Leica M-P Safari Set & Summarit Lenses Hands On Video Overview

April 9, 2015 Featured, Leica, Leica Camera Reviews, Leica Lens Reviews, Mirrorless, News, Reportage, Sneek Peek 41

DSC07674

Leica M-P Safari Set & Summarit Lenses Hands On Video Overview

My Safari set came from PopFlash.com 

The Leica brand has always been known for crazy special edition versions of their M camera line. Some speculate they do them when they want to clear some stock of bodies (and paint them to match the special editions) and some just accept it as part of Leica’s way of doing business. Like it or not, Leica has a base of fans and buyers who LOVE the special edition sets. From the Titanium M7 and M9 to the Stainless Steel M 60 to the Safari sets that go back to even the R bodies.

My video look at the Safari and Summarit Lenses

I remember when Leica released the Safari M8.2 and I wanted it badly. At the time, it came with a silver 28 Elmarit and was under $10k if I remember correctly. I loved the Olive Drab color and thought it was a great looking camera while others thought it was tacky and ugly.

When Leica released the M9 there were no Safari sets but they did release many M9 and M9-P special editions such as the all WHITE edition and the Hammertoe LE set. Today Leica has the Lenny Kravitz Correspondent edition as well as the new M-P 240 Safari and of course the M 60. Out of these sets, the best value is with the Safari because it actually comes in CHEAPER then if you were to buy the pieces in the set separate in a normal standard production run color.

The M-P 240 is a Leica M-P 240 ($8000) with a Leica 35 Summicron f/2 Lens in Silver with an old school Lens hood and metal lens cap included. This lens in standard black will set you back $3200, so already with the M-P and 35 Cron we are looking at $11, 200. Add in the strap and accessories and you can easily add another $300. So say $11, 500. THAT is if you went out and bought a standard black or silver set yet this special limited run of Safari sets will set you back $9800, or in some cases a little less. So yes, it is odd that Leica did this as usually their special editions cost you MORE, by anywhere from $1000 to $10,000. So if you can deal with the Army green color you will save a couple thousand dollars, and have a limited edition to boot!

The set is complete with an amazing display box, typical of Leica Special Edition cameras. Open the top box and you will see the camera in Olive green with silver knobs and dials. You will see a 35 Summicron with old school metal lens hood and metal cap. An exclusive Leica leather strap and wallet is also included. I acquired this set in a trade deal from POPFLASH.COM. They had six of these in stock when I acquired this one, not sure how many they have now but I do know the Safari set has sold pretty well considering Leica sales have been slowing lately (just due to not having anything new and WOW….yet).

I like the fact that Leica did the Safari in the M-P style and not the standard M 240 style. So we get the Leica log engraved up top and the special Sapphire LCD as well. So if you have the itch for a new Leica M, and want to save a couple grand over a black or silver and do not mind the Olive Green, this set is actually the rare deal from Leica where you will spend less and get more. I think this may be a first ever. 😉

This set came from PopFlash.com and they are a fantastic Leica dealer, highly recommended. Their Safari set page is HERE. You can also pick this up from Ken Hansen (email: khpny19@aol.com), Pro Shop, Leica Store Miami and B&H Photo. 

Also, all four of the new Summarit lenses have come in for review, so you will see them here soon (they are also shown in the video above, beautiful set of lenses)

Related Articles

41 Comments

  1. Hi Steve! Im a big fan and I really really need your help! I need to buy a safari MP. I knew it when I saw it. Where should I look or who should I contact! Thank you so much!

    joao.botelho@vice.com is my email =)

  3. I’ve been wanting this camera since it was announced. Unfortunately I have to wait till this fall before I can allow myself to splurge on a new camera. Great pictures and enjoy it!

  4. walked into the leica store–saw it in the display. store person took it out and I played with it–battery was dead. 30 mins, after trading in a few lens and emptying my pockets of cash I had from selling a guitar that morning, I walked out with a new one around my neck. this is the first time i fell in love with a camera since i bought a new black nikon F2 a million years ago at Yodobashi in Tokyo–after helping Kenny Rogers pick one (he didn’t speak Japanese). cameras are just tools, but this one grabbed me hard. a rational choice? no. but, it’s such a ‘holistic’ model–the silver 35 is too heavy–a hood that will easily dent, leather strap that will wear out, and a color to die for. It’s sitting in front of me as I type. “how many great images will i create?”

