VW Leica / Ferrari Hasselblad !

[Weasel 555]

mucho $$ cameras for kidneys ...

VW Group design chief Walter de'Silva reskins the Leica M9



Walter de'Silva has worked his magic on countless Alfa Romeos, Seats, Audis and now, as head of design for the entire Volkswagen Group, is responsible for styling even more brands and their products than just about anyone in the industry. But he can now add one more to his resume: a Leica camera.

The iconic German optics company brought de'Silva in to give its compact M9 camera a bit of a make-over. Rising to the task, de'Silva refitted the camera in titanium, gave its screen a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, trimmed it in Nappa leather, a diamond-texture surface and even reworked Leica's famous logo, centering it above the lens like a hood ornament. A gun-holster-like shoulder harness completes the package as de'Silva follows in the footsteps of fellow car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who designed for Canon and whose ItalDesign studio de'Silva's employers recently acquired.

Only 500 examples of the limited-edition, de'Silva-designed Leica M9 Titanium will be produced, fetching a suitably car-like $31,300 apiece.

Click: autoblog.com/2010/10/07/vw-design-chief-walter-desilva-reskins-the-leica-m9/

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Hasselblad launches H4D Ferrari Limited Edition



In fields as competitive as automobiles and photography, there can be few absolutes. But if you ask a pro photog or a camera buff who makes the best equipment, you're likely to hear the name Hasselblad. Ask the same of an automotive enthusiast and Ferrari stands more than a decent chance of being your answer. The two have undoubtedly met thousands of times before as Maranello's finest road and race cars have appeared through Hasselblad viewfinders, but now the Italian automaker and Swedish photography outfitters are teaming up in a different way.

The special edition Hasselblad H4D camera you see above is pimped out in Rosso Fuoco – a shade of red considerably more subdued than Rosso Corso or Rosso Scuderia but no less Ferrari – with a Prancing Horse shield to match and a special glass-topped compartmentalized case. Only 499 examples will be produced, following the classic Maranello formula of one less than they think they can sell. No word on pricing, but considering that an "ordinary" Hasselblad H4D fetches in the neighborhood of $20,000, we're hesitant to ask.

Click: autoblog.com/2010/10/06/image-adjustment-hasselblad-launches-h4d-ferrari-limited-editio/

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[RayfieldsWRX]

Hmmm, a little pricey. I may buy only one each of those.

[Graham46]

Gorgeous!

[SD_GR]

Leica have been underwhelming as far as kit goes, and not just recently, as the M3 was a very hard act to follow for them or anyone else; however, their ability to relabel Panasonics and sell them at +100% retail is nothing short of astounding. IMO the M9 seems a better choice than the M8 but ultimately my personal needs would be better served with a Japanese DSLR -- but that's just me.

The Hasselblad is more interesting to me, but again for personal reasons; after all, it's the brand NASA used to fake the moon landings. Very historic.