aizan
Veteran
oscar barnack special edition? if that ain't it, i give up.
Nugard
Elvis lives!..
On my opinion, it was M6, after M5 there was low productions an sellings, that's why, Leica needed something to "pull it out", and "pull it up"...
Yet the second my variant is M4-2...
Yet the second my variant is M4-2...
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Said it before, and I'll say it again: The Leica MP Hermes
They came, they spent, they lost. Sold it to Kaufman in the end. But they did get one of the most beautiful commemorative's.
hmm. upon reflection I suppose this does qualify to answer the question. I guess I have to rephrase the question to "What is the other commemorative that was really about saving the company?"
but the Hermes M as beautiful? Have you seen it in person? To my eyes it's gawd awful garish.
Stephen
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
If it was "about saving the company", then that would have to be the Leicaflex SL 1972 Olympics "commemorative".
Wasn't the advent of the SLR the "death" of rangefinders? Producing an SLR was meant to "save" the company.
So many people have been crying wolf on this for over 60 years, haven't they? The "final nail in Leica's coffin", that is.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
How about a 'crying wolf commemorative'?
Or a 'final nail'?
Cheers,
R.
Or a 'final nail'?
Cheers,
R.
tomasis
Well-known
Indeed SLR. it is strange idea that any commemorative could save company.. IT should be "big production" of M4-2 so you earn every dollar per every camera sold. Revenues of commemorative stuffs must be less than 20% of total sold cameras? 40-50% I would be surprised if it was true 
D3 are sort of commemorative for Nikon when they sell millions of D50
D3 are sort of commemorative for Nikon when they sell millions of D50
Indeed SLR. it is strange idea that any commemorative could save company.. IT should be "big production" of M4-2 so you earn every dollar per every camera sold. Revenues of commemorative stuffs must be less than 20% of total sold cameras? 40-50% I would be surprised if it was true
no commemorative saved the company
but the commemorative I'm thinking of was about who did
even though it was officially about something else.
it officially says once thing, but means something else
Stephen
aizan
Veteran
maybe leica mp classic...the chinese connection...
antiquark
Derek Ross
Would it be this one?
http://www.cameraquest.com/lmp70.htm
It's celebrating the 70th anniversary in '83, after the M5 flopped and the M4-2 was released in '76-80.
It sort of corresponds date-wise, if we assume that the M4-2 saved the company.
http://www.cameraquest.com/lmp70.htm
It's celebrating the 70th anniversary in '83, after the M5 flopped and the M4-2 was released in '76-80.
It sort of corresponds date-wise, if we assume that the M4-2 saved the company.
raid
Dad Photographer
I believe that the M3, the orginal classic, keeps reminding people of the ultimate camera in craftmanship and design. These thoughts about Leica being a flagship company in RF camera design is embodied in the M3 and it is the M3 that keeps bringing users [and buyers] back to trust Leica and to invest in Leica products. This includes all M bodies after the M3.
It has to be the M3.
It has to be the M3.
tomasis
Well-known
stephen, I think antiquarks reply sounds logical. What do you think? I dont know much about history but I can imagine that when M5 flopped, they did need money this time, no matter what SLR or RF. Every pence and nickel to survive through as photo company Do you know which times did happen when leica is very close to disappear?
Do you know which times did happen when leica is very close to disappear?tomasis
Well-known
Briliant reply. My heart beats for M3. Current MP cannot get me even tempted to switch
I'm glad M8 is not much different now
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
Okay, I am going to take a guess...
Was it the M6TTL limited production Titanium model complete with Hermes brown leather covering?
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
oooooh, "upgraded to Leica"? Them's fighting words for da likes of them "tastes like chicken" cowboys, pa'ner.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
And now for a pseudo-rant:
I have owned (and still own) a number of Leicas, rangefinder and otherwise. Bessas, Contax (rangefinders), Kiev...
I was lucky enough to have owned a Leica first (other figh-in words!), financially speaking. I've kept the Bessa-R, want the Contax IIIa back (which I sold preferring the Kiev III over it), the M2, M6 and M8.
The Bessa R line has great ergonomics, but things are a bit unreliable here and there, depending on the model.
