Two historic Leica Luxus cameras from the 1930s were recently sold at a Bonhams auction in Hong Kong — fetching $620,000 each — indicating growing interest and value for early, collectible photographic materials, while in November, a one-of-a-kind Leica custom-made by Jony Ive and Marc Newson for the 2013 (RED) Auction sold via Sotheby’s in November for a whopping $1.8 million, proving there is an appetite for exclusively-designed gear.
Stratospheric prices aside, collectors and photography enthusiasts are finding an increasing number of ways to ensure their equipment is unique and designed by boldfaced names — not to mention extremely good-looking. Here are BLOUIN Lifestyle’s gift ideas for the glamorous shutterbugs you'd have to consider very good friends in your life.
Olympus PEN E-P5 Art Edition by Suzko
This is a limited-edition collaboration between Japanese camera maker Olympus, British artist Suzko (Susie Lowe) and fashion photographer Jay McLaughlin. Each kit includes two Pen E-P5 bodies — one decorated by Suzko and another its standard, retro-designed glory, all the premium fast prime lenses, as well as a customised Vespa scooter and helmet.
Available exclusively at Harrods in London for £16,000, or $26,200 at current exchange.
Hasselblad Lunar
World-renowned Swedish camera maker Hasselblad first made its mark on NASA's Apollo missions to the moon and its Lunar series pays homage to that legacy by reinterpreting the 500C, which, made in 1957, was the first camera to go into space. Most noticeable about this 24.3-megapixel, retro-designed, handcrafted piece of art — aside from its Carl Zeiss lenses — is the grip, which is customizable in a range of materials like wood or leather.
Available at select retailers for $6,995.
The Leica M9-P Edition Hermès
Made by Leica in collaboration with Parisian luxury label Hermès and automotive designer Walter de'Silva, this gadget is the apex of luxury, not least because of the silver anodized finish and handcrafted leather hugging the camera’s body. The lenses are equally exquisite: Each limited-to-100-editions kit comes with a Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH;, a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH; and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH.
Available for $50,000 a pop.
Samsung NX300 Gold Edition
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to bling up an accessory to gild it. This specimen of the critically-adored NX300 is plated with 22-karat gold, which gives it a vintage look and feel. Each one comes with a unique serial number and engraved signature, two lenses and some accessories.
Available only in Saudi Arabia through Axiom Telecom, where, just in time for Christmas, it is now on sale for 4,000 riyals, or $1,066 (originally 10,000 Saudi riyals, or $2,666).
Restored Argus C3
A 1939 model of this icon, which was the best-selling 35mm camera in the world for nearly three decades, and is said is to be responsible for popularizing the use of 35mm film, gets a beautiful makeover by Ilott Vintage, a firm that collects and restores vintage rangefinder cameras and replaces leathers with premium quality wood veneers.
Available for $1,850 at Ilott Vintage
