Leica M-P Correspondent is inspired by Lenny Kravitz’ first camera (yes, really!)

Did you just say “Lenny Kravitz” and “Leica” in the same breath?

I did indeed. While the rock star is generally known these days for parading both the world’s biggest scarf and the world’s stupidest mobile phone accessory (and being “the wardrobe guy” in The Hunger Games movies), he’s also the founder of a pretty prestigious design studio – and a major camera lover.

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Something of a Renaissance man, our Leonard…

Yessir. The Leica M-P Correspondent is inspired by Kravitz’ first camera, a Leicaflex he was given at age 21 by his father. Over the years, this camera grew more worn and weathered with use, and Kravitz has pre-aged the Correspondent as an homage to that. Each camera’s glossy black enamel has been rubbed down to create a striking patina that suggests it’s decades old, rather than fresh from being built in Leica’s factory.

It also sports a snakeskin grip, shoulder strap, wrist strap and handmade custom case – doubtless a tribute to some of the trousers Lenny has worn over the years.

And on the technical front?

Spec-wise, the Correspondent and the accompanying Summicron-M 35mm f/2.0 and Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 lenses (both of which have also been artificially aged – the former also has focus and aperture rings based on its 1959 incarnation) are identical to their “normal” production equivalents. That means the camera has a 24MP full-frame CMOS sensor and a powerful processor with 2GB of RAM, and that the lenses are very, very sharp.

Do you have to be a rock star to afford one?

No, but it helps. Production of the M-P Correspondent package is limited to 125 pieces, and each will be on sale from March priced at a face-melting US$24,500 – a sum that makes us involuntarily scream, “AH WANT TO GET AWAAAAAYYY!” Kravitz-style. We don’t have a UK price yet, but we humbly suggest you put your house on the market now in preparation for launch day.