No matter how many smart phones come on the market with great cameras, matching up to the quality of a DSLR is always going to be tough.  So when we hear about a so-and-so camera costing lakhs and crores, we aren't that surprised because we know the quality would be unparalleled. But the camera that we are talking about today will leave you bewildered.

A 95-year-old Leica camera recently fetched over Rs. 19 crores at an auction in Vienna making it the world's most expensive camera.

© WestLicht Auction

No points for guessing that the Leica 0-series no. 122 is one of those rare, limited edition cameras and is in fact, fully functional.

The bid for the Leica 0-series started at a price of 400,000 Euros which sounds nominal given the amount of money it fetched in the end. Quickly, the bid rose 6 times higher and a private collector from Asia emerged as the winner when he bought it off for a record price of $ 2.9 million.

© WestLicht Auction

Now if like us, you are wondering what is so special about this camera in particular then let us enlighten you. According to a statement by the WestLicht museum, the camera dates back to the year 1923, two years before the first Leica was introduced to the market.

© YouTube/WestLicht & WestLicht Photographica Auction

The camera was manufactured by Ernst Leitz who produced only 25 of these and out of those, only three are known to still be in their original condition. The camera only weighs 135 gram and had an aperture between f/3.5 > f/12.

This record was previously held by another 1923 Leica-O series camera which was auctioned off for 2.16 million euros in 2012.

Considering the bidder was willing to spend a bomb on an old (though rare) camera, it's safe to say people's love for vintage things can go to any extremes.

Watch the bidding here: