“For many photographers over many years, the Leica M has been a passionate love affair! Its functionality and iconic design attracts me as an artist and an avid user. I am thrilled for the opportunity to ‘undress’ the camera and create a new look, surprising as much as functional. Applying a material that has never before been used as an easy-to-grip camera surface, created a striking aesthetic and a unique tactility,” says Rolf Sachs.

In his Leica M-P ‘grip‘ by Rolf Sachs concept the artist focused on the Leica M-P rangefinder camera in black paint finish modifying features of its design to create the unique style that he envisaged. For the body trim, Sachs chose a material that is usually used in the production of table tennis bats. Applied to the camera body, the red nubs of this rubber trim lend the otherwise plain and simple appearance of the camera a uniquely striking look – while also creating an entirely new haptic experience.

Various individual elements on the top deck of the camera are matched to the colour scheme of the Leica M-P ‘grip‘ by Rolf Sachs – the engravings on the accessory shoe, the shutter speed dial, the on/off switch, the video button and the style of the shutter release button are now picked out in red, rather than white. A ‘Rolf Sachs’ logo graces the back of the top deck as a signature of the designer. The engravings on the lens are also partially picked out in a shade of red.

The Leica M-P ‘grip‘ by Rolf Sachs set comes in a black case containing the camera, the lens, a carrying strap and a Leica SF 40 flash. The special edition also includes a special brush for cleaning the camera trim and a premium-quality brush for cleaning the exposed parts of the set.

In all other respects, the performance and technical specifications of the camera and lens of the Leica M-P ‘grip‘ by Rolf Sachs special edition are identical to those of the equivalent serial production products. The Leica M-P offers all the technical advantages of the Leica digital rangefinder system cameras and possesses the same enduring and robust qualities for which the Leica M-System is renowned. Thanks to its combination of moderate wide-angle character and natural reproduction of proportions, the Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. is one of the most versatile lenses in the Leica M-System portfolio. From selective focus in the close-up range to high-contrast available-light applications and landscape shots with immense depth of field, the lens delivers persuasive arguments in any situation.

The long-standing collaboration and amicable relationship between Leica and Rolf Sachs is founded on a multitude of projects. Most recently, ‘Camera in Motion: from Chur to Tirano’, an impressive exhibition showing his work shot with a Leica S, was on view at the Leica Galleries in Salzburg and Wetzlar.

About Rolf Sachs:

Rolf Sachs was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1955. He studied in England and the USA. He found inspiration in the art around him from the early years of his youth and became an artist himself in the late nineteen-eighties. His creative genres include photography, sculpture, set-design and installations. Inspired by everyday objects and their materiality, he searches for the unusual and unconventional within them and brings it to light in the unique conceptual diction of his multidisciplinary works.