Is this the most beautiful camera money can buy?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And there are a lot of beautiful cameras on the market right now. But I think this one, the Leica D-Lux 8 100 Years of Leica edition, is the most beautiful camera you can buy.

That's no mean feat, given the caliber of cameras it's up against in the looks department. There's the drop-dead gorgeous (and, for what it's worth, similarly European-designed and hand-assembled) Hasselblad X2D II.

There are retro cameras styled after vintage film cameras, like the jaw-dropping OM System OM-3, the coveted Fujifilm X100VI and the head-turning new Nikon Zf Silver Edition.

But it's Leica's minimalist take on its bestselling compact camera that outshines them all. Just look at it.

I've never been a fan of special edition Leicas that get rid of the signature logo. After all, the Red Dot is a big part of the package you're paying for!

Here, however, Leica has done something very special. Because unlike, say, the Leica M11-D, which is just a flat black slab, here the brand has leaned hard into the monochrome styling – and into the hipster photographer penchant for pairing a black body with a silver lens.

The 100 Years D-Lux 8, however, takes this to another level by complementing the silver nose with silver accents on the shoulder, in the form of the three control dials.

The flourishes don't end there, though. As you can see, it's only the shell of the lens that is silvered; when camera powers up and the zoom deploys, the telescoping mechanism reveals itself as sleek black – continuing the playful two-tone nature of this very special D-Lux.

Speaking to the two-tone mono motif, the cherry on top of the sundae is the beautifully designed hot shoe – matte black, but with a glossy "100" embellishment in the familiar font that indicates the 100th annniversary of the Leica I that this camera commemorates.

In fact, the only pop of color anywhere on the camera is on the shutter speed and aperture dials – where the A(uto) settings receive a kiss of Leica red.

For some photographers, the way a camera looks doesn't matter – indeed, it's completely immaterial. Cameras are tools, function not form, whose very purpose it to give a literal lens upon which to see the world – rather than objects that merit being seen themselves.

I understand that. A camera's primary job is to look at things, not to be looked at. But cameras are also by nature visual devices – and as such, I think it's important that they should be visually appealing. In fact, they should be visually inspiring. A camera should itself be a work of aesthetic beauty, encouraging me to pick it up and take beautiful photographs with it.

Which is exactly what the Leica D-Lux 8 100 Years of Leica does. And hey – doesn't every photographer have a special shelf where beautiful cameras take pride of place?

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