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Leica announces $1300 special edition 'G-Star RAW' D-Lux 6

Jun 19, 2013 at 22:11:46 GMT

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Leica has announced a special edition of its D-Lux 6 high-end compact camera, in collaboration with clothing manufacturer G-Star RAW. The special D-Lux 6 (itself arguably a 'special edition' Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7) will be available from Leica Stores and Boutiques worldwide, and is expected to cost around $1300 - around $800 more than the standard D-Lux 6 and roughly $1000 more than the LX7.

What do you get for your money? Well, 'a new dot structure on the leather body trim' and a leather case with 'exclusive carrying strap'. And a red dot, of course.

This is the new 'RAW' edition Leica D-Lux 6, which comes with a different body finish and leather case with an 'exclusive' carrying strap. It will be available from Leica stores worldwide, at a rumored price of $1300.

According to G-Star, the collaboration with Leica is 'natural', since 'both brands utilise design where form follows function, and stand for high-quality products of authenticity and durability'. The New York-based company has previously collaborated with bicycle manufacturer Cannondale, Hennessy cognac, Land Rover and it even got its name on the side of a 1927 canal boat in Amsterdam.

Shubhankar Ray on the Leica D-Lux 6 ‘Edition by G-Star RAW’

In this video, Shubhankar Ray, Global Brand Director for G-Star, talks about the collaboration between G-Star and Leica Camera on the limited special edition camera Leica D-Lux 6 'Edition by G-Star RAW.'

Via Imaging Resource

What do you make of the G-Star RAW D-Lux 6? Let us know in the comments.

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Leica D-Lux 6

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Leica D-LUX 6 Compact Camera●

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Leica DLUX 6 10-megapixel Digital Camera	$758.00
Leica DLUX 6 10-megapixel Digital Camera	$758.00
Leica D-LUX 6 "Edition G-STAR RAW"	$1,190.00
Leica D-LUX 6 Digital Camera Black	$796.19
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Leica D-LUX 6 Digital Camera, Black - Bundle - with SanDisk 8GB Extreme SDHC Memory Card, Lowepro Dublin 30 Camera Pouch, Adorama Table Top Tripod, Adorama USB 2.0 Card Reader	$770.74
Leica 18191 V-LUX 4 12.7MP Compact System Camera with 3.0-Inch TFT LCD - Black	$899.00
Leica D-LUX5 10.1 MP Compact Digital Camera with Super-Fast f/2.0 Lens, 3.8x Zoom Lens, 3" LCD Display, O.I.S. Image Stabilization (Black)	$973.00
Leica D-LUX 3 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)	$1,989.99
Leica V-LUX 3 CMOS Camera with 12.1MP and 24x Super Telephoto Zoom	$649.99
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Comments

Total comments: 265

I am in awe at the power of branding. Leica is the master.

The camera has no improvements (except for the margin) over the LX7.

The guy on the video is so full of rhymes with hit.

Yet... I am sure that there will be enough suckers to spend $1,300 for a camera that, at B&H, can be bought without the red dot for $398 AND then argue with sane photographers that it is worth it.

I bow before Leica.

They are the masters

0 upvotes

I am in awe at the power of branding. Leica is the master.

0 upvotes

So far the camera feels great in my hand because of the extra leatherette but the case is a disaster.

The case has 3 amateurish design flaws & lasted 2 weeks.

1) It has a belt loop but the shoulder strap cannot be removed when worn on the belt!

2) The belt loop is fixed by 4 studs with 3 pulling through the leather in 2 weeks. Even cheap Chinese leather cases have stitched belt loops!

3) The belt loop is fixed far too low on the case so it is top heavy!

Great camera with a great lens but with a key accessories designed incompetently by G-Star to last 2 weeks!

I made it clear when I was buying that I wanted to wear the camera on my belt all day every day.

Photo Riesel replaced the case without any hesitation but I can never actually use the new case.

Totallt unfit for purpose!

Rubbish design& rubbish quality!

