The most beautiful Leica ever made? This limited edition “King Nerd” Leica will take your breath away

As you would expect, Leica knows how to celebrate in style. To mark the opening of its new flagship store in London’s most luxurious shopping district, Mayfair, an incredibly attractive and even more exclusive Leica M-A camera was announced.

Only 14 pieces will be made of this limited-edition release, each featuring an intricate floral engraving in gold. British multidisciplinary artist Johnny Dowell, aka King Nerd, was asked to decorate the 14 pieces. He incorporated quintessentially British plants into the design; symbols such as the English Rose, Scottish Thistle, Welsh Daffodil, and Northern Irish Blue Flax adorn the camera body, embracing the flora of the British Isles.

The original Leica M-A (typ 127) is a purely mechanical, 35mm rangefinder camera introduced by Leica in 2014. This new limited-edition release keeps this beautifully pared-back camera intact in terms of its mechanism. You’ll find no exposure meter, battery, or monitor either. Without these digital elements, you get a camera like the ones Henry Cartier Bresson or Robert Capa used. As Leica put it, the M-A is “a precision instrument that has been so dramatically reduced to the essentials that it opens up entirely new creative horizons for photographers.”

The original M-A omitted the red Leica dot to “emphasise the classic restraint of its design”; in contrast, this golden floral finish will definitely turn some heads. The black chrome base is reminiscent of the first Leicas ever sold, but the King Nerd version features an elaborate golden engraving on the top plate that flows onto the sides. On the bottom, the word Leica logo appears in large, while the leather cover around the camera stays completely black to balance the look.

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