Leica’s new camera costs $20,000 and has zero megapixels

We need to talk for a second. I am aware that you are a camera brand. I had a vasectomy so I wouldn't have to give up my firstborn just to own a M3. Some of the best street photos in the world were taken with Leica cameras. At some point, you need to take a break and realize that you have accomplished what you can.

The 250-unit limited edition camera that was announced this month is one of those times. The camera is carved out of titanium and has a great lens on it. The Titanium makes the camera strong and lightweight, but the price tag makes it weigh down so much that we need to stage an intervention.

There is a picture at the top of this article. That's right, phwoahr. Tell me that isn't one of the most beautiful cameras you've ever seen, it doesn't look that different from the X 100V, which at least has the common courtesy of adding a screen. There is a camera called the M-A Titan. Yes, that's right. You have to put film in it so that you can shoot 24 or 36 frames before you have to change the film again. It's the kind that makes me think of the hours spent sweating in an underventilated dark room, smelling fixing liquid and other potentially cancer-causing chemicals.

This is the sixth limited edition the company has put out and it isn't the first time that a block of titanium has been shoved in a mill. It has to be nice to put a product out there that is so silly that a tech journalist gets their camera-pattern panties in a bunch. We are becoming more and more estranged from a camera brand that was so relevant.

I understand that this camera isn't for photographers. Not many photographers like me. I think most of these cameras will end up being collector's items for people who once told their hedge fund manager boss that they are really into photography because they installed a Hipstamatic app on their iPhone. Maybe as a wedding gift. Retirement gifts are also possible. Either way, it's something. I don't think I can say I've received a $20,000 gift for a hot minute, so I can't imagine the circumstances

I am scanning my soul for why I am so depressed, and I realize I am just grieving how the mighty are falling. The venerable Hasselblad wouldn't stoop so low as to lend its prestigious brand to something as frivolous as a phone camera. I spoke too quickly.

I admit it. I am sad that I won't be able to play with this camera. I have my M3. It's a fruit. I think it's great.

I understand. The camera brands are not doing well. The company only sells 100,000 cameras a year and was on the verge of going out of business in 2005, but they still have a market share of 1%. They have to do whatever they can to get by, as more and more people are abandoning their real cameras in favor of the ever-improving smartphone cameras.

You would be forgiven for doing something desperate if this is the chart of how your industry is doing. The image is from the original source.

Stand-alone cameras are just as good as smartphones. The people are not. Why would you take another piece of steel and glass with you on a trip when you already have a good camera in your pocket? I am writing this 12,000 km away from where I usually live, so I am clearly in a deeply biased state of mind over here, even though I only own a phone with a camera.

Every 6 months, there is a new press release that reminds me of how quickly the camera industry is dying.

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