In case you feel like treating yourself, here is some of the most extravagantly costly camera kit ever produced
1. Samsung’s £2000 gold-plated NX300
This piece of extravagance is available in Saudi Arabia – a version of Samsung’s NX300 with a top plate made from pure gold. The tasteful little number is priced at SAR 15,000 – equivalent to around £2000.
2. Canon’s £12,000 telephoto lens
The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x caused quite the ruckus when it was announced last year. A professional grade 200-400mm f/4 lens, with a 1.4x extender that can boost that to 280-560mm, sporting Fast USM autofocus and IS that can give you up to four extra stops of shutter speed, it is, as you’d hope, ridiculously sharp. Yours for a snip at £11,999.
3. Nikon’s £14,000 telephoto lens
Not to be outdone, Nikon offers an 800mm f/5.6 prime lens. The AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR will let you ‘conquer distance like never before’ , with an included AF-S Teleconverter TC800-1.25E ED that can increase the focal length to a whopping 1000mm. The Silent Wave Motor provides ultra-fast and quiet AF. A positive steal at £13,999.
4. Olympus’s £16,000 Pen E-P5s (with scooter)
A kit released in conjunction with Harrods in August 2013, this limited edition version of the Olympus Pen E-P5 actually came with two camera bodies – one standard and one decorated by artist Suzko, as well as all of Olympus’s fast prime lenses in the Micro Four Thirds system. It also came with a customised Vespa scooter. Had you lined up at Harrods on August 8th, the whole lot would have been yours for £16,000.
5. Hasselblad’s £30,000 H4D 200MS
Capable of producing files with 200MP of resolution thanks to a shifting 50MP sensor that produces six separate images, the Hasselblad H4D 200MS was released back in 2011 to the tune of £30,354. It’s not that easy to track down these days, though Dale Photographic says that if you pick one up there then you’ll get a free copy of Lightroom 4 bundled in with it. You know, to save money.
6. Phase One’s $40,000 P65+ Digital Back
The P65+ is the last word in medium format, a digital back offering 60MP of quality on a full-frame 645 sensor. If you were so inclined, you would probably be able to find one for around $40,000 (almost £25,000).
7. Leica’s $50,000 M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’
Leica dropped this little bombshell last year. A special ‘Serie Limitee Jean-Louis Dumas’ (named for the former president of Hermes) version of its M9-P in Veau Swift burnt tan calfskin leather with a silver chrome finish. This extra-deluxe version comes with three Leica lenses, a limited edition book and a hand-crafted Hermes camera bag. As well you’d hope. Produced in a very limited run of just 100 units, this deluxe camera cost $50,000 (about £31,000) on release.
8. Canon’s $120,000 ‘mother of all telephotos’
They aren’t kidding. Fewer than twenty of these whoppers have been made since 1993 – 1200mm telephoto lenses with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 and a minimum of f/32 and an angle of view of about 2º on 35mm. BH Photo Video were offering one for $120,000, though it appears someone has snapped it up. Best be quicker next time.