Limited Edition Gold Leica is Being Released in Honor of the Thai King

In a collaboration with Thai Beverage, Leica is set to make 10 gold Leica M10 cameras available in honor of the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and each is expected to cost around $50,000.

As reported by Photography Daily Theme, the cameras are being made through a partnership between the German camera company and Thai Beverage, also known as ThaiBev, to celebrate the coronation of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn. It is unclear how a large beverage company is related to either Leica or the current King of Thailand, and PetaPixel’s request for comment went unanswered.

Vajiralongkorn, currently aged 69, ascended to the Thai throne on May 4, 2019, although the Thai government retroactively declared his reign to have begun on October 13, 2016 which is the day his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died.

The gold camera — and it should be noted, it is a layer of actual gold and not just a colored nonprecious metal — is paired with gold-colored crocodile leather and will come with two similarly gold-plated lenses — an APO Summicron 50mm f/2 ASPH and a Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH — packaged in a custom wooden box for what is expected to be $50,000, although final pricing has not been revealed.

Only 10 of this particular model will be made, but for collectors who want something a bit less audacious, Leica is also producing 10 in a jade-green crocodile leather that compliments the gold-plated metal exterior. The green version only ships with one gold-plated lens, which also reduces the asking price to what is expected to be around $30,000.

Leica was unable to comment with any details regarding the limited edition cameras and while it appears to be a Leica M10 or M10-P, that was unable to be confirmed.

In addition to the gold exterior and uniquely colored crocodile leather, the limited edition cameras bear an imprint of the royal Thai emblem on the top plate to the left of the hot shoe mount.

Leica is no stranger to producing unusual and extremely limited edition cameras, and it’s not even the first gold camera produced for a Thai monarch. In 2016, the company made a special edition M6 camera to celebrate the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej — who at the time was the longest-serving monarch — and in honor of his death. It featured a similar gold metal exterior but a red leather wrap and matching red tint to the Thai emblem. That camera was sold for 399,999 Baht, or about $11,200.

Jaron Schneider

Read More

Nikon will no longer produce cameras in Japan

After more than 70 years, the camera maker Nikon is shifting its production from Japan to Thailand for the cost-cutting reasons.

One thing that any brand practices from time to time is product mapping. This allows comparing your products with your competitor's products to understand price differences. Now, courtesy of Japanese Asahi, it is confirmed that Nikon will end its camera production in Japan and will move to Thailand. And of course, cost-cutting is the primary reason to do so.

As the publication notes, "At last, Nikon will end the domestic production of camera bodies that has continued for more than 70 years. Until now, body manufacturing has been carried out at “Sendai Nikon” in Miyagi Prefecture and “Nikon Thailand (NTC)” in Thailand, but in order to reduce costs, it will be concentrated at the Thai factory."

After more than 70 years, the Japanese camera maker Nikon is shifting its production to Thailand. The camera production for the Nikon Z6 and Nikon Z7 were already moved, and the Nikon D6 will be moved by the end of 2021. "Production of the mirrorless cameras Z 7 and Z 6 was completed at the end of September, and preparations for the transfer of production to Thailand have begun in October. Production of the D6 digital SLR will also be transferred to Thailand by the end of 2021."

However, the Nikon's factory in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, will continue to play a significant role in future camera production. But the question is, will moving the camera production from Japan to Thailand affect the used market or not? This time will tell, so let's just wait and see what changes this move brings in for the users.

On a related note, Nikon India announced external recorders, manufactured by Blackmagic Design, that have been added to the products supported with the RAW video output for the Nikon Z7 and Z6 mirrorless cameras. This enables the recording of high-quality video shot with the Z7 or Z6 in not only ProRes RAW, but Blackmagic RAW as well.

With the new Firmware Version 3.2 for Nikon Z7 and Z6, the ProRes RAW videos recorded via the Atomos Ninja V will now also support ISO and colour temperature adjustments added to Apple Final Cut Pro version 10.4.9 or later for greater flexibility and convenience in post-production. Users can download the firmware update from here.

Read More