When someone mentions expensive cameras, you probably first think of pricey medium format cameras or fast-shooting, pro-spec DSLRs. But the world’s most expensive camera isn’t anywhere near as advanced.
In fact, it’s not even digital!
Last week, a Leica camera from 1923 was sold at the WestLicht auction house in Vienna, Austria for a mouth-watering 2. 4million Euros (that’s nearly three million US dollars). The fee, a world record, was six times the opening price that the camera was listed to fetch.
So, why did the camera command such a high fee? Well, safe to say, this Leica is a pretty special (and rare) model. The vintage camera is a Leica prototype 0-series and boasts an interesting history. The camera was made in 1923, two years before the company introduced its first Leica to the market. Ernst Leitz designed and built 25 of this prototype camera, yet reports suggest only three examples are still in their original condition.
The Leica Prototype 0-Series - Image by WestLicht
In fact, the camera to previous hold the ‘world’s most expensive’ title was also a Leica 0-series prototype, which was sold at the same auction house in 2012 for 2. 16 million Euros. Andreas Kaufmann, Leica’s majority owner and chairman of the board, commented on the sale; “This world record price of 2. 4 million Euros demonstrates the ongoing and ever-growing myth of the Leica brand. "
The Leica 0-series, which was bought by a private collector from Asia, wasn’t the only camera to fetch big money at the auction. A Leica MP-89 black paint sold for 456,000 Euros, while a Leica MP-2 (the first camera with electric motor drive) fetched 432,000 Euros. Lastly, and how’s this for an ‘out of this world’ camera for the collection, a Hasselblad Lunar Surface SWC that was manufactured for the Apollo mission sold for 48,000 Euros. For the comparatively moderate sum of 48,000 Euro a collector purchased the Hasselblad Lunar Surface SWC which was manufactured for the Apollo missions.
The Hasselblad Lunar Surface camera - Image by WestLicht.
. digitalrev.com2018-3-14 03:00
