Tokyo-based Japan Camera Hunter has unveiled a special repainted Leica M3 camera to mark its 10th anniversary
The JCH 10 Year Kinsugi M3 is painted in a special colour scheme which mimics Kintsugi (金継ぎ or “golden joinery”) which is a form of ceramic repair which fills cracks with a golden lacquer which highlights the damaged area.
“It is considered to be part of the history of the object giving it life and character rather than hiding its scars,” Japan Camera Hunter’s Bellamy Hunt said. “We really wanted to re-create this effect, though obviously we didn’t break apart the top plate of this M3. But the camera was certainly in a state and had not seen use for a great many years.”
Hunt said in a post about the camera that he had wanted to release some special-edition cameras to mark the site’s 10th anniversary and “do something that nobody has done before.
“What better than a traditional Japanese craft? We worked very closely with Kanto camera to create this absolutely stunning camera. The JCH 10 Year Kinsugi M3. It comes with a matching Summicron 50mm rigid lens and is presented in a custom made JCH 10周年 HPRC case (many thanks to HPRC too for helping us with this project).”
Hunt has not yet unveiled the price, but the camera will soon be put up for sale via the Japan Camera Hunter online shop.
Hunt said the camera is one of a number of cameras which will be unveiled over the coming months, and follows the release of a collection of 10th anniversary apparel.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
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