Interview

Leica rings in the (Chinese) New Year with a pretty extravagant party gift, a 24-karat version of their MP Camera. Created to commemorate sixty years of the Peoples' Republic of China, the gold plated camera is inscribed with one of Mao's favorite quotes and an image of Tiennamen Square.  Ringing in at a cool $30,000, Leica is producing only 60of these luxe shooters, each of which is inscribed with a different year from the era of the People's Republic. Released on the eve of the new lunar year and encased in the lucky colors of red and gold, it is maybe the most excessive "Hung Bao" or lucky pocket ever created.  But what better way to document the Year of the Tiger?