Leica Store Soho

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This boutique optics shop sits under an intricately painted fire escape in Soho, between galleries and cheese shops. Open since December 2012, the German camera company Leica’s first Manhattan outpost is the opposite of understated—soft classical piano, and black-and-white walls (mounted with black-and-white Leica-produced portraits of samurai swordsmen and rural Japan) create a museumlike atmosphere. Novices and professionals maneuver slowly around the narrow space, and glare at the crafted merchandise fixed behind glass—everything from Ona camera bags ($129) to Leica-unique lenses ($1,700- $11,000). Leica’s famous cameras, specifically the M-system, are nostalgic (unobtrusive handhelds with hard snakeskin texture) without sacrificing utility (35 mm with pinpoint manual focus). Simple point-and-shoots (X-system, $1,700) and sized-down medium formats (S-system, $21,950) are always in stock and, before purchasing, customers are encouraged to test the models out on the street. This hands-on approach is particularly effective for shopping the store’s “nitrogen-purged” binoculars ($400-$2,500), which claim to combat eye fatigue and swampy conditions—perfect for urban bird-watchers. Leicas are expensive, but between the steady stream of lifelong customers, and the affectionately nicknamed Technical Brothers who man the shop, the atmosphere is downright charming. — Jeremy Bergman