    • Eli, look at the Canadian dollar…..it’s tanked the last 6 months. Right now it’s sitting at 79 cents…and if you buy something in US dollars with Visa your conversion rate will be more like 74 cents.

  6. Hi Steve!

    Had myself buyed that Summarit 90.. Gorgeous…. And a good reason to start with a Leica lens…

    Had myself buyed a used M7 to start a seond system besides my Nikons.

    Enjoy your “Safari” Cam 😉

    Dieter

  7. Had a chance to hold one a week ago. It’s a really good looking colour on the M. If I didn’t have mine in black I could have been tempted. I was surprised because I expected it to gaudy in person.

    Enjoy you new camera, Steve.

    Gordon

  8. Given the history of Leica during Nazi
    Green army seems ill conceived.

    This is the major reason Im only interested in Leica from 1950 onwards
    And would own a Leica from 1950 onwards

    • @dgd: sorry Buddy but your message is total nonsense I’m afraid !! :o/

      1) the Green Olive is simply a “Safari (sic!) Green” not any “Feldgrau” or SS-Version therefore ..

      and most of all

      2) FYI – and many of us know that- Ernst LEITZ II actually pro-actively saved 100s of Jews from the Nazis during the Hitler Regime !! ..
      ==> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_Freedom_Train
      ===> https://fstoppers.com/historical/how-leica-freedom-train-saved-hundreds-jews-holocaust-50656
      ====> http://archive.adl.org/presrele/holna_52/4975_52.html#.VSg_xiibWm0

      So please inform yourself before spitting out BS …

      • Usage of Leica cameras by Nazis is what I referred to.

        Millions of Germans including Ernst Leitz were opposed to Nazism.
        Easy to check.

        I will not buy a pre 1950 Leica as I do not know who used it and for what 1939-1945.

        Military / Safari Green is ill conceived.

        • First of all, let’s be clear here: they call this the Safari edition.

          Definition of Safari: “an expedition to observe or hunt animals in their natural habitat, esp. in East Africa” : ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Kiswahili, from Arabic safara ‘to travel.’

          So, this camera has nothing whatsoever to do with the military or militarism, excepting for a moment Leica’s own opposition to Nazism. I wish people would stop drawing a parallel that doesn’t exist.

          Anyone who talks about Leica cameras being used by Nazis, or not knowing what they were used for, is being a bit ridiculous (not that there isn’t an epidemic of that these days). But the fact remains: an object is not its user. Besides, many Leicas were sold outside the domestic market during the 1930s and 1940s.

      • Humane actions of Ernst Leitz made Leica admired, appreciated.

        Otherwise Leica would have sunk after 1950s.

    • @dgd I hope you don’t accuse all the boys and girls who wear undercuts of pro-Nazism.

      @Nico thank you for that interesting tidbit. I didn’t know. I like to learn miscellaneous facts about WWII.

  10. The Summarit range are considered by some Leica fans as the country cousins of the Summicrons ! This is unfair. They may not be as robust in construction but are excellent optically. I have a 75mm Summarit and it is excellent. I have tried the 35mm Summarit briefly (from a friends camera swapped for my old v4 35mm Summicron for a week ) and it is excellent as well. Not sure about the 90mm or the 50mm?

    If I was buying a new Leica 240 or a Monochrome or even a second hand M9 and did not already have legacy Leica lenses – I would opt for a set of Summarits say 35mm and 75mm (purchased over a period I could afford of course).

    That would be me sorted for good ( actually I would always be on the look out for an old vintage Leica lens to try out if I had a Monochrom !)

    Hope you enjoy your new Leica Steve. I’m nor crazy about special editions but this one does make sense and looks great to me anyway.

    Best wishes.

  11. Ugh. I want one. That has got to be the sweetest M Ltd Edition I have seen in a long time. Thanks for the write up!

  12. I have to admit that the olive green appeals to me, and although I’ll probably be in the minority on this, I think it would look even better with a standard red Leica dot rather than the silver screw. Red and olive green go fabulously together.

  13. Is there a Voigtländer bottom cap on the Summicron in the safari box?
    Not related to that ;), but I’m really not sure the green colour appeals to me — but thanks for pointing out the kit offer. Leica should do this again with an “Anti-Panda” colouring (black with chrome dials).
    I think the Summaries improved in the usability department, now focussing closer and having 46 filter threads for the 35 and the 50mm. The 75 grew to be my fav telephoto lens on M bodies, so with the improved close range focussing, the new 2.4/75 is a great offer.