0 upvotes

Oh my, the video is bordering on hilarious. Easily some of the most pretentious drivel I've heard in years:
"So the challenge becomes more about...sort of...how little design you can add, just to underline the usefullness of an object"
WHaaa?
"Instead of redesigning the camera, we're re-imagining it".
The only thing they're imagining is how much money they can rake off of their devoted clan of suckers.

Comment edited 45 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

All of these extensive comments and nary a one about the functionality of the camera or any appreciation for aesthetics - at all. Y'all must not be good photographers, having zero appreciation for aesthetics or fashion. Maybe everyone here applied at Vogue and was turned down? If I were Vogue, I'd check to see what my applicants say online.

0 upvotes

This is hilarious. I finally sold all my Leica stuff this year. I started becoming uncomfortable to be seen with it. These days the brand is more recognizable as nouveau-riche jewelry than as bullet-proof tools of photography. Call me vain for not wanting to look like an ostentatious tourist in my own city... (I sure got some amazing M43 gear for a fraction of the Leica investment.)

I love how they are still selling the cameras with tripe like this: "Discretion and unobtrusiveness are particular strengths of the M-System. For instance, the Leica M-E’s shutter action is extremely quiet.... ...a reason why M-Photographers often go unnoticed and simply blend into the scenery."

Really? Even with all that Breitling, Armani, Prada, Fendi, etc... on?? :D

1 upvote

I don't have any Leica gear and I used to think of the brand as highly desirable, but after about a year of following the scene I now have a different opinion. I too laugh at marketing like "unobtrusiveness, extreme quiet, blend into background." Not to mention hype about "creative freedom" because all of this can be achieved with an iPhone and other smart phones. They have silent shutters, so even more silent than Leica. They look like phones not camera so they blend in more, they are smaller so more unobtrusive, as for creative freedom, well how about thousands of apps. So so funny. Oh and all this for a 10th of the cost.

0 upvotes

Well... Where did you see an LX7 for $300 and a D-Lux 6 for $500?

0 upvotes

It is often on sales for $300, but not 100% of the time. Now it is $338 here:
http://www.42photo.com/pd-productid-107571-k-panasonic_lumix_dmc_lx7_101_megapixel_digital_camera_(black).htm

0 upvotes

Macintosh and Krell audio both make/sell/re-brand iPod docks. At a certain point it's not even a piece of legitimate apparatus, it's merely swag.

0 upvotes

Cheap joke on Chinese- and Indian-Nouveauriches. Cargo-cult.

0 upvotes

This is no new modification for for special clients, this is simply a joke with the customer's intelligence

1 upvote

Make one think of the M6 Royal Danish Wedding ...

0 upvotes

I believe a cheaper version Samsung Galaxy camera can do better job than this expensive little red dot. As I said before the little red dot carry weight, some can tell me due to their fantastic Leica lens this cam can perform as good as DSLR!

0 upvotes

Actually, no. This LX7, even disguised as a Leica, does better than Galaxy Camera in its 24-90 mm eq. range.

1 upvote

I seem to remember Saab pasted their name and fascias onto Chevrolet and Subaru during their death throws. People actually bought a few of them. Perhaps people didn't mind paying more for something that looks like what it isn't.

0 upvotes

Tsk, tsk, tsk

From a full frame film legend...

To a paltry 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) speck.

How the mighty have fallen...

4 upvotes

Leica has been doing this kind of stuff for years. The latest is only the most recent of a long line of so-called "collector's items." Why do they do this? Because there are a bunch of suckers out there.

4 upvotes

leica's "collector's items" had almost always leica cameras as cores with some pomp added. they lived in show windows but were equally good or even better shooters than their "humble" siblings. in the end they were leica's.
but this is not a leica. it is a Panasonic LX7.
they do the same stuff like hasselblad and lunar.
primary target: prospering chinese and indian rich with traditional "show of" culture.

1 upvote

If Leica isn't careful they are going to end up hurting themselves with these silly releases.
Leica has always been a well respected brand, but moves like these are... Well, to put it simply- people are starting to laugh at Leica.

5 upvotes

I agree with many of the other commenters that said that Leica should stick to their niche (rangefinders and lenses). The Monochrome, M-9, X-2 and Summilux are what I think of and covet when I think of Leica.

