Shouldn't that be "aluminium"?
The exterior is also made of Ive's preferred lightweight material, aluminum.
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Leica Camera From Former Apple Designers Jony Ive and Mark Newson Heading to Auction
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I think I get it - a one-off variant on an existing classic design. The owner would take the time to learn the un-marked functions because they like the idea of a minimum of markings. Kind of like the classic Movado watch face.
However, there's nothing here that appears to forge new territory in the field of "dedicated camera." The optical rangefinder goes all the way back to the first Leica. SLRs became popular because they addressed the rangefinder's weaknesses. Yet Leica persisted, in part because the SLR introduced greater bulk, weight, and complexity.
Then when electronic photography became practical, DSLRs perpetuated all the weaknesses of the SLR (bulk, weight, and complexity) when an eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) was capable of eliminating a fair amount of that bulk, weight, and complexity... and many of the rangefinder's weaknesses were also addressed by the EVF. (the biggest issue for EVF is the resolution of that display, which has, of course, improved over time).
In the end, whether you're using the rear LCD display or an eye-level EVF, you're seeing what film photographers could never experience until after we processed the film (or took test shots with a Polaroid film back on those cameras that could accommodate them) - the actual image captured by the imaging sensor. Whether through an auxiliary lens (viewfinder) or through the actual lens (SLR/DSLR)... you're not seeing what the film/imaging sensor will capture.
So, no old-style cameras for me. Give me a camera that sends the output of the imaging sensor to a digital display.
However, there's nothing here that appears to forge new territory in the field of "dedicated camera." The optical rangefinder goes all the way back to the first Leica. SLRs became popular because they addressed the rangefinder's weaknesses. Yet Leica persisted, in part because the SLR introduced greater bulk, weight, and complexity.
Then when electronic photography became practical, DSLRs perpetuated all the weaknesses of the SLR (bulk, weight, and complexity) when an eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) was capable of eliminating a fair amount of that bulk, weight, and complexity... and many of the rangefinder's weaknesses were also addressed by the EVF. (the biggest issue for EVF is the resolution of that display, which has, of course, improved over time).
In the end, whether you're using the rear LCD display or an eye-level EVF, you're seeing what film photographers could never experience until after we processed the film (or took test shots with a Polaroid film back on those cameras that could accommodate them) - the actual image captured by the imaging sensor. Whether through an auxiliary lens (viewfinder) or through the actual lens (SLR/DSLR)... you're not seeing what the film/imaging sensor will capture.
So, no old-style cameras for me. Give me a camera that sends the output of the imaging sensor to a digital display.
I'll stick with the real thing , ergonomics are way better .
Ive's one is just a toy for someone with more money than sense
Ive's one is just a toy for someone with more money than sense
It's not about money. It's about a genuine and strong passion and doing something they love for life. The long-time executives were Steve Job's best partners and friends who stuck around regardless of highs and lows. They worked at Apple because they were genuinely excited for what the future holds, and in making the world's best products.
Tbh I was most surprised to see Jony Ive and Phil Schiller leave Apple... I really thought these two would stay at Apple until they are physically incapable (like when they are 70-80 years old or their brain actually goes downhill), not now when they are still perfectly functioning people who can actually still contribute significantly to the products. Oh, well. They seemed so close to Steve Jobs and his vision
This is a prototype!
Surely there's a reason for the bland looks.
The finished product, auctioned in 2013, carries the same interface of all Leica M models including labels for all the buttons.
This is a prototype, doesn't have the finish of the finished product which was auctioned in 2013.
Nonetheless, I doubt this was designed to be used, will probs sit in a glass box inside someone's home.
Yeah, it was. Can be seen on the finished product which was auctioned in 2013.
Article states that this is a prototype.
It's a prototype!
Therefore they probs had a good reason to not include the button labels.
The final product, auctioned in 2013, includes all the markings.
Leica owners aren't exactly serious photographers; they just wear it around their necks to flex
Not a Leicaphile, but even if I were I can't imagine wanting this in my collection.
This, to me, is the epitome of function over form. Among other things, cameras in general, and small/light ones like Leicas, need something to grab on to. Polished aluminum is not that. Even though Leica doesn't really do grips of any sort on their modern cameras, they still have leather(ette), which is grippy.
I'm really not sure what to make of a lot of the other design cues either. It looks very M3-ish, but fundamentally I don't see what function things like the knob on the bottom(which opens the film back on an M3) or the-use-to-be a frame counter do. The "bulge" for the LCD is a design cue from the M3, again, but the bulge there serves a purpose. On this, it looks to me like it's just keeping it for the sake of keeping it.
Are the knobs on the lens functional as they are on Leica lenses?(focus and aperture). If they are, smooth is bad news especially for focus. You kind of need to know where the aperture ring is set, and having both visual and tactile indicators is ideal. I think a 50mm Summicron would normally have a focusing tab, another hallmark of Leica lenses since they both make it easy to focus the small lenses and also are, again, a tactile indicator that experienced users can use to zone focus without looking at the camera(see Cartier-Bresson).
