<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
Leica sure does love producing limited editions of their mega-cool and uber-popular M9 camera set, don’t they? They’ve done titanium and even ostrich leather. Now they are doing silver chrome. It features scratch-resistant sapphire glass and omes with a Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron silver chrome lens. The kit is now available for purchase at the Leica Boutique in Palm Beach for just $12,950. Only 50 will be made.
Two of the most iconic brands around have joined forces. Hasselblad and Ferrari have created the Hasselblad H4D Ferrari Limited Edition camera. Hasselblad is now shipping the limited edition flagship camera for about $28,425 plus tax, and only 499 units are up for grabs.
The H4D Ferrari Limited Edition camera ships with the familiar Ferrari “rosso fuoco” color and bears the legendary Racing Shield. It comes packed inside an exclusively designed box with a glass top, which is labeled with the distinctive Ferrari Racing Shield.
What better way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of a country that seems to have a, um, problem with all forms of open media than with a, um, camera? Oh but what a camera it is! Leica has taken it upon themselves to create this beauty. It’s gold-plated(24 carat), and as you can see, comes in colors to celebrate the People’s Republic of China. Not bad. Limited to just 60 units, each hallmarked with a year between 1949 and 2009, the Golden Camera is encased in red calfskin, bears an inscription of Mao Zedong’s favorite slogan and includes the Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Gold lens. It also costs a whopping $30,000. Wait, now China also has more expensive limited edition cameras than the Western World?! Why, I never.
Just when you thought there was one single inch of this planet that hadn’t been slapped by the Swarovski “pen,” along comes this Olympus camera redux. You may remember the Olympus Pen E-P1 because it’s a damned fine camera. However, it lacked one crucial element: a generous slathering of Swarovski crystals. Luckily, that weakness has been rectified. All other aspects of the photo taker are equal to the camera we know and love. The crystals won’t make photos any, um, shinier or anything. If this is your cup of crystalized tea, pick one up for £1,999.
German camera manufacturer Leica is no stranger to limited editions with a retro flavor. This new unit may be the retro-est, limited-est camera yet. The unit is a collaboration between the company and Parisian luxury goods maker Hermes. The Leica M7 Hermes is an ultra-luxurious camera that features a metal finish, a back finished in silver chrome, matching AUTO and flash settings with the camera’s leather, and the omission of the red Leica logo so as to not conflict with the color array. The units will be available in two colors, orange and a version of green called “etoupe.” Each color will be limited to just 100 units produced, with one camera costing as much as $14,265.
The world of racing and high-end phone technology collide with the new Grand Monaco LE. Russian company Gresso has patterened the phone after all things Formula 1. Formula 1, for the uninitiated, is like Nascar but with better music and slightly less product placement. The phones are adorned with genuine Italian leather and the case is made from titanium and a high-tech ceramic coating. The surface is scratchproof due to more titanium and a polished steel sheet. The phone features a hand-polished 42K sapphire crystal that acts as the frame for the display. The phone also includes a 2-megapixel camera, Wap/GPRS/Bluetooth/SMS/MMS/email/EDGE, and Java. It’s available now at showrooms for the reasonable, compared to other luxury phones, price of $1,800.
Canon U.S.A., announced today the development of two all-new telephoto lenses for use with its EOS SLR cameras:
EF200mm f/2L IS USM
EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM
The new Canon EF200mm f/2L IS USM and EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM, are both L (luxury)-series lenses which incorporate a high-performance Image Stabilizer, and feature optical systems utilizing special optical materials such as fluorite to correct chromatic aberrations, which makes possible high-resolution, high-contrast shooting performance.
The Canon EF200mm f/2L IS USM, is targeted to users who seek a brighter lens for portraiture and indoor sports photography. The EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM is expected to deliver telephoto performance surpassing the current top-of-the-line EF600mm f/4L.
Pricing and availability information on the new L-Series Lenses are not yet available as both of these new lenses are currently under development.
Canon U.S.A., Inc.,will exhibit prototypes of the new lenses at PhotoPlus Expo (booth #318), taking place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, October 18 to 20, 2007.