  14. Concratultion Steve. There will Never be a substitute for a Leica. Thats a fact. Leica has a history and legacy. Sony produces nice cameras but no one knows how long they will stay in the camera busines. Right now they are selling everything to gain cash. However, Leica is not just a camera, it is for me something religious. I love my Leicas. Happy shooting.

    • ‘Sony produces nice cameras but no one knows how long they will stay in the camera busines.’…Really??? Who cares. If you buy a Sony A7II it will work just fine people buy them to shoot, not to collect. I’m a Leica guy too, recently bought an M240 but let’s keep it real here…..they’re just cameras.

      • If you want “real”, what are you doing here? Leica special editions are for collectors, not for someone like you that seems to only want them to take pictures with!

        I must admit I would love to have a Leica and their lenses to take pictures with but the ridiculous prices put them way out of my reach. The ‘special edition’ thing is something I don’t really get, to me the basic Leica is beautiful enough as a camera and doesn’t need decorating, but at least with Leica you are buying an original, unlike Hasselblad which is bringing out special editions of Sony cameras.

        I am afraid this special edition thing is going crazy all over. In Hi-Fi, Linn Sondek has a special edition record playing turntable where the oak plinth is made of the oak from aged whiskey barrels, you even get a bottle of whiskey when you buy it for 36000 dollars. I think you’d need to drink a whole bottle of the stuff BEFORE buying the turntable for that price when it originally cost around 500 dollars.

  15. cool camera. Congrats, Steve. I would put a black leatherette on this camera. Olive green metal and black leatherette would look really bad ass.

  17. Hi Steve, you are probably aware of this, but if not, I wanted to point out that both the new 75mm and 90mm Summarit f/2.4 lenses now have a SHORTER minimum focus distance…worth the upgrade in my opinion. Thanks for the preview!

  19. Hi Steve, nice choice. I didn’t like the Safari R Leicas, but with the M240 it looks quite cool. May be the lenses fit better.
    Since you have the new 2.4/75, can you compare it to the 2.0/75 Asph.? I’ve tried it once on the M8.2 and since than it was a Dream. Maybe the new Elmarit is more affordable. Does it have similar charceristics?

  20. “Leica sales have been slowing lately (just due to not having anything new and WOW….yet)”

    ” just as good as a Leica today”

    PLEASE tell me you are hinting at knowledge of something new and cool coming from Leica!

  21. Steve, thanks for that video. Not only for your commentary – but especially for showing how to apply the lens hood in reverse to the 75 Summarit lens. Can you imagine? I own the former 2.5/75 Summarit for two years right now and did not realise the reverse screen-in of the hood?

    It is always fun watching your videos – now they start teaching me 🙂

    Johannes

  22. Hi Steve! Congratulation for your new Leica, I like it very much. I’m in the process of buying a 75 Summarit 2.4 but I can’t decide between the black/silver version. The silver one looks more appealing but I don’t really like the black plastic focusing ring on it … Do you have any preference?

  24. Steve, congtratulations on your new Leica MP 240 safari edition. How come and you ended up buying a Leica again? Reading through your latest Sony A7ii review I thought you were done with Leica for good.

    • Thanks. Two reasons. 1st, I have always wanted a Safari set. 2nd, I was able to acquire it with a trade deal so no cash out of pocket. This is what made it possible. Never ever said I was ‘done with” Leica. I just point out factual info like the A7II can output IQ just as good as a Leica today. There is still the RF mojo and usability that I will always love.

  25. Wow steve…Seems like a M that Boba Fett would love to use. As for the SP. editions of anything Leica…well looking and dreaming is still free. Love the shot with angled lens the shape of lens lip looks bad ass and well designed. Well goode news from Moi-first Gallery show this Summer and obtained representation as well. Thanks for your FAB site and to all the Gear heads out there who contribute any topics Film related. I bit the bullet and Obtained from japan Black X Pro 1 and have taken the plunge into Leica Like body. It REALLY pains me to mention this but Sensor on New Fuji X pro series of bodies buts Leica M9 to Shame. Please forgive me Techs RD at Leica AG Solms.
    Still waiting for PanaLeica Micro four thirds to obtain Red dot cert on body.
    Time will tell. Still into Film Refused to sell any all of M’s and CL. Got some shots at massy Hall of Cat Stevens Show in Toronto with Cannon 1.2 RF (budget version of Noctulix for under 200 cdn!)
    As always Steve your site is a daily reminder that life is Still (Pun intended) worth Filming.
    Yours in Leica
    Paul Circle Canada

Comments are closed.