How do you justify the Leica prices (for yourself) ?

It is nice to be able to afford the "nicer" things in life; producers of luxury items have even dong very well over the past couple of years while mainstream producers have been facing poor sales and poorer profits.

Why do I have a Leica? I can't honestly argue that it is superior to any other camera I have used. The main reason is that a Leica is seen as something "exclusive", and having such things makes us feel special in a way. It feels good to be able to buy and own things which many people would love to have, but can't afford.

Here in Japan I enjoy watching men driving exotic cars around the city, revving their engines obnoxiously (all they can do is rev in neutral, these cars never go faster than 30 mph in the city), enjoying the attention they get, even though they don't have enough driving skill to get across Ginza without stalling their cars at least once. Many Japanese "photographers" are the same, their cameras are mainly a piece of attention-getting jewelry.

But, expensive things motivate me to make more money, and to justify the expense, I will probably shoot more than I otherwise would, given the little free time that I have. I like Leica stuff, despite the expense.
 
I think if you can easily afford it, or if you use it for your business and can write it off, or if you save for months or a couple years to purchase it --whatever the case you shouldn't have to justify it to yourself or anyone else for that matter. If it makes you happy then it makes you happy, period. It you are starting to think twice, for whatever reason, then you aren't happy with it anymore and it's time to change up and move on. This is more of a what makes you happy question..
 
I get alot of joy out of using my Leica cameras. Only bought one new, back in 2000, when the prices weren't so ridiculous. Got a new 50 lux at the same time. Then a year or so ago I found a new 35 cron asph and having read so many positive things about it, I splurged (cost about the same as the total for my M6 TTL and 50 lux back in 2000). But the images I can create with it are worth it to me.

Needed a wide to go with my used M8.2 and found a Zeiss Biogon 25 that fit the bill nicely, and fit my wallet as well. And just recently found a used 90 cron pre-asph for about the same price as the Zeiss, so I picked that up as well. In the ten months that I've had my used M8.2 I've put over 10,000 shutter actuations on it. And the high quality glass in front of that shutter has helped me to produce some outstanding images.

So, for me, it all was worth every penny.

Best,
-Tim

PS: Making photos is what I do, it's who I am. I'm also happily driving a ten year old Honda, and living the rest of my life on a fairly conservative budget. No desire for expensive cars, or any other expensive toys.
 
Niko said:
For the first time i am having trouble with this question after i got a Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. It´s a lens i´ve dreamed of, and now that i got it i start wondering if it makes any sense. No matter how good it is, my Mamiya 7II ought to do better in most situations (when i don´t need the speed/closer focusing) ! I sold other stuff to pay for the Summilux (also, i wanted to simplify anyway), and it sure feels better to have less stuff, but i could also have less stuff for a lot less money...

Anyone else struggling with similar thoughts ?

Niko
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Hey ... you know that Lux really deserves an M9 behind it ... don't stop now!

As a friend of mine always used to say ... "To hell with the expense, feed the cat another canary!" :D
 
I chose to spend less on other stuff so I could afford the camera kit I wanted. No justification necessary. I think I wasted more money on digital early on than anything else. Now it is just Tri-X and D76.
 
Justify always seems like such a negative word to me. Just bought 28 + 50 Summicron over the weekend and after a day with the 28 I am asking myself why I wasted the actuations on my M9 before I bought it. It is just that good. Will sell my Zeiss lenses and won't be to much out of pocket. I had a little self doubt episode a week or so ago about my M9 here on this site and I was quickly put right, so I went out and got the set I wanted, 28/50/90 Summicrons (Already had 90)and now could be happier. Life is to short so look forward, don't look back.
 
hausen said:
Just bought 28 + 50 Summicron over the weekend and after a day with the 28 I am asking myself why I wasted the actuations on my M9 before I bought it. It is just that good.
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Someone else sees it. :angel:

They really are that much better.
 
Second Rate Me

Second Rate Me

I'm from a little different school. I bought a M8 used because I wanted something smaller than the Canon 1Ds hanging off my neck that looked like an amplifier and felt like a box of rocks. I then put an old Summitar on the Leica and I really liked the look of the images. Recently I bought a 50 version II lux for $700 and like it even more.
I'm sure the ASPH version is much much better, but my old Lux makes me happy when I leave the house.

I'm easily pleased with my $3000 worth of stuff
 
I have the 35mm pre-asph Lux and the 75mm Lux, and I left the door wide open to eventually get a 50mm Lux Asph, as I love using 50mm lenses. One day, I will be (maybe) as happy as you are now Nico. Enjoy this luxury lens and don't ruin the fun with such gloomy ant-GAS thoughts.
 
I drive a Mercedes Benz w/ the slanted windows and don't try to justify that I could go from point A to point B in a Hyundai. There is something existential about shooting with Leica...
 
dave lackey said:
If one can afford to buy something, there is no need to "justify" to anyone. If one needs a tool for the business, there is only the business decision. If neither of the aforementioned situations are applicable, one buys what one wants.:angel:
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I don't think the OP is interested in justification to other people. I think his/her interest is simply what others feel about spending a bunch of $$ on Leica gear and then realizing there might be better alternative uses for that $$.
 
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When I shot film, I justified the expense because I thought the combination of fast lenses and a rangefinder allowed me to shoot in lower light than I could with an SLR.
But when I moved into digital, I realized (sadly) that this realm of available light photography was no longer ruled by Leica.
And while I still believe Leica's lenses are among the best made, I don't see them as being miles ahead of the pack. At least not for my purposes.
So one day I realized I could sell my Leica stuff and get a very capable non-Leica kit - and I would be just as happy with the results of my work. So there I am, today.
 
Tom A., The voice of reason at last! I've always hated the assertion to the effect that 'what's the use of having a Leica M body unless you are also buying Leitz glass'. My CV's are way better than me and this old guy is even considering an Industar for a 50mm lens. Yeah, I know, focus problems etc., I'll deal with that problem when it rears it's fuzzy head.
 
Can buying leica lenses be justified?

From an objective standpoint (just weighing actual performance vs value)...no way in hell.

Good thing very few of us are objective.
 
Quote from The Big Chill Movie
"Jeff Goldblum (Michael): I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex."

And THAT's how I do it!
 
I started my Leica M journey years ago and have 9 Leica, 1 CV (15mm) and 1 ZM (Sonnar) lens. Only one of my Leica purchases was new the rest was "mint used" at what looks today incredible bargain prices. At today's fetish levels, I'd no longer buy leica M glass, irrespective whether I could afford it or not. Leica M-lenses are excellent, no question, but no way x-times as good as ZM or CV optics. What bothers me most today are the replacement cost of bag with M9 and 2-3 of the raved about Leica lenses, if stolen lost or whatever. Let's say Summicron 28, Summilux asph 50 and Summicron A 90mm. It's close to USD 20000. Ridicoulous. So there I walk around with gear which needs to be babied, not something which makes shooting what it ought to be.
 
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