Proceeds to be presented to the press freedom organization “Reporters sans frontières – RSF“ (Reporters without Borders) at Arles Photo Festival

The first series-produced LEICA M8 has been sold for 24,000 Euro at the 13th Westlicht Photographica Auction. The successful bidder was a Leica collector from Russia. Leica Camera AG is donating the proceeds from the auction to the press freedom organization “Reporters sans frontières – RSF“(Reporters without Borders). The check will be presented by the CEO of Leica Camera AG, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, to the director of the organization, Robert Menard, who founded the RSF in 1985, at the Arles Photo Festival on Tuesday, July 8th 2008 at 4 pm at the Leica booth in the Espace van Gogh.

The 24,000 Euro bid for the first Leica M8 is probably the highest ever made for a digital camera. The unusually high price for this series-produced digital camera, which has the same functions as a series-produced model, underlines the high status Leica M cameras have acquired over the past decades as cult and collector items. As a tool for professional and ambitious amateur photographers, all the functions of the Leica M camera are designed for absolute robustness and longevity. For the owner, this means decades of reliable use and high value retention.

The value of the first digital LEICA M8 was estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000 Euro; bidding started at 10,000 Euro. Produced in 2006, the camera bears the striking serial number 3100000. The camera is as new; it has not been used and therefore shows no signs of wear. The successful bidder will also receive a certificate signed by Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, CEO of Leica Camera AG, confirming the authenticity of this first digital rangefinder camera of Leica. The camera will be supplied in an original LEICA M8 box including all the documents.

Reporters sans frontières – RSF (Reporters without Borders)
More than a third of the world’s population lives in countries where there is no press freedom. Day by day, Reporters without Borders fights for the basic right to have access to the news. A worldwide network of over 130 correspondents alarms the organization when press freedom is not respected somewhere in the world. The organization exposes these infringements by informing the media and the public with press releases and campaigns. RSF defends journalists and media assistants who are imprisoned or persecuted for doing their job. It reports on the ill-treatment and torture still customary in many countries, supports journalists who are threatened in their own countries and gives their families financial support if necessary. Besides fighting censorship and legislation restricting press freedom, RSF is also dedicated to improving journalists’ safety, particularly in war zones. It also gives financial aid to media outlets in difficulty and supplies technical equipment for rebuilding their editorial offices. Further details are available at www.rsf.org.