APOcalypse Now....with Leica

I love the smell of Leica in the morning. Do you know what it smells like? It smells like optical victory...

Here's the précis of announcements as of yesterday from the folks at Wetzlar. You can go to their own website and get to see the new stuff with their promotional blurbs. Think what you wish about some of the offerings, they do seem to have got interesting concepts. These all seem to be new - and will be available now or in the near future:


1. Leica M-Edition 60...imagine a Leica M digital camera with a new jazzy covering and a lot less engraving on the top. Now imagine the back of it with the old round ISO reminder dial that we saw on the M3. No screen. No navigation wheel. Records only RAW DNG. Only 600 to be made. Very likely the same price as my Suzuki motor car. Whoa, Nellie...

2. Leica MP...pro-oriented M digital camera with no red dot but a lot of tougher features.

3. Leica M-A...ALL mechanical Leica 35mm film camera - evocation of the classic Leica M series. No meter. If you can guess exposure, sell your other gear to buy this one. It is superb.

4. Leica X...a lot like the body shape of the X-vario but with a fixed focal length lens similar the X1 and X2. Darned elegant.

5. Leica X-E...an even more fancy finished X2.

6. Leica D-Lux 6...our beloved and well-respected D-lux with a little change to the front ring. Is that a 4/3 sized sensor in there?

7. Leica V-Lux...the safari cam par excellence now has 4K video and a 25mm-400mm equivalent lens and wil shoot at 12 fps.

8. Cases...Schedoni, Aneas, and Artist and Artisan now have elegant solutions to carry Leica cameras and Leica are prepared to mention them with their premium products. How now, Herr Benser?

9. APO-Vario-Elmar-T 55mm-135mm f:3.5-4.5...T-system longer zoom in 2015.

10. Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11mm-23mm f:3.5-4.5...T-system wider zoom in 2015.

11. Noctilux-M 50mm f:0.95...Massive available-light lens now in silver finish.

12. Summilux-M 35mm f:1.4 ASPH...available light mild wide in silver finish.

13. Summarit-M 35mm f:2.4 ASPH... small light mild wide.

14. Summarit-M 50mm f:2.4...small light normal.

15. Summarit-M 75mm f:2.4...small light portrait.

16. Summarit-M 90mm f:2.4...small light short tele.

There are probably a lot more salient features about each of these new products that we will learn about as time goes on. You can be assured that Leica lenses work.