Elite Traveler Spring 2022

INFLUENCE CRAFTSMANSHIP

The Leica APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH lens is the preferred lens for the M10 by photographers. The lens is made in Germany to exacting standards, with the coated edges painted by hand. $8,195, leica-camera.com

Behind the scenes with Leica

For more than 1 00 years, German camera brand Leica has crafted the world’s most precise, innovative and durable cameras for all of life’s adventures. Roberta Naas discovers how each model is made

Since its founding in Wetzlar, Germany in 1869 by Ernst Leitz, Leica has reimagined the camera and propelled the concept of photography to new heights for both professionals and a fi cionados alike. The brand revolutionized the realm of handheld 35mm cameras, invented the idea of autofocus, and has grown to become the most iconic camera brand on the globe. Laying claim to a cult-like following, where Leica owners are automatically drawn to talk to one another about their experiences, the Leica brand is, and always has been, founded on the principles of unsurpassed quality, craftsmanship, ease of use and excellence. Each camera is predominantly hand- crafted by camera makers who have passed on their know-how from generation to generation — much like in the watchmaking world. In fact, before founding Leica (originally named Leitz, and not changed to Leica until 1986), Leitz trained as a watchmaker, and some of the same principles of fi ne watchmaking can be found in the making of Leica cameras. It was in 1954 that Leica invented the famed M3

camera system that incorporated the pioneering notion of having a range fi nder spot in the view fi nder so photographers could focus without moving their eyes around the composition. Harmoniously balanced with perfect proportions and unparalleled workmanship, this new camera was named ‘M’ for the German word Messucher , translated as Range fi nder. To this day, that camera is the basis for all of the brand’s M cameras. In fact, while the nearly 70-year-old M3 has evolved over time — with today’s most coveted M system camera being the M10 — all of the lens dimensions remain the same so that new lenses still fi t old cameras and vice versa. Of course, the inner workings are completely new, sophisticated and visionary, but the design remains the same. This may make Leica the most sustainable camera brand on Earth. Leica is not about selling hundreds of thousands of cameras; it is about the use of the camera and the fi nal, resulting image. To remain exclusive, Leica cameras are made in very limited numbers, with just a few thousand of each model built annually.

Above The M10-R camera with digital sensor is easily one of the most highly coveted Leica cameras on the market. The handcrafted camera is, as with all M system cameras, sold separately from the lenses, and often there is a waiting list. $8,995, leica-camera.com