Leica Sells for $2.8 million.

P

Phillydog1958

Senior Member
This $2.8 million Leica is the world’s most expensive camera



By Tecca | Today in Tech – 16 hrs ago​, Sourced --Yahoo.com



fva-630-leica-1923-series-0-camera-credit-westlicht-photographica-auction.jpg
You don't even get a single megapixel for your money
We've seen our share of expensive cameras. The Phantom v1610, for instance, is capable of shooting 1 million frames per second — a feat that will cost you $100,000. But that's a veritable bargain compared to this 1923 Leica camera that just sold at auction for 2.16 million euros ($2.8 million), an absolute record.
German camera-maker Leica is one of the most famous names in high-quality cameras. A new Leica can run you as much as $31,700. But this 1923 0-series Leica is a piece of camera history, one from the first batch of 31 cameras the company ever created. Only about 12 are known to still exist; fewer still are in such a pristine condition. That means this camera can command top dollar — or, in this case, top euro.
The camera was purchased by an anonymous European buyer. In 2007, a similar Leica 0-series sold for $430,000; in 2011 one sold for $1.7 million. Given the rapid increase of price in these cameras, we think we'll keep using Instagram to take our hipster-quality photos, thank you very much.
[Image credit: WestLicht Photographica Auction]
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
A Barnack...basically the first 35mm camera ever...fixed lens...strange controls - shutter speeds are distances between curtains as opposed to fraction of a second the curtains stay open to expose the film...this one apparently has a later version viewfinder...what a waste of money...I would rather have 40 S2's, 20 M9's, 25 D4's, a couple hundred D800's, and one D300 (for Jack of course) ... :)
 
P

Phillydog1958

Senior Member
Eye-level said:
A Barnack...basically the first 35mm camera ever...fixed lens...strange controls - shutter speeds are distances between curtains as opposed to fraction of a second the curtains stay open to expose the film...this one apparently has a later version viewfinder...what a waste of money...I would rather have 40 S2's, 20 M9's, 25 D4's, a couple hundred D800's, and one D300 (for Jack of course) ... :)
Click to expand...

I sort of figured you'd appreciate this, being a student of photographic history, and all . . . :D
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
Yes sir...you have me figured out for sure...thanks for posting! :)

Isn't it remarkable that someone would pay almost 3 million bucks for an old @ss quirky camera?

Westlicht always has the best of the best and I am sure they know what the hell they are talking about but my books say the O series wasn't introduced until 1924 and was a 25 camera run serial nr 101-125 and I believe that is the generally accepted facts. These 25 are known as the "Barnacks" after the creator Oskar Barnack who originally developed the camera much much earlier in 1913-1914 (he was asthmatic who liked to hike and hated lugging around big box cameras so he made the camera from extra pieces of leftover 35mm motion picture film. The original prototype - the Ur-Leica - is in the Leica museum and I would say is worth at least 5 million now...ridiculous!)

All modern 35mm cameras owe there existence to these Barnacks...
 
S

STM

Senior Member
"The camera was purchased by an anonymous European buyer". I wouldn't want people to know my name either if I had spend that kind of money on that camera. I believe it was PT Barnum who said "there's a sucker born every minute" and Thomas Tusser who said "A fool and his money are soon parted".

There is no debating the historical significance of this camera but $2.8 million? Are you freakin' kidding me? And it is hardly from pristine condition as well, in fact it kind of looks like it has been used as a doorstop. Does it even still work? I guess some people have more dollars than sense. But hey, it's his money to throw away if he chooses.
 
Last edited:
Top