Apple designer Jony Ive's custom charity Leica rangefinder revealed

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
One of the flagship products of next month's Product (RED) charity auction, a custom Leica rangefinder camera designed by Apple's Jony Ive and fellow industrial design superstar Marc Newson, has been unveiled by the German manufacturer.

Leica


The custom shooter is derived from the Leica M digital 35 millimeter full-frame camera, featuring a full-format CMOS sensor, a high-performance processor, and Leica's APO-Summicron ?M 50-millimeter f/2 ASPH lens.

The body of the camera is created from Ive's signature anodized aluminum and features a pattern of small, laser machined holes, similar to those found on the speaker grilles of Apple's MacBook Pro line of laptop computers.

Leica


Leica says that the camera took 85 days to create, and was born after Ive and Newson went through 561 models and prototyped nearly 1,000 parts.

The camera will go up for auction at Sotheby's on Nov. 23 ??alongside other Ive and Newson collaborations like a pair of solid 18-karat rose gold Apple EarPods ??to benefit The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    Maybe if he's stop designing this other nonsense we would get new Macs with more regularity.
  • Reply 2 of 42
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by pazuzu View Post

    Maybe if he's stop designing this other nonsense we would get new Macs with more regularity.

     

    Maybe, but no.

  • Reply 3 of 42
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member
    pazuzu wrote: »
    Maybe if he's stop designing this other nonsense we would get new Macs with more regularity.

    You obviously don't understand design.
  • Reply 4 of 42
    zoffdinozoffdino Posts: 192member
    Rounded edges, brushed aluminum, textured covered -- that's all Jony Ive bring to the legndary Leica M? I much prefer to regular production Leica with its sharp and masculine edges.

    And thank God it's still the regular Leica's font being used for the engraving. I would puke if Jony had changed it to Helvetica Neue.
  • Reply 5 of 42
    kjellbrellkjellbrell Posts: 13member

    It's a gem!

    Since it's charity I hope for a BIG price!

     

    And why would designing a thing like the Leica, have anything to do with not releasing new Macs?

    I believe that Jony and Marc had a hell of a time designing together.

  • Reply 6 of 42
    bennettvistabennettvista Posts: 178member

    That ain't M...  THIS is M.

  • Reply 7 of 42
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    bennettvista wrote: »
    That ain't M...  THIS is M.
    <img alt="" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="33006" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/33006/width/350/height/700/flags/LL" style="; width: 350px; height: 182px">

    I like Jony's better
  • Reply 8 of 42
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,384member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pazuzu View Post



    Maybe if he's stop designing this other nonsense we would get new Macs with more regularity.

     

    What an idiotic statement. 

  • Reply 9 of 42
    chandra69chandra69 Posts: 638member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pazuzu View Post



    Maybe if he's stop designing this other nonsense we would get new Macs with more regularity.

     

    Get out of this forum, please! Never comeback!

  • Reply 10 of 42
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    Interesting if a bit Fisherprice/1950's portable radio looking, even though I'm sure being a Leica rangefinder, its built like a tank! The control dials on the top-plate look good too, if not very ergonomic or practical, again reminiscent of radio dials, as well as the textured material on the body which resembles a speaker grill...maybe the inspiration for this design were mid-20th century portable radios? I think I prefer the traditional styling of the standard Leica M, but this Jony and Marc version is a good effort.
  • Reply 11 of 42
    richard getzrichard getz Posts: 1,142member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pazuzu View Post



    Maybe if he's stop designing this other nonsense we would get new Macs with more regularity.

     

    dammit, where it the thumbs down!!! 

  • Reply 12 of 42
    bennettvistabennettvista Posts: 178member

    Truth is.. some rich guy will buy this at the auction for 200K, put it under glass and never take a photo with it.

  • Reply 13 of 42
    poochpooch Posts: 768member
    AppleInsider wrote: »
    One of the flagship products

    you guys use the word flagship as though it were an effing preposition ...
  • Reply 14 of 42
    davebarnesdavebarnes Posts: 367member
    Beautiful. Elegant. Gorgeous.
  • Reply 15 of 42
    strixstrix Posts: 22member
    It's so Braun design, early 1970s, as to be spooky.
  • Reply 16 of 42
    cityguidecityguide Posts: 129member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bennettvista View Post

     

    Truth is.. some rich guy will buy this at the auction for 200K, put it under glass and never take a photo with it.


     

    And the item will have fulfilled its intended purpose, which is to raise money for a charitable cause.

  • Reply 17 of 42
    bobbyfozzbobbyfozz Posts: 97member
    This kind of thing energizes a talented designer which is better for Apple. You, however, need serious help!
  • Reply 18 of 42
    donnyisheredonnyishere Posts: 7member

    Really cool looking camera ... only problem is, Fuji now makes excellent cameras, that also look really cool at much less cost.  You can now buy a nice used Fuji X100 on eBay for less than $700 ... this is one of the best cameras on the planet.  And if you know how to use the Fuji, you can take incredible images that are at least on par with any digital camera, including all digital rangefinder Leica's.

  • Reply 19 of 42
    bobbyfozzbobbyfozz Posts: 97member
    donnyishere wrote: »
    eBay for less than $700 ...

    There always seems to be at least ONE who doesn't get it. This Leica was designed by two world famous designers. It's not just about taking pictures, it is the WHO! Read what a few others wrote. The world doesn't always revolve around getting the BEST DEAL. Go to Wal-Mart for your cameras.
  • Reply 20 of 42
    richard getzrichard getz Posts: 1,142member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bennettvista View Post

     

    Truth is.. some rich guy will buy this at the auction for 200K, put it under glass and never take a photo with it.


     

    It will be one of the music elites that will post a peace sign, duck-faced mirror portrait to show off their new camera!! 

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