In 2021, Leica will launch a lower-cost version of its M-series film cameras.
$6,000 Leica camera was (sometimes) beaten by an iPhone
That’s a smart move, because their digital cameras have become an absurd brand of nerd jewelry, replaced, in both function and spirit, by the iPhone in your pocket. Today’s iPhone camera is everything the Leica I was in 1925.
"Nobody buys a Leica to take pictures," writes photographer and critic Ken Rockwell. "Leica is a lifestyle, not a brand. Our iPhones, Canons and Nikons take far better pictures than any Leica. Leicas are trinkets for guys who like nice things, not for people who want to take great pictures."
In 1925, the Leica I was something of a revelation. It was much smaller than other cameras, because it used 35mm film. Photographers no longer had to carry a huge device with a tripod. Today, 35mm film is called "full frame", but back then, even large roll film was considered "miniature". Yet, despite this small "sensor", it changed the future of photography. Sound familiar?
