A lot of people might have thought Leica had staked out enough of a challenge convincing people to pay $8,000 for a digital camera that only shoots black-and-white.

Never one to shy away from a luxury marketing opportunity, however, the German camera maker briefly offered the opportunity to pay an extra $20,000 for a limited-edition version of the M-Monochrom… an opportunity people jumped at.

The main pitch on the new variation is that it’s signed, endorsed and practically drooled on by noted art photographer Ralph Gibson, a longtime film holdout who says the Monochrom finally convinced him there was an advantage to going digital. “I will never get to the end of what this instrument can perform,” he says in a Leica promotional video.

Besides Gibson’s name, the limited-edition model comes with a special Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 lens. Also: a silver-plated top, lots of chrome and black leather “volcano pattern” detailing for the camera body and the strap, plus a copy of Gibson’s latest book, “MONO.”

But even if all that sounds tempting to you, you’re too late. It seems all 35 available units sold out in 5 minutes or so!

No word on whether this officially supplants the Ralph Gibson Signature Leica MP fully manual film camera ($9,500) as, in Gibson’s words, “my ideal Leica experience.”

(via Leica News & Rumors)