Leica Collaborates With Jean Pigozzi For Special Edition Camera

We all love taking pictures, especially those artsy ones of our brunch in Malibu. If you want to be like those cool DTLA artist-types, then this camera is for you. Leica Camera is debuting a special edition instant camera designed by renowned photographer, art collector and entrepreneur Jean Pigozzi. The camera “LimoLand by Jean Pigozzi” features the colorful smiling face known as the logo of Pigozzi’s fashion label, LimoLand.

Last year, Jean Pigozzi visited Leitz Park, Leica’s headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany to find out more about the cameras he had been working with throughout his career. It was during this visit that the idea for the Leica SOFORTLimoLand by Jean Pigozzi” was born.

Though Pigozzi, a Leica photographer for many years, typically shoots exclusively in black and white, he is passionate about color. The logo for his fashion label, Mr. Limo, is a happy face chosen from the bright and colorful pictures by George Lilanga, a Tanzanian artist, and served as the inspiration for Pigozzi’s SOFORT design. The iconic Mr. Limo is replicated several times over in a broad range of colors all across the SOFORT’s exterior to become the look of the new Leica SOFORTLimoLand by Jean Pigozzi.”

Consistent with the standard SOFORT, the Leica SOFORTLimoLand by Jean Pigozzi” houses technical features like preset modes for automatic, party & people, sports & action, macro and self-portrait, as well as the creative possibilities of multiple exposures, time exposures and self-timer modes. The camera automatically adapts exposure time to the mode the user selects.

For those who like a little more control, the SOFORT even offers options for manual control overrides: focusing distance can be changed independently of the preset exposure modes, the flash can be turned off entirely and image brightness can be adjusted higher or lower. To make it easier for those who love self-portraits, the SOFORT has a rectangular mirror on the front for easier framing – a feature of the camera that aligns with Pigozzi’s new book “Me + Co – The Selfies’, which celebrates the famed photographer as the inventor of the now-ubiquitous “selfie” image.

“Whether in color or black-and-white, my photographs are always about capturing happiness and joy. The Leica SOFORTLimoLand by Jean Pigozzi’ edition is meant to make people feel instantly happy with a vibrant pattern that evokes a smile. Not only am I photographing fun moments, but I’m doing it with a camera that exudes that same feeling through its colorful design,” said Jean Pigozzi.

The special edition camera will be available for sale at the end of October and comes complete with a red shoulder strap crafted from high-quality nylon and embellished with the Mr. Limo logo, made by Artisan & Artist. The set also includes a film pack of 20 color exposures.