Leica has just announced a new ultra-limited edition Leica M10 rangefinder created in collaboration with the Italian luxury car company Zagato. Instead of being covered with leather trim to provide grip, the Leica M10 “Edition Zagato” is covered instead with fine grooves in the metal body.
“Founded a century ago, Zagato has been the creator of the most beautiful coachbuilt bodies in the history of automobile construction,” Leica says. “The quintessential Italian brand is particularly well known for its innovative use of aluminium in automobile design and construction.”
Zagato’s current owner, Dr. Andrea Zagato, personally designed the camera, which is the first special edition of the M10.
The top deck, baseplate, outer casing, and control elements are all made of aluminum, making the camera about 10.6% lighter than the standard M10 (590g vs 660g, with battery included).
Instead of an iconic red dot and a silver shutter release button, the camera has the opposite: it features a red shutter release and a grayscale Leica logo.
A less noticeable feature of the new camera is that it’s the first Leica camera to have its serial number engraved on an aluminum badge at the base of the camera. This is only visible when the baseplate is removed.
Packaged with the camera body is a matching special edition Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens that features an integrated lens hood that can be pulled out and locked with one motion. It’s a brand new feature on a 35mm lens that “simplifies its handling,” Leica says. There’s also a unique, curved focus tab.
“The design of the focusing aid on the lens pays homage to a typical styling signature of Zagato automobile design, the double-bubble roofline of many Zagato models,” Leica says. “The unmistakeable ‘Zagato’ logotype on the lens ring also indicates the role of the prominent design partner in this collaboration.”
The new Leica M10 “Edition Zagato” is available today in select Leica stores for £18,000 ($23,900). By comparison, the standard Leica M10 and 35mm Summilux cost $12,600 together. Only 250 “Zagato” edition cameras will ever be produced.
