Limited Edition Hermes Leica M7 In 2 Colors & A Little Less Pricey Than You've Heard

UPDATE: Apparently some of the images in my original post belonged exclusively to another site, who kicks this blog's ass in popularity and readership. I had found the images on a different site (which I had credited), but they had removed the original watermark, unbeknownst to me. That said, I received an email today from the site to whom the images belonged, asking me to please remove all their images or to include them with their watermark. I certainly understand their frustration at my innocent error. So, some of the images you now see differ from those in the original post.



Once again, luxury brand Hermes teams up with Leica to bring us a very stylish, very expensive (but not as expensive as previously reported by Wired and Engaget) camera. Limited to only 200, the camera is embellished with either the original Hermes Veau Swift calf leather in their classic Orange or a khaki Brown. The luxury camera comes with a matching strap, an anodized silver 35mm lens, and of course, stunning packaging. And it'll cost you just under $11,000 (tax not included)





There are only be 200 units (100 of the orange and 100 of the brown) made of the Leica M7 Hermes Limited Edition camera worldwide. Each is signed and numbered.


above image from wirefresh

The Leica M7 Hermes Limited Editions have a serial chrome finish and show many differences in comparison to the serial camera. The top plate has the typical classical style with engraved Leica lettering. The normal red Leica logo is eliminated in favor of the body color. All control buttons are made of metal. The camera back cover has the silver chrome finish. The engravings "Auto" and which are normally filled in with the color red are filled with the color of the leather covering. The leather itself is the original Hermes calf leather Veau Swift and has a decorative seam. Aside from the normal serial number, each unit of the edition has an individual number, 001/200 to 200/200.

Leica Summilux-M 35mm/f1.4 ASPH silver anodized finish
The Leica 35 mm lenses are the basic equipment for M-cameras and are very popular. The Summilux 35mm/f1.4 ASPH is one of the references in the fast wide angle field. The silver anodized version with the limited edition cameras is the same weight as the black version as the silver anodized surface is based on aluminium. The lens is completed by the classic round lens hood made of metal with silver anodized finish which is manufactured exclusively for the limited edition cameras. Front and rear caps are made of silver anodized metal.




above images courtesy of ebay, where this brown one was for sale by Photo Arsenal Of Hong Kong, but has already been sold.

But there's another for sale on ebay here.

The Leicavit-M i s mounted instead of the camera bottom plate. It gives the limited edition Hermes cameras not only a special appearance but a fast shooting option with aperture priority of the M7.

Carrying strap:


above photo courtesy of Leica Rumors

The carrying strap of the limited edition cameras are made by the Hermes ateliers in Paris and are of the same quality as the body of the camera. The strap will be delivered in an original Hermes cotton pouch with the Hermes logo.

Packaging:

above image courtesy of breuget camera on ebay

The camera, lens, lens hood and Leicavit are arranged in a high quality robust decorative case which is linen lined outside and lined with silk inside.

Some sites and blogs such as Wired and Engadget reported in November that the camera was going to cost $14,000, but that is not the case.



The best price I found was actually from the Leica Shop at $10,943.16 (VAT not included)
Or for $2,000 more, you can buy them at Adorama for $12,950.00 USD...

And no, this is not the first time Hermes and Leica have collaborated on a camera, in 2003, 500 Hermes edition Leica M3 cameras were made.

•unless otherwise noted, all images are courtesy of Leica

MINI Space Design Competition "The Big 50" Jury Winners & More

In their 7th design competition, MINI Space, the urban initiative and creative networking site by MINI, asked people to create an image that said "The Big 50" to celebrate 50 years of the MINI Cooper.


above: one of the submissions in the contest

Here are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winning designs as selected by the Mini Space Design Jury:

First Prize (an Apple Macbook Pro) - "Ancient Rider" by Rasha zones:


Second Prize (a Canon Digital Camera) - "Direccion Obligada" by gas_77


Third Prize ( a 1 pair of SUPERFUTURE sunglasses) - "Road 50" by giampy535


And the winner of the "Popular" vote (an iTunes store credit equivalent to approximately 100 songs) - "50 years old british mosaic" by Pstrosz:



Like any design competition, the selection of the winners is very subjective. Here's a few other entries for you to enjoy:












To see more of the submissions like the ones below, go here.

