House of Leica Taipei QingTian 台北徠卡之家

Good

Images store beyond your imagination.

This is a pretty lackluster store with staff that aren't really that welcoming. The photo exhibit was also not up to Leica standards. Average at best.

Comfy and elegant place. If you’re Leica fan, you must come by. If you are not a Leica fan, you can still come to become a Leica fan. : P

Leica base with red art design in old fashion haus

I have been to several Leica shops between four different countries, and while this one was in a nice building, I have to say that it was the most disappointing experience overall. Very minimal selection of lenses, cameras, bags, etc. but what was even more disappointing to me was the selection of photography on display (22 April 2019). I guess that the photos were taken by a famous singer but they were objectively poor photos. Poor composition, lacking a narrative or storytelling elements, and lacking in technical aspects as well. It seems that the photos were on display just because of who took them. For the record I have three Leica cameras so I am not just another Leica hater. However, I feel this location should do a better job of curating the work they display.

I have seen many Leica shops and galleries in the past. This one is among the most beautiful places - a historic house from the Japanese colonial time like there are only a few remaining in Taipei. In big contrast is the staff that runs this place: they are the worst in their attitude and have no means to live up to the glory of this place and the brand they represent. It is simply a shame to see the under-qualified and passive staff, representing one of the most prestigious camera brands. When asked about products they cover their lack of knowledge with arrogant and disrespectful behaviour. Don't even think of trying out cameras or lenses - they won't let you and moving even one finger is too much work for them. The same applies to the coffee machine, which probably was meant to provide coffee to customers to make them feel welcome. Needless to say that this does not happen and "feeling welcome" is not the slogan of this place. Today, they refused entry to one room of the gallery, because "someone had booked the room for tomorrow". (I don't even know what that means.) Leica must have spent a lot of money on the renovation of this place and deserves better trained and friendlier staff. For people like me that grew up with analog Leicas and experienced what the Leica philosophy means and the impact it had in our lives, seeing such uninspiring and heartless salespersons stands in big contrast to what we learnt to believe in.

Zach B’s review is totally to the point and I mostly agree. However I’m still willing to give this place 4 stars simply because of the attractive infrastructure and atmosphere which can totally match the style of Leica. On the other hand, in my last visit I didn’t pay much attention to the photography related works there and don’t know whether there is any lfi magazines there. It not I would suggest House of Leica to display some.