Why "type 114" ?

[PeterBrandt]

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what is the purpose of the designation "type 114" for the "Leica V Lux".

Its not model 3, nor model 4, rather "type 114" what did that mean ?

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[jaapv]

All Leicas have a type number of three digits.

[Stuart Richardson]

Leica went through a phase where it seems like some part of the marketing team convinced them that it would be cooler for their brand to just call their cameras "the Leica M" The "Leica S", the "Leica V lux" etc...the problem is that no one knew what the hell model they were referring to out in the world, so they started referring to the cameras by their internal reference numbers, which was basically exactly the same as the previous system only more complicated and it did not make sense to anyone other than people inside Leica. That is why in the S system, for example, there was an S2 (the S1 was a weird scanning camera from the 90s), then the S "006", the S "007" and finally the S3. With the M's, it was M7, M8, M9, M typ 240 (and some other numbered variations), and finally the M10 and M11. Thankfully they dropped this naming system and we are back to normal again where they usually just go up a number for each fully new model.

I think they were trying to pull off something like German car companies: the 911, a BMW M5 etc. The problem is that cars are updated every year and sorted largely by their model year, whereas Leica does not release new cameras every year, and photographers seem to be the kind of people who like to be a bit more specific in referring to their gear. For example, I think most photographers I know would probably say to another photographer (or at least Leica photographer), I use an M10, instead of saying I use a Leica M. Because if you say the second one, it could literally be any one of a number of cameras from the last roughly 70 years.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Stuart Richardson

[tritentrue]

5 hours ago, jaapv said:

All Leicas have a type number of three digits.

???

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[adan]

Around 2012-2013, when the M9 was being replaced, Leica had the "bright idea" to quit formally labeling camera models with up-front sequence numbers (which were about to move into double digits in the M line). The old M3, M4, M5, M7, M8, M9 - or the R3, R4, R5 - or the S1 and S2 - or the V-Lux 3 and 4, etc.

New cameras would now carry only the "purist and elegant" system designations (at the time) - M and S. With specific project numbers used in-house to keep new models straight. Project/Typ 240, 246, 006, 007, etc.

That caused a lot of confusion out in the marketplace - if you wanted info on the M9's replacement, the "Leica M," a google search became unspecific nonsense (you'd get results about the whole M system since 1954).

And of course those in the know began revealing those in-house project numbers, so for clarity and specificity, users and others would refer to the M (typ 240) or M (typ 246 - the Monochrom version of the "M") or S (typ 006) or S (typ 007). And so on also for the Leicasonics (rebadged Panasonics) - C-Lux (typ 112), D-lux (typ 109), V-Lux (typ 114).

Anyway, that idea was abandoned in just a few years - as being a solution worse than the problem. The M (typ 240)'s replacement in 2017 returned to the "classic" numbering sequence - as the M10, and now the M11. The V-Lux also returned to the "main sequence," in 2019 (V-Lux 5).

But that particular version of the V-Lux was already named and engraved (in 2014-2019) as the V-Lux - period. And thus users append the factory designation (114) to distinguish it from the other V-Lux models.  😁

Edited December 23, 2023 by adan