Leica is no more expensive than a Nikon

den_sh

den_sh

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I've been reading an article from not so long ago and have found a nice part (emphasis mine):

... Such deals actually make the Mamiya 7 less expensive than Pentax 67 with TTL prism.

Whether the comparison between Mamiya and Pentax seems fair will depend largely on how individual photographers view the difference between rangefinder and SLR designs. Is it significant, for example, that the Leica M6 is no more expensive than a Nikon F5?


J. Tarrant 1998, 'Rigged for silent shooting', British Journal of Photography, vol. 145, issue 7162, pp. 22-23.
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Good old days when Leica was still competitive price-wise. :)
 
Maybe in the olden days. Now a M6 is sure to be more than a grand, while a perfect F5 can be had for less than half that. An F6 though ... about the same as the Leica.
 
When I bought my first M6 in the late 80s a friend of mine got his first F4S. They were priced about the same as new. Now the used M6 is like 4 times more expensive than the used F4S.

Today I got both !
 
D3X was more than an M8, and about the same as an M9. So yeah, they can be the same price. D4 is about the price of an M-E. The difference is that there's no D600 version M!, or no D3000 option! imagine that, a $700 with lens rangefinder.
 
Leica's hold there value better than most other cameras .... a mint Barnack will still fetch three or four hundred. THis even applies to the digi M's it seems.
 
Leica M6 is no more expensive than a Nikon F5
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Well, that is just false right now : M6 is 800-1200 euros, Nikon F5 200-400. Not too sure about the difference between Mamiya 7 and Pentax 6x7, seems to me the Mamiya would cost more.

Only Nikon RF bodies seem to hold their value, modern Nikons really don't.
 
A Leica and lenses may well be significantly cheaper than Nikon over the long term if the Leica user does not feel any need to upgrade bodies frequently, and can use the same high quality lenses for a lifetime.

Canikon are both finding it necessary to release upgrades of their pro-grade glass to be about to out-resolve latest-generation and future high resolution sensors, starting with the D800. Leica lenses have not been found wanting, the latest APO Summicron notwithstanding.

When it comes time to sell, I think you will find Leica users are well ahead.
 
x-ray said:
Does the number of pro and amateurs using Nikon vs Leica tell you anything?
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My last SLR was an F6. I sold it when facing reality : in the last 3 years, used it twice, and at last had to reopen the handbook to operate it.
Considering I no more shoot with long lens (much less sport and nature), my M7 is the winner as a good enough basic picture tool.
 
S.H. said:
Well, that is just false right now : M6 is 800-1200 euros, Nikon F5 200-400. Not too sure about the difference between Mamiya 7 and Pentax 6x7, seems to me the Mamiya would cost more.

Only Nikon RF bodies seem to hold their value, modern Nikons really don't.
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The comparison was for new bodies. Used, they're worth what the market will bear.

Today: Nikon D3X lists at $7995 and a D4 at $5995 MSRP. The Canon EOS 1DX lists at $6799 MSRP, and the Leica M240 lists at $6950. I'd say the're all still pretty comparably priced.
 
When I was in college I had a summer job that paid well and I used that $ to buy used Hasselblad and Leica gear. Four or five years later when I sold it all, almost every piece went for about twice what I'd paid. Much of that was due to a devaluation of the dollar in relation to european currencies. But even if that hadn't been the case, buying good used Leica gear would still have been a good choice economically and the gear would have been worth more than what I paid.
 
I guess it's apples and oranges--with an electronic SLR, the value is in the technology and features, whereas with Leica it is in workmanship and materials. Then again, I've been reading the workmanship and tolerances these days is nothing what it used to be and we're all a bit silly for expecting a several-thousand-dollar lens to not be calibrated out of the box.


And in other news, I can't even give away my old D1x...
 
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