0 upvotes

If only the Digital M were worth owning or aspiring to own.

1 upvote

Why do you think Leic as been owned by "Hermes" luxury brand?

There are people willing to pay 2X the price for a branded item...

Comment edited 7 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Okay, there is just one thing you guys have forgotten:
Leica did contribute its lens design to base LX7 and is the fastest arguably sharpest lens in the advanced compact category. Image quality and sharpness is a step above the Fuji X20, for example, as a result. And this is achieved on ten megapixels versus 12. So Leica should be given some liberties to market its own versions.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

Version? What???

You add $800 for fake leather, a "Red Dot", company color processing, a leather case (real not like the fake leather on the asian produced camera) and you tell people to use LightRoom (photographer naturally own a RAW processing engine!).

At the end of the day with ANY raw processing engine (including now included OBSOLETE LightRoom 4), Panasonic LX7 do the same exact photos as the Leica but being still 2X less expensive (and I include LightRoom 5), and moreover not using fake leather to try to look "haute couture". lol!

Where is the company "Color processing" or "Image processing" when you use Adobe LIghtRoom (or anoter RAW converter) ?

Comment edited 5 times, last edit 10 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I wish that the likes of Leica and HB would use their resources and the ability to sell cameras at premium prices to create (or at least collaborate on) cutting-edge innovations instead of pathetic gimmicky niche-market toys.

5 upvotes

as for any leica announcement, I have to cite Andreas kaufmann that possess LEICA : “We’re not a luxury brand, but we are elite, and price plays a role in how we see products.”

It's Enerst & Young that posted that: http://www.ey.com/RU/en/Services/Strategic-Growth-Markets/Exceptional-CIS--September-2012-January-2013---Picture-perfect---Leica

This camera is built on asian countries, designed by panasonic, and itj's agreat $450 camera from my point of view.

Maybe this camera (the panasonix LX7) is worth $1000+ when you add a "Red Dot" and fake leather on it?

Comment edited 4 times, last edit 15 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Notice that I had one of these Panasonic with a Leica "Red Dot", it worked well and was a great photographic tool. As its Panasonic counterpart. It was a gift, and you couldn't refuse a gift.

Comment edited 21 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

What a waste of time marketing video. Obviously the target audience is people who's priority to have and to be seen with an expensive brand. They don't care what effort and craftsmanship have gone in to making this product or whether the camera is any better than the Panasonic version. It wouldn't make any difference if it was an "ugly" design. There is no need for portraying the product as something aesthetic blah blah. The target audience will want to know if it is an expensive product of an expensive brand. I'm sure more than half will have heard the Leica name for the first time. If someone said in this video that this is a very expensive compact camera of a very famous brand would've had the desired effect. They can't care less. So, cut the bull...

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 14 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I only got so far down this page and found myself agreeing/lining every comment.

Leica have been producing 'Emperors suit of clothes' cameras for yonks and if there are people out there daft enough to pay then good look to them. Hopefully, I'm not that daft...

1 upvote

that's the most smelly commercial bullsh!t I've read today! or even this week.

1 upvote

Why only $1300? I bet Rolex could make a killing by re-badging Timex and Swatch watches.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

hahahaha next.

2 upvotes

Bullshi*

2 upvotes

All my friends who can only afford Panasonics will be so jealous when I pull this baby out of my Gucci man bag.

3 upvotes

Just because you wouldn't buy this camera doesn't mean its bad. The camera is aimed at those that want to make a fashion statement and have extra disposable income.

You won't see these buyers hanging on forums to put down the vanilla cameras that other manufacturers produce.

It seems the people here only approve of gear they actually own and everything else is inferior. I feel sorry for you guys who look through life half empty.

1 upvote

this kind of camera would only buy a well-heeled dumbass who acually IS half empty.

0 upvotes

@scrup...The issue here is not whether the camera is good or bad or if one can afford it. Rather It is a sad state of affairs that actually people pay for grossly overpriced piece of an equipment/brand product to stand out from the crowd and think their existence's been enriched by it.

3 upvotes

No- people here approve of cameras that are worthy of it and make fun of overpriced cameras based on silly marketing gimmicks.
Respectable cameras aren't pimped out to fashion companies.

