Leica’s latest 'Signature’ special edition camera is developed in collaboration with the ex Police guitarist and Leica fan
(Image credit: Leica)
$14,995.00/£14,000 is a lot, even for a Leica. This Andy Summers ‘signature’ edition is essentially a Leica M Monochrom with a bundled Summicron-M f/2 35mm ASPH. lens, which would normally sell for around half that amount.
This is a lot cheaper than Leica’s previous £24,000 Lenny Kravitz Leica M Monochrom edition, but then that was a twin-lens kit with a Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH, and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 ASPH.
This is no ordinary Leica M Monochrom, in any event. The exterior is decorated with a custom leatherette finish made from a collage of Summers’ own photographs and also boasts a glossy paint finish, silver chrome controls and Summers’ signature engraved in red. Apart from the included Leica Summicron-M f/2 35mm ASPH. lens (and vintage round lens hood, you’ll get a Fender guitar-inspired camera strap (there is a similarly themed Fender Signature guitar, if you’re interested) and an OBERWERTH leather black system bag.
(Image credit: Leica)
(Image credit: Leica)
The Leica M Monochrom is unique amongst today’s digital cameras in having a monochrome sensor with no color filter array. It’s black and white only – but with the advantage that you can use regular black and white filters without any tonal degradation (regular camera sensors start to get a little noisy when use channel mixing techniques in software).
Andy Summers performing with The Police in 2008 (Image credit: Joby Sessions/Guitarist Magazine)
Andy Summers has contributed to books and exhibitions across his 36-year photographic career and works with a wide variety of musical instruments on his latest album, Triboluminescence.
The LEICA M MONOCHROM “Signature,” limited to 50 sets worldwide, is on sale now at Leica Stores and Boutiques for $14,995.00. Don’t expect any Black Friday deals.
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com
