Leica’s U.S. boss says F1 ‘goes at incredible speed’ and photography helps ‘stop the moment.’ Now they’ve made $10,000 camera together
Source: Fortune ·
Leica’s U.S. president Mike Giannattasio says the camera maker and F1 share an obsession with craftsmanship—and the same collectors.
From the source
Some of Formula 1’s most populat drivers are already serious about photography. Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have both been seen with Leica cameras, and Norris runs a separate Instagram account for his photos. That overlap goes well past the drivers, or even the intricate pieces that goes into both cars and cameras, says Mike Giannattasio, president of Leica Camera North America. “There is such synergy between people who collect cameras and people who collect cars,” he told Fortune. “If you see people who are passionate about vintage cars or racing cars, and if they have anything other than a passenger in the seat next to them, eight out of 10 times it’s going to be a Leica camera.” To Giannattasio, that made a partnership an easy call. On Tuesday, the German camera maker and Formula 1 announced a global licensing deal, Leica’s first official tie-up with the sport. It covers F1 as a whole rather than a single team and includes a special-edition camera, a gallery show in Los…