0 upvotes

@vladimir vanek - why would they be half empty, it seems like you are the bitter one. Do you ever go to bar's and have a drink? Pay 10 times more than what you can get at the liquor store? What you value in a camera can be totally different to someone else's need.

@oselimg - do you look down on people who own Ferrari's and Lamborghini? People buy what makes them happy. You need to get out more and meet different types of people. That comment is very closed minded. Do you let your wife buy anything she wants or does it have to be approved by you!

@samhain do you own anything that has a brand? Leica saw a market niche and is catering for it. Cameras are not just tools they are accessories now.

2 upvotes

What's all the whining about? This camera is not for the average Joe. It is targeting consumers who buy a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes for $2000 and drive them home with an Aston Martin Zagato. For those people the price of the Leica is a bargain. The world is heading to a way of serving the upper 10% only, even Adobe is walking this way. It's becoming a big club and you ain't in it!
(me too btw)

5 upvotes

I think the guy driving the Aston Martin would buy an actual Leica M...

Why? Because he is obviously the type of person who values how others perceive him based on what he owns. He understands that if he had bought a Ford Pinto with Aston Martin decals on it, it wouldn't have impressed anybody.

And he probably doesn't shop at G-Star RAW, which is probably where this camera will be sold, because its not exactly an exclusive store for the wealthy.

2 upvotes

@Lea5...you're very optimistic with your percentage of the upper. I think it' s around 5%.

0 upvotes

Wow, what inanity.

"It is targeting consumers who buy a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes for $2000 and drive them home with an Aston Martin Zagato."

Give me a beak. Like those people, should they exist, would buy those shoes if they were just Reeboks with a red dot or a Aston if it was a Kia with a fake leather body kit and a huge price.

1 upvote

Well, Astron Martin doesn't sell a Kia with a body kit, but it does sell a Toyota with a body kit and with a nearly 300% markup. It's called the Aston Martin Cygnet and it's a rebadged Toyota IQ with a price hike from £11.000 to £32.000.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

The camera is for somebody who worked to get what they have. You don't have to be rich to buy this camera. I took 3 sick days in 38 years. That is why I can afford it. Work and be responsible.

1 upvote

Where I live we get 10 paid sick days per year. I could take 10 per year it would not make any difference to my pay.

0 upvotes

Uninteresting edition of an already uninteresting camera...

1 upvote

As usual, this new one from Leica is a thousand buckaroos overpriced. Same old, same old....

0 upvotes

Why don't you just buy a Panasonic LX7 and a G-Star Raw t-shirt?

3 upvotes

I like my D-Lux 6 just the way it is. It serves a specific purpose. I don't like Leica AG's bad habit of putting bad marketing ahead of good (or great) photography, tip-toeing around the marketplace with "almost M" cameras that are more status symbol than precision tools. And often at absurd prices. Dressing up a perfectly good D-Lux 6 in odd colors and textures and brand logos doesn't make it a an M. That so many photographers are will to spend five-figures on decades old Leicas just show how irrelevant the new Leica fashion cameras have become. Here's an idea: Buy up and refurbish many of the secondary market used Leicas cameras and donate them to art schools under the condition they remain school property. Go back to making the very best new professional tools and the market will follow.

1 upvote

Ok I have a question.....

If they are re-imagining the camera then can someone tell me why it still looks like a camera???

0 upvotes

You're supposed to use your re-imagination.

7 upvotes

this Leica reminds me of Hasselblad Lunar which is just a rebadge of NEX-7

Comment edited 48 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

Disagree - The Leica is in fact attractive.

1 upvote

Leica should be a case study for stand-up comedians in late night shows. How to produce useless things for rich people making poor photos.

3 upvotes

ugh, me wantum exclusive carrying strap. that's right, cavemen will be the primary customers.

0 upvotes

the one who invented the Leica name on a red Japanese sun-disc is real genius.

0 upvotes

WTF Happened to Leica ? This use to b the bench mark of what all cameras aspire to be & should be .. Now u buy one of these and as u walk of people will giggle and think& whisper " poser " behind ur back

3 upvotes

Sony!

