jonathan ive + marc newson discuss leica M camera for (RED)

jonathan ive + marc newson discuss leica M camera design for (RED) auction

with the sotheby’s (RED) auction only a week and a half away, apple’s jonathan ive and designer marc newson sit down to discuss their collaboration with musician bono on the leica M digital rangefinder camera developed for the charity event. in the video below, the design duo gives some insight on the creative process behind some of the 40 rare and diverse items that will be sold during the event in new york city on november 23rd, with all proceeds donated to the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in africa.

boasting a full-format 24 megapixel CMOS sensor, high performance processor and new leica APO-Summicron – M 50mm f/2 ASPH lens, the rare leica M took over 85 days to create, and a total of 561 models and nearly 1000 prototype parts. ‘this is about the history of design seen through our eyes,’ explains marc newson. ‘the leica object embodies the most iconographic qualities of a camera. it ended up being a kind of a process distillation and concentration.‘

‘we wanted to make it light,’ adds jonathan ives. ‘we didnt want to make it out of brass, we wanted to make it from aluminum. we used the most advanced tools that we possibly could to make it – I mean, we ‘ve made prototype after prototype, and spent so much energy making this as if we were going to make millions of them, but we are only going to make one.’

leica M camera – front view detail

leica M camera – front view

leica M camera – top view detail

machining the leica M camera dials for (RED)

items from the auction include 18k solid rose gold apple earpods