Five of the Most Expensive Cameras and Lenses Sold at the 47th Leitz Photographica Auction

While the late Pope Francis’ one-of-a-kind Leica kit selling for around $7 million made the biggest headlines, there was a lot of incredible photo gear that sold for huge sums at the recent 47th Leitz Photographica Auction in Vienna, Austria, including a Leica MP black paint that sold for about $1 million, a wild Leica I Mod. A Luxus special outfit, and much more.

In total, the 47th Leitz Photographica Auction featured 555 lots, of which the vast majority sold to collectors. As is often the case with Leitz Photographica Auctions, the items sold for the highest sums are Leica cameras and lenses, but the auction also includes photo equipment from many manufacturers, including Contax, GOI, Nikon, Zunow, Dallmeyer, and more.

But speaking of Leica, the item that sold for the most aside from Pope Francis’ Leica M-A kit was a Leica MP black paint camera no. MP-114. This incredible camera is a highly sought-after collector’s item. The Leica MP was introduced at Photokina in 1956, and just 402 units were ever made, making it among the rarest Leica camera models of all time.

Of these 402, just 141 of them were finished in Leica’s coveted black paint variant. This specific example, MP no. 114, features beautiful patina and was initially delivered to a customer in New York in 1958. It has a matching black paint Leicavit lens. The kit was purchased by American photographer Frank Dyra from a dealer and has remained in his family ever since. It is very rare to find a black paint MP in this condition, let alone one with such rigorous provenance.

The Leica MP no. 114 sold for a whopping €900,000, or $1,043,500 at current exchange rates. The auction house expected the camera to sell for up to €800,000.

The next highest hammer price was for a Leica I Mod. A Luxus special outfit. This exceptionally rare, beautiful Leica I Model A was made between 1929 and 1931 and was limited to just 95 units. As expected, many of these 95 units have been lost to time or otherwise restored. Very few original examples remain.

This particular one, which Leitz Photographica Auction says is “one of the finest preserved examples we have encountered.” The gold-plated metal fittings and original deep red lizard-skin covering remain in pristine condition. The kit is further elevated by its inclusion of the “exceptionally rare” matching Leitz 3×20 ‘Luxus’ binoculars, gold-plated cable release, and gold-plated rangefinder. It is a “combination virtually impossible to duplicate,” Leitz says.

The lot sold for €360,000, or nearly $420,000.

A popular camera at many Leitz Photographica Auctions, a Leica 250 GG Reporter with the accompanying Leica-Motor unit, sold for €312,000 ($361,000). First introduced in 1936, the Leica 250, also known as the “Reporter,” could load 10 meters of film, enabling 250 exposures in 35mm format.

Many of these cameras were used in World War II, and the one that was sold last weekend was delivered to Berlin in 1942 and remains in excellent condition. It includes an Elmar 3.5/50mm lens and the Leica-Motor MOOEV unit. However, this motor unit was delivered the year prior in Berlin, not shipped alongside the camera.

“The Leica 250 GG with electric motor is an absolute rarity in the world of Leica collectable — among the most special and valuable Leitz cameras. Its rarity is comparable to the original Leica 0-Series from 1923,” Leitz Photographica Auction explains.

The priciest lens was Lot 243, a Noctilux 1.2/50mm chrome prototype. Sold for €264,000 ($306,000), it was the world’s first serially produced 35mm lens to include aspherical lens elements. This model was designed by Leitz Wetlzar optical designers Helmut Marx and Paul Sindel. Despite its introduction in 1966, Marx used a computer, an Elliott 402F, to help with the design process.

The final lot that sold for over €200,000 was a Leica If Spy Leica. Finding a new home for €240,000, which is nearly $280,000, this incredible prototype camera was based on the Leica If and made for undercover photography. It was “most likely” developed for West German spies during the Cold War era, per Leitz Photographica Auction.

The camera’s clever modifications for spy craft include an imitation Elmar 9cm lens mounted on the front, while the actual, functional lens is hidden on the top plate, pointing upward. This meant a photographer could pretend to take a normal image while actually capturing images of something above or beside them.

The rest of the results from the 47th Leitz Photographica Auction are available online. It is a worthwhile catalog for any photography enthusiast to browse, especially those with a passion for the history of photography.

Image credits: Leitz Photographica Auction