Monopoly Goes Modern. A Good Look At The New Monopoly: Revolution Edition

above: no more paper money, Monopoly Revolution has electronic banking

The classic Hasbro board game Monopoly is issuing a new modern version with a round game board, sound effects, music clips, modern graphics, translucent houses and buildings, clear plastic stand up game pieces and electronic banking.

Monopoly: Revolution Edition

The most obvious difference is the new round board:


The newly designed game pieces are decidedly different from the original pewter 3D charms:


Got To Jail still has the whistle blowing cop, only now he's a modern graphic icon:


And the houses are translucent red:




The press release:


In 2010, the 75 year tradition of buying, selling and negotiating properties in the quest to own it all gets a modern makeover with the introduction of MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition. The new edition reinvents the traditional MONOPOLY game with a new look, featuring a round game board, standout packaging, electronic banking, music and sound effects.

“As MONOPOLY has truly become the world’s favorite family game brand, and is a part of pop culture, we are pleased to celebrate our anniversary by offering new MONOPOLY entertainment experiences for families around the world.”

“The new MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition continues Hasbro’s tradition of providing new and revolutionary entertainment options for families,” said Jane Ritson-Parsons, Global Brand Leader for MONOPOLY. “As MONOPOLY has truly become the world’s favorite family game brand, and is a part of pop culture, we are pleased to celebrate our anniversary by offering new MONOPOLY entertainment experiences for families around the world.”

In 1935, Parker Brothers began selling MONOPOLY, a property trading game, which would quickly become a cultural phenomenon. Seventy-five years later, more than 1 billion people in 108 countries have played the game designed by Charles Darrow and based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition features the traditional streets of Atlantic City, but with property values more reflective of today’s prices. For example, players collect $2 Million when passing “GO” instead of $200. Keeping track of the millions changing hands during game play is an electronic unit that serves as banker, die and music player.

MONOPOLY: Revolution features clips of hit songs from five decades, including “Umbrella,” “Bad Day” and “Drive My Car,” and sound effects throughout the game that bring a contemporary new spin on the classic family favorite.


Buy MONOPOLY Revolution here

Of course, there are tons of Monopoly versions now on the market from specifically branded ones like The Simpsons to Disney versions. Army, Navy... and Star Wars editions, too. But, if the idea of a modern version of the classic board game bothers you, there is an alternative. They have a beautiful wooden replica of their 1935 version:


buy the Monopoly 1935 Deluxe Wood Edition

Haugen/ Zohar Create Outdoor Fireplace Inspired By Norwegian Turf Huts

OUTDOOR FIREPLACE (also called Fireplace For Children) by architects Haugen/Zohar
Skjærmveien Barnehage, Trondheim

In their own words:
Together with the standard playground facilities we wished to combine an enclosed space for fire, storytelling and playing.

Given a very limited budget, reusing leftover materials (from a nearby construction site) was a starting point that led the design to be based on short wooden pieces. Inspired by the Norwegian turf huts and old log construction, a 5.2 x 4.5 meters wooden construction was built and mounted on a lighted and brushed concrete base.





The structure is made of 80-layered circles. The circles have varied radiuses and relative centre point in relation to each other. Every circle is made out of 28 pieces of naturally impregnated core of pine that are placed with varied spaces to assure chimney effect and natural light.



Oak separators differentiate vertically between the pine pieces to assure airflow allowing easy drying of the pine pieces.



A double curved sliding door was designed for locking the structure.



An authentic turf covered hut in Hardangervidda, Norway (photo by Brian McMorrow):


Sketches, plans, models and CGI renderings for the project:








Completed 2009
Client: Trondheim Municipality
Contractour: Pan Landskap AS
Project Team: Haugen/Zohar
3d consultants: Scenario architecture
Photographers: Grethe Fredriksen & Jason Havneraas

- Fireplace for Children project is included in the top 25 entries for the AR emerging architecture awards 2009. The project is now featured at the special edition of the Architectural Review (December issue) and the Emerging Architecture Exhibition at the RIBA, London

all information and images courtesy of Haugen/Zohar