A vintage prototype 35mm film Leica camera has sold for €2.16 million (around $2.78 million) at the WestLicht Photographica auction in Vienna, making it the world's most expensive camera. The Leica Null-Serie (also known as the 0-Series) camera was one of 25 produced in 1923 for testing, only 12 of which are known to have survived to this day.
The Null-Serie was the precursor to Leica's first commercially-available 35mm camera, which was released two years later. Bidding started at €300,000, and the camera had an estimated price range of €600,000 - 800,000. After just four minutes, however, the auction ended with a winning bid of €1.8 million (the final price of €2.16 million includes the buyer's premium). The sale smashed the previous record, also for a Null-Serie prototype, which sold for €1.32 million at the same auction house last year.