I think Mr. K. brought the rangefinder "cult" to more prominence, and I'm sure he owns a big chunk of credit for propelling a revival (which was just "a fad" about a decade ago). But you can't sustain a revival if that which is being revived cannot live on its own.
In the end, it's all about appealing to your market. Preferring a Kiev over a Contax, while owning Leicas proves that it is not about only the price, but whether it is worth owning.
People's prejudice over certain brands will never go away.
Nikon rangefinders are much more expensive than Leica rangefinders, and appeal more to collectors than actual, present-day photographers as a photographing tool. Yet Leica gets derided for their "niche"-filling and their prices, deriding by inference anything "made in Germany" justifying their high-prices, therefore justifying their derision.
Has anybody seen the prices for a new, Made in Germany, Zeiss ZM mount 85mm f/2 Sonnar? And the 90mm ASPH Summicron?
Who here makes fun of that? But if it's Leica, then it's fair game.
There's an opinion? Fine. But purely based on envy or just good old bashing for bashing's sake? That robs any seriousness from the "opinion". Now, if it's all in good humour, then let's deal with it with humour. But implicit derision throws all of that away.
If Leica makes commemoratives, they're filling a need in a market. Just like Nikon has done with their Millenium offering(s).
How many tongue-in-cheek threads have been made deriding Nikon's limited-edition offerings?
It's easy to kick the class-assigned donkey.
And now I'm off to shop for a Nikon 85mm f/2 LTM lens. To complement my 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit and CZJ 85mm f/2 Sonnar. I don't let blind prejudices get in the way of my photography.
I have owned (and still own) a number of Leicas, rangefinder and otherwise. Bessas, Contax (rangefinders), Kiev...
I was lucky enough to have owned a Leica first (other figh-in words!), financially speaking. I've kept the Bessa-R, want the Contax IIIa back (which I sold preferring the Kiev III over it), the M2, M6 and M8.
The Bessa R line has great ergonomics, but things are a bit unreliable here and there, depending on the model.
I think Mr. K. brought the rangefinder "cult" to more prominence, and I'm sure he owns a big chunk of credit for propelling a revival (which was just "a fad" about a decade ago). But you can't sustain a revival if that which is being revived cannot live on its own.
In the end, it's all about appealing to your market. Preferring a Kiev over a Contax, while owning Leicas proves that it is not about only the price, but whether it is worth owning.
People's prejudice over certain brands will never go away.
Nikon rangefinders are much more expensive than Leica rangefinders, and appeal more to collectors than actual, present-day photographers as a photographing tool. Yet Leica gets derided for their "niche"-filling and their prices, deriding by inference anything "made in Germany" justifying their high-prices, therefore justifying their derision.
Has anybody seen the prices for a new, Made in Germany, Zeiss ZM mount 85mm f/2 Sonnar? And the 90mm ASPH Summicron?
Who here makes fun of that? But if it's Leica, then it's fair game.
There's an opinion? Fine. But purely based on envy or just good old bashing for bashing's sake? That robs any seriousness from the "opinion". Now, if it's all in good humour, then let's deal with it with humour. But implicit derision throws all of that away.
If Leica makes commemoratives, they're filling a need in a market. Just like Nikon has done with their Millenium offering(s).
How many tongue-in-cheek threads have been made deriding Nikon's limited-edition offerings?
It's easy to kick the class-assigned donkey.
And now I'm off to shop for a Nikon 85mm f/2 LTM lens. To complement my 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit and CZJ 85mm f/2 Sonnar. I don't let blind prejudices get in the way of my photography.
tomasis
Well-known
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
This has to be the correct answer. With the M4-P, Leica firmly re-established the M camera as their flagship model - and this special edition marked Leica's 70th anniversary as a company.
The M4-2 didn't save the company, but it did save the M line, which was about two years out-of-production when it was released.
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
Could it be that Mr. Gandy was interjecting regularly with the necessary clarifying comments until antiquark nailed it?
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Stephen: Don't you think you've left us hanging long enough? Give us the answer!
Glad to see this thread is keeping some interest.
I'm working on a web page about it, should be up in a few days.
At least one person in this thread got it right, at least in my interpretation of events.
Stephen