To ring in and celebrate the 2018 Winter Olympics, Leica has released a special edition Leica Q “Snow” camera in partnership with Swiss Olympic gold medalist and world champion half-pipe snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov.
In addition to being a world-renowned snowboarder who’s won multiple medals and accolades at events including the Winter X-Games, FIS Snowboarding World Championships, and Winter Olympics, Podladtchikov is also an avid Leica photographer.
Already, at the age of 29, he has published two photography books and he’s planning to open up a studio in the near future. It’s this passion for photography and his equipment that led Podladtchikov to help conceptualize the unique design of this special edition camera and work with Leica brought it to life.
The technical specifications of the Leica Q “Snow” remain entirely unchanged from the standard Leica Q camera, complete with its 24-megapixel CMOS full-frame sensor, maximum ISO of 50,000, and its fixed Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens.
It’s the outside of the camera that sets it apart from its predecessors, most notably its brighter silver color and accompanying white leather wrap.
The top plate, base plate, and all manual control dials on the camera are carved from a single block of aluminum and anodized to create a very bright silver color. The hotshoe has also been made of aluminum and anodized to match the rest of the body.
The leather that wraps around the front and back of the camera is a pure white premium cowhide leather that Leica says “gives the special edition its name and gives the user an exceptional grip with a luxurious touch and feel.” As is the custom for limited-edition cameras, there are only 300 units available worldwide and each will be imprinted with an individual serial number.
The Leica Q “Snow” will be available as a complete set, which includes a case and strap in matching white leather. It is set to launch in March 2018 at Leica stores, boutiques, and dealers around the world. Pricing information isn’t yet available, but it’s safe to say it’ll cost a pretty penny. Maybe if you sell that gold medal sitting on your shelf, you’ll be able to afford it.
