Leica’s little red logo is a symbol of photographic history, but it’s also a sign of elitist extravagance when applied to very expensive limited-edition cameras, the likes of which the company has been churning out in high number recently. Announced on Thursday, May 23, its latest special edition is the Lenny Kravitz Leica M Monochrom Drifter, a rangefinder camera wrapped in (faux) snakeskin and paired with a matching strap, two coordinating lenses, and a bag all inspired by the musician’s road-going lifestyle. All of this can be yours for, uh, $24,000.
Designed by Kravitz, who is also a photographer, the Drifter release comes alongside the launch of his gallery exhibition. This is the second special-edition M camera made in partnership with the Brooklyn-born musician, the first being 2015’s Correspondent model which featured a, ahem, pre-distressed exterior.
This new Kravitz special edition pays homage to the musician’s free spirit, because why not. The Leica M Monochrom body is wrapped in a vegan python leatherette (the strap and bag are also vegan-friendly). And while the camera shoots in black and white, the body is made in a sepia brown color to coordinate with that snakeskin wrap.
Along with the camera, the set includes a Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH and APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 ASPH. Both lenses are painted in a sepia brown to match the camera. Kravitz chose those specific lenses for versatility that’s travel-friendly, with one portrait lens and one landscape and street lens.
Along with the camera, the Drifter photo exhibition will be on display at the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar, Germany. The gallery, like the camera, is inspired by Kravitz’s self-described drifter lifestyle and is composed of images he’s shot on the road.
“When I started shooting, I jumped in headfirst with the same energy that I did with music. I just went for it; I opened my heart and my eyes and since then photography has brought so much joy and fulfillment to my life,” Kravitz said in a statement. “With photography, I am able to bottle a piece of time in a photo. That moment then lives on afterward and never dies. I love that.”
Fans of the camera’s snakeskin wrap — or perhaps the Kravitz connection — will have to act quickly to round up the $24,000 to purchase the complete set — only 125 Drifter special editions will be made.
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