Leica announces Royal Thai gold-plated edition M10-P for the royal price tag of $45,000! - so we're ordering two then?
(Image credit: Leica)
Update, October 4, 2022: In our original story (see below) we announced these extremely over-the-top Leicas will be auctioned off with the money going towards royal charities. Now the twenty-two sets of these decadent Leica MP 10-P limited editions, embossed with the coat of arms of HM the King will soon be put on sale.
The yellow set with lenses will be available for 1.5 million baht per set ($35.231.26 / £35,231.26) while the green set will sell for 1 million baht each ($26, 588.68 / £23, 487.50). The announcement was made on Friday after a separate auction of special Leica cameras and lenses which raised a total of 214 million baht ( $5,691,490.50 / £5,023,053.40 at the Sustainability Expo 2022 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
There is no question that these will be a marmite product, name will love them and wish someone would give one to them as a present (I will take the green please!) while, others will question why Leica does this type of collaboration at all and should spend more time in research and development. No matter what side of the fence you sit on, the money will be going to good causes, and you can't argue with that.
(Image credit: Leica)
Original Story: Hot on the heels of the recently announced Leica M-A Titian, the full titanium camera body and 50mm lens comb, Leica has also announced two very distinctive and extremely expensive gold-plated editions of the Leica M10-P.
These two editions are called "Royal Thai" and quite frankly you would need to be a member of the monarchy of Thailand to afford them, as they are priced between a whopping $30,000-45,000 EACH!
(Image credit: Leica)
For this astronomical price tag you are able to get either the gold kit this includes a gold-plated Leica M10-p body with yellow crocodile leather, along with a gold-plated Leica APO Summicron 50/2 ASPH, and Leica Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH lenses that will be available as 10 kits only - priced at around $45,000.
However, if yellow isn't your color of choice and you would like to save a little bit, you have the option of the green kit with includes just the Leica APO Summicron 50/2 ASPH and sees the yellow crocodile leather switched out for a rather "out-there" jade-green. This kit is available in a limited number run of just 20 kits, priced at around $30,000.
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(Image credit: Leica)
(Image credit: Leica)
Each camera will be marked with its own unique number out of its limited run and will be shown on to of the camera's hotshoe. Each camera will also feature the engraving of the Thai royal household on the top plate, due to the collaboration to celebrate to coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Every camera will also be supplied with unique packaged, but way of a custom wooden box, just to add to the overall aesthetic.
All of the proceeds made from this astonishing Leica collectors items will go to charitable royal projects. There is no denying Leica has made some wonderful creations with collaborations such as this in the past, and the Royal Thai limited-editions will either be loved or hated by the Leica community.
For nearly two decades Sebastian's work has been published internationally. Originally specializing in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound, and many more for various advertising campaigns, books, and pre/post-event highlights.
He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science, and is a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is a member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since the film days using a Nikon F5 and saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still to this day the youngest member to be elected into BEWA, The British Equestrian Writers' Association.
He is familiar with and shows great interest in street, medium, and large format photography with products by Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa, and Sinar. Sebastian has also used many cinema cameras from the likes of Sony, RED, ARRI, and everything in between. He now spends his spare time using his trusted Leica M-E or Leica M2 shooting Street photography or general life as he sees it, usually in Black and White.
