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| Leica chairman of the supervisory board Andreas Kaufmann, image: Leica |
Leica is one of the camera makers with the most tradition and, via its strategic partnership with Huawei, already involved in the development of smartphone camera technology. However, it appears chairman of the supervisory board Andreas Kaufmann can imagine the German manufacturer taking things one step further and making its own camera phone.
In an interview with CNBC Kaufman explained how the company has adapted its strategies and diversified the product range as it dealt with the digital revolution in photography. First film was replaced by digital cameras, then the smartphone was adopted as the modern amateur camera, Kaufmann explained.
The next logical step could be a true Leica smartphone. “I am not sure whether the company can do (this) … (But) one dream would be my personal dream: a true Leica phone,” Kaufmann said. “Every smartphone is wrong for photography at the moment,” he told CNBC, explaining that smartphones were generally used vertically but tilted into landscape orientation for photography.
Kaufmann also said that smartphones don’t have the right set up for street photography or video. “The phone nowadays is not fit really for photography … It’s used as a camera, it’s used as a video camera, but it’s not built that way and I think there’s a long way to go still.”
While most average consumers appear to be quite happy with the imaging setup of current smartphones it’s not a surprise the Leica chairman has a slightly different point of view. What do you think? Could a Leica smartphone a better alternative to Apple and Samsung? Let us know in the comments.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)