Special Limited Edition Noctilux-M

[dfarkas]

Leica has just announced a special, limited edition Noctilux. These will be the very last 100 Noctiluxes ever made. They come in a special, custom humidor box hand-made by Elie Bleu Tabletier in Paris. Only 100 are being offered world-wide, which means only a handful will be offered in the US.

Price is $16,100 for this collectable edition. Delivery will start in July 2008.

You can check out more info on our website:

Leica Special Edition Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.0

David

[darkstar2004]

A sad ending for a magnificent lens that is a Titan of photographic history.

Oil Shieks and Exxon board of directors members must be lining up as we speak to get theirs...

[jimmy pro]

Agreed. That's the most decadent and disgusting thing I've seen from Leica, more than any of there stupid Princess-of-Lechtenstien-Loses-Her-Virginity commemoratives. Yeah yeah, they need the profits to survive, yada yada, let's all give them a high five for being marketing geniuses. But I just don't get it, if they want to be taken seriously as a camera manufacturer, why do something that just reinforces all the stereotypes of Leica as the Danbury Mint of photography?

Jim Provenzano

[Daniel Ortego]

Ok, I have to say this without reservation. The box alone has already tempted me to consider a second mortgage to have one… but not quite! Likewise, it would go nicely with the $2500.00 Gitzo 90th Anniversary tripod so I guess this is a fairly common practice in photog collector's arena. ~
Regards,

[jimmy pro]

Dude, then you really want one of THESE for your M8!

[lct]

Funny that we can have so different feelings guys.
The 50/1 is one of Leica's greatest masterworks ever made and no doubt they deserve to earn some good money with it IMHO.

[leicawanabe]

At the risk of upsetting a few loyalist ......

This is a joke. The future of this company is very questionable and with the price points where they are Leica may verywell drive themselves out of business. Dealer cost on the Noct several months ago was 3700.00 go figure.

[RobertW]

$16,100
I was already speachless when it was $6,000+ last year

Rob

[egibaud]

I have the cardboard box version, bought July 2007 new, IR filter, coded.....

How much would you buy it with the cardboard box made by Who Knows, cartonier in Solms :-)

Eric

[bill]

Good luck to 'em.

"As much as the market will bear"

Regards,

Bill

[Venkman]

Supply and demand I think.
Who would I be to judge the collector next door who jumps up and down about this offer?

Personally, I find it funny to put such a nice lens in a casket.

Dirk

[zlatkob]

It's not decadent or disgusting. It's a beautiful presentation of a beautiful object. There are plenty of users lenses out there. There's nothing wrong with having a small number stored away unused by collectors. Some people are collectors; thanks to them we have museums and galleries. Other people are creative; thanks to them we have art and beautiful objects. And other people are viewers; thanks to them we have an audience. Something for everyone.

[bill]

Originally Posted by zlatkob

It's not decadent or disgusting. It's a beautiful presentation of a beautiful object. There are plenty of users lenses out there. There's nothing wrong with having a small number stored away unused by collectors. Some people are collectors; thanks to them we have museums and galleries. Other people are creative; thanks to them we have art and beautiful objects. And other people are viewers; thanks to them we have an audience. Something for everyone.

zlatkob, you are a grown-up. Thanks for that very neat summary.

Regards,

Bill

[Kostia]

I bought mine, last version, as new on the Bay, two months ago at $ 4.300.
This offer is disgusting and is an offense to all Leica's lovers.
Fortunately, for some of them, the Oil price is now almost $ 150 !

Disgusting, I said.

[earleygallery]

There is another way - they should make these editions without glass and charge half the price. After all none of these lenses will ever be used, more likely that the boxes will never be opened!

[bill]

Originally Posted by Kostia

I bought mine, last version, as new on the Bay, two months ago at $ 4.300.
This offer is disgusting and is an offense to all Leica's lovers.
Fortunately, for some of them, the Oil price is now almost $ 150 !

Disgusting, I said.

Arrant rubbish.

Regards,

Bill

[dfarkas]

Leica collecting is a whole other world. People will pay tens of thousands for an original MP. Non-working prototypes fetch four or five figures. Limited release lenses like the 35-70 Vario-Elmarit sell used for 3 times what they cost new. Hey, forget lenses and Leica... think about special edition watches, cars, motorcycles, handbags, shoes (!!!), stamps, coins, etc. Would you call a purchaser of a Chronoswiss Regulateur a Tourbillon Squelette nuts for spending $65,000? You can buy a watch for 10 bucks that tells the time, but the Chronoswiss is a work of art and made in limited numbers.

Leica is not desperate or opportunistic. This is the oldest product in manufacture right now, introduced in 1976. It has always held a certain mystique. Leica is just giving collectors and the lens itself a send-off worthy of a legend. I'm sure this set will increase in value as time goes on.

I'm told that the hand-made humidor alone costs roughly half of the price! Apparently these are some of the best humidors made in the world. It would seem that people even collect boxes.

Wait till Photokina and you will see products made to be used. But, give Leica and Leica collectors a break. To each their own passions and addictions.

David

[Kostia]

Originally Posted by earleygallery

There is another way - they should make these editions without glass and charge half the price. After all none of these lenses will ever be used, more likely that the boxes will never be opened!

Leica could propose a light modification after few months : change the hydrometer for a more efficient one, at only..... $ 1,200 ! Only for collectors. Business is business.

[badpets]

Is there any improvement on the lens except the presentation? How come the lens is placed in the center of a cross? It makes the box seem like a mini coffin.

[luigi bertolotti]

If they find 100 people around the world, or even I think 80 only, OK, they have made a right move, period.
I don't think it's disgusting... decadent in a certain mood... the end of a out-of-time way to manufacture what, in theory, is a normally listed item.

What is, for me, really a little exaggerate, is the hydrometer: it suggests that the lens has to be treated with care for it SUFFERS certain environments... what about thinking of USING it, say, in a humid-rainy time open air night music event ?

As for the presentation... well, better a luxury packaging than, say, some horrid finishing like platinum/titan/gold or so... imho, the terrible "special edition M bodies" were worst in any sense.