Leica has now turned its hand to the TV industry, and is teaming up with Hisense to make laser TVs
Leica Cine 1, powered by Hisense Laser TV technology(Image credit: Leica)
Leica, the famous German camera and lens manufacturer best known for producing iconic photographic equipment has officially entered the laser TV business.
The legendary brand behind such cameras as the Leica M6, Leica M11, Leica Q2 and other high-range bodies has teamed up with Hisense to bring the laser TV industry to new heights.
That might sound like one of those WTF moments, but yes it's true – Leica is throwing its name in the ring and taking aim at the premium laser TV market
"Hisense and Leica Camera will continue to consolidate their technology collaboration in the laser TV segment by launching new products, all in premium segment and all oriented to the next level of image quality," said Stephan Albrecht, managing director of Leica Smart Projection.
This isn't the first time that Leica has collaborated with brands to offer alleged best-in-quality products, such as mobile phone launches. However, since the Leica Cine 1 projector was revealed at the IFA show in late 2022, it seems that Leica wants a bigger slice of the TV and imaging pie.
"Leica has been interested to enter the strongly growing Laser TV market, but this would not have been possible without Hisense since it has become a global pioneer in the field of Laser TV with 1,700 related patents," said Matthias Harsch, CEO of Leica Camera.
If you look at it from an outside perspective, this partnership might seem a little strange – not only for the Leica purists, but also for the wider TV industry as a whole who might not know what the Leica brand stands for.
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However, those that know Leica and are heavily involved within the film and production industry might be interested to see the brand extend in this way. It does make some sense, as Leica has its cinematography company Leitz that specializes in the making of cine lenses for filmmaking.
Of course, if this partnership was done under the Leitz name we could understand it a little better. While the Leica brand might know better globally, it's known for cameras and lenses rather than cinema equipment.
Still, with Leica branching out into phones, projectors and TVs, the question remains where we might see the big red dot appearing next…
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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.
