I recently noticed something interesting while looking through the Leica Classifieds page on Facebook. One of the distributors of Light Lens Lab posted an image for some upcoming products, including what appears to be an Abrahamson-style rapid winder and, more significantly, a Leica Standard-style camera.
There are precious few film cameras in production today, and the thought of a new and, more importantly, affordable camera fills me with an unsavory level of glee.
Light Lens Lab has become increasingly famous over the last few years for creating impressive replicas of Leica glass. For now, the camera is simply a prototype. The current plan is to concentrate on several upcoming lens projects before concentrating on the body. David Chen, the distributor for North America, talked with me briefly about both the camera and some upcoming projects coming down the pipeline.
"We are working on our current productions of the ELCAN 50mm f/2 and 35mm f/2 eight element," Chen said, "and have more projects, such as the Hologon 15mm f/8 and other lenses, that we need to produce before diving into this camera." Light Lens Lab also recently posted images of a replica 50mm f/1.2 ASPH prototype.
As to the film advance, Chen said that there will be three different styles released: one for the M4-P, one for the M1, M2 and M3 bodies, as well as one for Barnack bodies. Hopefully, we'll see these all soon.