Where's my G-Star RX100!

This is so lame. I want to meet someone who has the coin to waste on stuff like this so that I can pick up a few of the $100 bills that fall out when they bend over to tie their shoes...

0 upvotes

Not excited。

0 upvotes

It used to be Leica's camera's made the name, now the name makes the camera. This is what happens when marketing trumps engineering.

Comment edited 47 seconds after posting

12 upvotes

Just because you people can not afford it, do not make fun of those who can and do! Not my cup of tea either but for some $1000 is less than pocket change!

0 upvotes

Why shouldn't we make fun of someone who buys one of these instead of saving a lot of money on the ORIGINAL version? They deserve ridicule and if they have that much money to waste why don't they donate it to a charity instead?

I remember when you could buy a phoney Rolls Royce grill to put on your VW Beetle. This is as if Roll Royce did that themselves and sold you the Beetle for 4X the price.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

I agree Greg. Some silly class envy posts about this camera, the RX1 and X Vario. If you want one of these cameras and don't have the money get three jobs if need be. When I bought my last car my young neighbor said "I wish I had one". I told him I took three sick days in 38 years (he has had more than that this week). I noted that he did have the money to get tattoos and get drunk most nights. God knows what a pack of butts goes for these days but he always has one going. Work hard and if that isn't good enough work harder. I personally would not want this camera but I can not knock those who do. That is their choice.

Comment edited 28 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Nice looking camera ...... but not 1000$ nice

1 upvote

Does anyone know any of the customers Leica is targeting with this thing? I'd like to sell them some land...

1 upvote

Sigh. I suppose if stuff like this is what keeps the M in production then I'm for it.

0 upvotes

I have no issue with any of this. The LX7 is a fine compact camera. The D-Lux 6 adds the Leica improved colour processing, a copy of Lightroom and the red dot branding.

This designer special extends the idea further giving the very fetching leather trim (making it a fine looking camera to me) and the designer case and strap.

My ex-wife often blew a grand on some overpriced fancy designer bag. It was part of her costume to help her feel at ease in the various social circles she mingled in. It wasn't my thing, and could have thought of a hundred other things to blow the money on, but it made her happy.

The best camera is the one you always have with you. One approach is a good compact camera. But there's no doubt these have a consumer electronics or tech-geek look about them.

This is a very smart looking camera which could help the stylish, who would normally shun carrying a gadget, to enjoy the benefits of the camera you have with you.

4 upvotes

"The D-Lux 6 adds the Leica improved colour processing, a copy of Lightroom..."

Clearly, if the camera do the procvessing you don't need LightRoom, and if you use LightRoom you don't need the in-camera processing. Many iof us have a RAW processing software (I have LightRoom 4 and Aperture 3, prefer LightRoom naturally).

Non-sense is a category of humour, not the way to sell 2X expensive camera!

At the end of day, taking raw pictures, processing them with LightRoom, Aprture, DxO (or any other), D-Lux6 is totally identical to Panasonic LX7, except the "Red dot..

Is the "Red dot" worth $600???

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 58 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

It's always easier to knock something down. But the realities are simple:

For JPEG shooters, the colour response is important. Fuji, Olympus and Nikon all have a strong following based on their high quality JPEGs.

For would-be RAW shooters, a copy of Lightroom may have material value.

So the D-Lux 6 benefits may be tangible for some (perhaps not many, but enough for a viable product).

DSLRs get left at home when socialising because of the inconvenience of carrying them, and because of being very conspicuous.

A stylish compact allows someone to say, I like my photography, but don't want a geeky looking device that will alienate my friends who are not into photography.

This (clearly) niche product lets you make your statement, but rather than alienate, to be more engaging your friends who may appreciate fashion and design much more than camera specifications.

I don't invent these social etiquettes, but I do recognise they exist.

0 upvotes

I need to go over there for a visit and check these guys out because whatever they're smokin' must be some really good s***.

6 upvotes

Well... they are from Amsterdam after all. ;-)))

1 upvote

Thanks for the laugh. Wonderful bit of marketing BS.

2 upvotes

Total comments: 265

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