capable product in its line-up. 
Of course, Leica has these kinds of products on hand. Enter the Leica S-series. The series will be composed of two models, the “entry-level” Type 006 model and the high-end variant the Type 007.
The Type 006 sports a 30x45mm, 37.5MP CCD sensor capable of capturing 12-stopys of dynamic range. The camera has a 2GB buffer memory allowing the device to shoot full-size DNGs in continuous mode. It also comes with a dual shutter system featuring a conventional focal plane shutter and an electronically controlled shutter.

The Type 006 is dust and moisture resistant, plus there’s a Gorilla Glass panel at the back to protect the camera’s 3-inch 922k-dot LCD display.
Then there’s the high-end Leica S (Type 007). It has the same 30x45mm 37.5MP CMOS sensor powered by the company’s Maestro II image processor. The camera features an improved AF system, integrated GPS and Wi-Fi as well as 4K video recording at 60fps. It will also feature the same weather-sealing and gorilla glass panel for protection.
The Leica has now started selling both the Type 006 and 007 for a cool $16,900 and $25,400 respectively.
Connect with The Techie Lifestyle on your favorite social networking sites