If you have an extra five or six grand lying around and want a customized Leica camera, you finally got your wish. Voila! The company’s new a la carte ordering system lets you deck out a new Leica MP or M7 any manner you fancy.
Want your camera’s lens cap in your favorite color? Find that logo on top distracting? Would rather use leatherette trimmings than actual animal hide? All of those and more can be customized according to your specifications, with over 4,000 technical and styling combinations to choose from.
The whole process starts off, of course, by purchasing a new Leica camera. Only the MP and M7 are available for the a la carte process, each of which costs $4,560 upfront. From there, you can proceed to choose modular components from The Configurator for your brand new classic shooter, based on your personal style, function and practical requirements.
Personalizations include surface finish, colors, cladding, viewfinder frame-lines, controls, engraving and many more. It’s essentially a “build-your-own Leica camera” system, with enough variety to satiate even more unusual wishes. Of course, you can see how the finished product looks from the system, with options to change any of your choices. Seriously, though, if I’m buying one, I’ll take at least a couple of days to consider the final result, so I don’t regret anything – it’s that overwhelming.
The Configurator is a nice touch for Leica, whose M-series continue to be one of the most enduring camera lines in history. For those hoping to find a digital camera M-series, well, no such luck here. Maybe next time.
[Leica via Gizmodo]