I'm surprised that with all the other important stuff eliminated, Ive left that ungainly rangefinder. After all, the small secondary RF window looks SO out of place and assymetric..
This, to me, is the epitome of function over form. Among other things, cameras in general, and small/light ones like Leicas, need something to grab on to. Polished aluminum is not that. Even though Leica doesn't really do grips of any sort on their modern cameras, they still have leather(ette), which is grippy.
I'm really not sure what to make of a lot of the other design cues either. It looks very M3-ish, but fundamentally I don't see what function things like the knob on the bottom(which opens the film back on an M3) or the-use-to-be a frame counter do. The "bulge" for the LCD is a design cue from the M3, again, but the bulge there serves a purpose. On this, it looks to me like it's just keeping it for the sake of keeping it.
Are the knobs on the lens functional as they are on Leica lenses?(focus and aperture). If they are, smooth is bad news especially for focus. You kind of need to know where the aperture ring is set, and having both visual and tactile indicators is ideal. I think a 50mm Summicron would normally have a focusing tab, another hallmark of Leica lenses since they both make it easy to focus the small lenses and also are, again, a tactile indicator that experienced users can use to zone focus without looking at the camera(see Cartier-Bresson).
I'm surprised that with all the other important stuff eliminated, Ive left that ungainly rangefinder. After all, the small secondary RF window looks SO out of place and assymetric..
So glad Ive is gone from Apple, his designs were beautiful but took too much usability away... like shocked this camera even has any buttons - shake it 2.2 for F/2.2 or tap the bottom 5 times for ISO 500
yep things have improved massively since he left [which he hasnt as he still consults]........
Ahhhhh cheers for the info. Still shows Ivys focus through, in design of an item rather than something that gets used.
Yeah defs, the finished piece was probs designed to sit in a glass box given that it is a one-off collector's item.
Seriously guys, it was a one off redesign of a classic camera, for a charity auction.
It was always meant to be a collectors item.
And this is one prototype of many, which designers do when creating something. You dont all think it is sketched on a piece of paper with a blunt pencil, then made?
Apple would not be the company it is without Ive and that is a fact.
Didn't intend for what I said to come across as a dig at Jony + Marc's work haha
I'm surprised that the camera would fetch that much. I have a Pentax K-01, which was designed by Marc Newsom, and it's controversial to say the least. Some people love the minimalist, industrial design of the camera...most people can't stand it. I personally like it because it's completely different than anything else Pentax had in its lineup during that time and the camera certainly is a joy to use (even though it has no viewfinder!). Sadly, the camera never really caught on with the market and many of them that did sell were sold at a major discount.
Looks like Marc didn't get as much freedom with the K-01 as he did with the Leica. Probs due to various constraints with the K-01 being a consumer product, and the Leica being something he could indulge in. I reckon he spent a lot more time on, and was more passionate about working on the Leica. The Leica looks far closer to Marc's aesthetic wrt the K-01.
As pointed out several times now, the camera is a prototype. We all got that now?
It’s designed around a Leica M rangefinder camera, which means that it had to be unique yet still retain a similar form to a camera that has changed little since 1954. Keep the signature look, but do something different. It wasn’t meant to be a radical or a groundbreaking reach into the future.
Leica M’s are simple by design, so the minimalist aspect of this prototype is not all of Ive’s doing. With a film Leica M, the exposure is set manually using the shutter speed dial and an aperture ring on the lens. Also on the lens is the focus ring, which is adjusted manually. The last film M had aperture priority. Early M’s did not have a meter, later ones did.
The latest iteration, the digital M10, functions similarly, expect that the ISO can be set where the film rewind knob used to be; of course, it's got a menu and more tech gunk to mess around with, but you can still manually set exposure and focus without having to turn on the camera.
This prototype will likely secure a decent sum because wealthy Leica collectors exist who would love to get a one-off prototype M & lens with considerable and solid provenience.
Remember, someone spent US$69 million for an NFT; they’re out there.
It’s designed around a Leica M rangefinder camera, which means that it had to be unique yet still retain a similar form to a camera that has changed little since 1954. Keep the signature look, but do something different. It wasn’t meant to be a radical or a groundbreaking reach into the future.
Leica M’s are simple by design, so the minimalist aspect of this prototype is not all of Ive’s doing. With a film Leica M, the exposure is set manually using the shutter speed dial and an aperture ring on the lens. Also on the lens is the focus ring, which is adjusted manually. The last film M had aperture priority. Early M’s did not have a meter, later ones did.
The latest iteration, the digital M10, functions similarly, expect that the ISO can be set where the film rewind knob used to be; of course, it's got a menu and more tech gunk to mess around with, but you can still manually set exposure and focus without having to turn on the camera.
This prototype will likely secure a decent sum because wealthy Leica collectors exist who would love to get a one-off prototype M & lens with considerable and solid provenience.
Remember, someone spent US$69 million for an NFT; they’re out there.