Leica Flagship Store

Leica cameras have come to embody the stuff that photography dreams are made of. Yesterday’s dreams, that is. The venerable company’s previous management, oblivious of a changing world, completely overslept the digital revolution and sure-footedly steered into near disaster. Incidentally, they weren’t the only ones, but they do have a fantastic brand. Henri Cartier-Bresson, anyone?

Having raised fresh capital, and under new management, Leica are now attempting a last effort to make fortune smile upon them once more like before. First, there’s foremost the new M8 which combines that particular and timeless "Leica feel" with digital technology. Then, they’ve gone and opened the first flagship store (flickr) in Tokyo. It will serve as a hub for passionate photographers, offering a range of services and serving as a gallery.

Whether all this will be sufficient to turn things around remains to be seen. It would be a real shame for this brand to become lost in history, or, worse, used elsewhere slapped on cheap ware. Although digital photography is mostly about a lot of pictures, there should still be room for emotion and quality at a Leica level.