Leica camera designed by Jony Ive sells at auction for $ 300 thousand

In 2013, during the development of the unique Leica M (RED) camera, which was sold at a charity auction for $ 1.8 million, former Apple chief designer Jonathan “Jony” Ive teamed up with renowned industrial designer Marc Newson ) created a rare prototype of the Leica camera. Now this camera will be on sale at auction in June 2021 – the device, presented in the “B +” state (there are obvious abrasions on the body), starts at 100 thousand euros (about 118 thousand dollars). But, naturally, this price will rise during the auction.

According to the assessment of the Leitz Photographica auction house, which specializes in exclusive and rare cameras, the prototype of the Leica M (RED) camera, which was then sold at an auction for a record price, could eventually sell for between 200 and 250 thousand euros. That is, experts estimate the potential price of a unique device at about 300 thousand dollars. However, no one can guarantee that this prototype actually knows how to take pictures. The fact is that in the description of the lot it is only indicated that the product is a prototype from the final stage of development, and that it is equipped with an Apo-Summicron 2/50 mm ASPH lens.

There is no mention of the fact that this is a camera that can take photographs in the description of the auction. On the other hand, this is a device for collectors who collect unique exhibits and are willing to pay ten times more for them than for a modern professional camera, so the lack of the opportunity to capture the nature of a potential buyer will probably not disappoint. And, unsurprisingly, the prototype is made in Jony Ive’s signature style – it is polished to a shine, collects fingerprints instantly and looks extremely fragile.

You may also like