Leica M9 Titanium features solid titanium body and lens, hefty price tag

April 22, 2011 By Kelly Montgomery

This limited-edition camera from Leica is made from solid titanium and has a $26,500 price tag to match.

Most of the expensive cameras out there are high-end professional DSLRs like the Canon 5D Mark II (about $2,700), which almost every amateur photographer covets as the pinnacle of DSLR quality. If you’d like to spend about ten times that amount on a smaller, more portable camera, look no further than the outrageously priced Leica M9 Titanium, which rings in at a hefty $26,500. Based on the Leica Rangefinder cameras, the Titanium was designed by famed automobile designer Walter de’Silva, who has recently received praise for the newest models from the Volkswagen Group. The result from the collaboration is a beautifully-designed solid titanium camera with accompanying lens that offers high quality (it does cost $26,500) features and looks fit for a wealthy camera connoisseur.

All of the exposed metal on the camera is made of titanium, and scratch-resistant sapphire-glass protects the rear screen. The camera comes with a Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens, which is also made of solid titanium. The camera is trimmed with leather from the design of premium Audi vehicles, which looks great with the titanium and adds grip. The camera also features an 18-megapixel CCD sensor and dual image processors. Only 500 of the cameras will be available for sale. It’s a beast of a camera, that’s for sure, but is it worth the price tag? Unless you are a collector who has that kind of cash floating around, we’d suggest that you save up for the regular Leica M model instead.

Showing 1 comment

Mark Bohrer at 3:11pm 23rd April 2011 For $26,000, you can buy a medium-format digital-back camera and a few lenses that will give you better resolution than a titanium M9. I own and use an M8 as my lightweight walk-around camera. The only reason I have one is that I've been a Leica M user since the late '60s, when I began using my grandfather's M3 and lenses. Today, I do most of my serious photography including work for clients with a Canon EOS 5D mark II or an EOS 1D mark II, an older model that's still useful. For the price and versatility, you're always better off with a Canon or Nikon system camera. Yes, I like the way Leica lenses 'draw'. But a friend once reminded me not to be an equipment junkie - he added you can do salable stuff with a Yashica MAT124 TLR. Considering how inexpensive optically-great cameras and lenses are today, there's no reason to buy a $26,000 camera.