Leica gets funding go-ahead

Well, I guess I can look forward to their continued production of new equipment that I will not be able to afford until it is 15 years old and used.
 
I am in the same boat as Rover but make that 30 year old used gear.

Bob
 
Glad to hear they might be OK but I don't see myself buying anything new either. Near-new maybe, but not brand-new at the current crazy prices.

 
Ditto to what's been said about the prices. Funny thing is that I'm not even tempted by an MP or a 50mm Lux ASPH. I love Leica equipment and love using it, but to me my M2 is the finest, most beautiful 35mm camera ever made. I swear, if someone gave me an MP or an M7, I would sell it immediately unless doing so would hurt the feelings of the person who gave it to me (or if it had a good chance of appreciating significantly in value). Now if someone can really afford these things and wants them, that's another matter. Perhaps they can help keep the company afloat.
 
Nikon Bob said:
I am in the same boat as Rover but make that 30 year old used gear.
Click to expand...

It's great that Leica's business is good and there is a demand for that quality of gear, but I'm in the same boat. I can't even afford well-used Leica stuff. It really holds its value. If I would splurge, I would be afraid to use it, to take it anywhere, for fear of getting it stolen, lost, damaged ...
 
If you insure it you can stop worrying. Damage is just something you live with all the time with everything you use. Try driving a car here in Massachusetts! I like using my Leicas, and I'm the reverse of Richard, I love my new(ish) M7 and have no interest in the older bodies. To each his own and good luck to Leica as a company.

 
einolu said:
richard, if someone gives you an MP, you dont have to feel too bad about giving it to me :).
Click to expand...
I wouldn't lose too much sleep over selling it to you for a tidy sum either. :D Actually I would rather keep it mint for a few years and then sell it for a small fortune.
 
peter_n said:
.....I like using my Leicas, and I'm the reverse of Richard, I love my new(ish) M7 and have no interest in the older bodies. To each his own and good luck to Leica as a company.

Click to expand...
Actually I've bought two new Leica things: a 50mm Summicron-M (not really a new design, however), and a 50mm Elmar-M. And a bunch of years ago I bought a new Minilux, which sealed my doom. If that little P&S was that good, then how about the real Leicas?
 
I worked with older, used Leica lenses and M bodies for many years. I never thought that the newest lenses could be worth the price when compared to the old. I recently purchased the newest versions of the the 35 asph. 'cron, the 50 'cron, and the 90mm elmarit. They are superb lenses and better than the older versions. But the difference only show up prominently in certain situations, including shooting wide open and back or strong side lighting. The optical contrast is better, and that is saying something because even old Leica lenses beat most others' new lenses in that area.

I have been a photographer and pro for 40 years. I cut my professional teeth in the sixties with M3 and M2. A light meter around my neck was part of my attire. I began to think of it as a necktie. Now I have an M6 TTL. The onboard meter is a great tool. The quality and smoothness of operation is on a par with the M2 and M3.

I have to say that the new stuff is better than the old gear. I didn't buy new. I shopped for used and demo for six months. I paid for it by selling off lots of other gear - Nikon, Canon, Minolta slr gear plus my older Leica gear. Instead of having a closet full of cameras and lenses that are average at best, I decided to have a shelf (actually not a full shelf) of Leica M gear that is current version. I have the M6 TTL, 35, 50, and 90. I am now looking for a used or demo 24 asph. at the right price. Once I have that I'll be done. With that list of gear I can shoot anything I have or want to now that I am no longer doing assignments.

I have learned that only one thing can end a love affair with old Leica gear, and it is newer Leica gear. If I had the money,I'd but all brand new gear just to help assure that Leica will be here as long as I am. But I don't. I am glad there are those who do because I enjoy the scraps they leave behind.
 
I bought all my Leica gear while enjoying a well paying job that allowed me to use that gear in my off time. Which I had allot of off time as well. Those jobs do not come along very often. But now I have gear that I can use for years and shoot just about any kind of work that I want to do. I hope that Leica is able to survive long into the future and hopefully I will be able to support them along the way.
 
Great post weisgrau and welcome to the forum! :)

I have learned that only one thing can end a love affair with old Leica gear, and it is newer Leica gear.

It is interesting to read someone who has used older Leica equipment thinking well of the newer stuff. I too have an M6TTL (my first Leica :)) and an almost new M7, and they are just wonderful cameras. Most people here seem to have a really strong preference for the M2 or the M3, but my own sense of this is that the newer cameras are just so much more usable with the accurate meters and AE with the M7.

 
meters and ae are fine but not everyone needs or even wants them.

obviously, i am not a leica user, but i do admit that i now much prefer using a camera without a meter built into it.
it was one reason i stopped using and eventually sold the bessa r.

it's a preference.

joe
 
weisgrau said:
I am now looking for a used or demo 24 asph. at the right price. Once I have that I'll be done.
Click to expand...

:D I heard that somewhere before.....
 
That was I, Natalia, in February this year, when I purchased my old 'cron 90 and declared it was the end of my Leica purchases.

The rest is history.

But now, let's hope Leica comes up with a consumer camera body (sure, at the price their lenses go? :confused: )
 
weisgrau said:
I have learned that only one thing can end a love affair with old Leica gear, and it is newer Leica gear.
Click to expand...
I don't understand. Is an M6 new enough to do this, or must it be even newer?
 
Richard, just accept other people's choices. You don't need to understand them. They need.
It's called individual utility maximization in economics ...
 
JoNL said:
Richard, just accept other people's choices. You don't need to understand them. They need.
It's called individual utility maximization in economics ...
Click to expand...
It came across a bit like pontification, but that's okay.
weisgrau said:
I have to say that the new stuff is better than the old gear.
Click to expand...
No way! My camera is better than yours! :p
 
i think what is painfully clear here...is that you people have not used a canon p yet.

spendng all money on a leica when you could get several canons for the same price...


morning all...:)


;)joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom