M8 Price Increase October 1st ??

[gb hill]

That Leica would even consider raising their already absurd price on this flawed body can only mean they have a death wish. I was ready to buy an M8 as soon as Leica fixed the worst of the problems, but the problems don't seem to be getting fixed, and a price increase will cause me to sit this one out -- mainly because, considering the less than sane things they've done so far, I have trouble believing Leica will survive.

As I said in a post earlier this year, it's a heartbreaker.

I agree with you. It is a heartbreaker. I know my earlier post may come across as Leica bashing but i'm looking at this from a business prospective. I really don't see a future in digital rf but I hope i'm wrong, but people are lazy. They want the cameras of today to be simple and that is what sells i'm afraid.

 

[jaapv]

As I said before - the M8 is value for money and will remain so even with this price increase. After all, it is not just the body, but a whole system will set the users back far in excess of 10.000 $. Those few hundred extra will certainly not be very significant.The market will decide whether this is a wise move by Leica - I have a strong suspicion that marketing experts have analyzed it from all sides before it was taken. My dealer tells me it is not much of a sales lever in the sense that decisions are not based on "get it now before it gets more expensive" which is an indicator of the relative unimportance of the price point.

 

[HetDraakje]

Then again, when I tought this M8 would be my christmas present, the announced price increase made me buy it a couple of months earlier...

 

[Joe Mondello]

Look at the RD-1 DISCONTUNED! Please tell me why! NO PROFIT for Epson thats why. Unless the heads at Epson are stupid.

Well who knows, but the R-D1 was a run of 10,000 units and Epson claim they sold out -- which is not quite the same thing.😉 🙄

 

[jaapv]

Well who knows, but the R-D1 was a run of 10,000 units and Epson claim they sold out -- which is not quite the same thing.😉 🙄

Well - Leica seems to have sold about 20.000 since the beginning of the year.

 

[jaapv]

Then again, when I tought this M8 would be my christmas present, the announced price increase made me buy it a couple of months earlier...

Merry Christmas 😀

 

[Ben Z]

I have a strong suspicion that marketing experts have analyzed it from all sides before it was taken.

That's my suspicion also, unless someone can convince me that Lee and Kaufmann accumulated their resumes being clueless 🙄 We all tend to think from the perspective of our own priorities and budgets and count ourselves as part of Leica's market, but in reality we may not be in Leica's targeted demographic. I know guys into photography who have a closet full of $1500/pr shoes and wear them with $100/pr socks. $500-$1000 more for an M8? I've seen those guys lose that much on a single game of golf and not bat an eye. Maybe those are who Leica's really after 😀

 

[tomasis]

I believe that Leica priced its M8 at very affordable price in fear that they might not able to sell enough of produced cameras for no lose profit. If there was no profit, owners of major shares could be dissapointed and had to pressure the company. I guessing only that based on my very limited knowledge

Look that M7/MP priced around at 3000 euros then add such advanced electronics to a small camera as M8 for only 1000 euros higher. It was way too cheap from logical point so for me 5000 euros is about right price compared to new film bodies. I know that I would prefer lower price and never could afford the camera for leisure time for more than 3000 euros lol.

I managed put two faces on me 🙂

 

[tomasis]

Plus two Canon 5D can never replace M8 because M8 is a RF. You never get the same handling no matter about pix quality. You win much more by no having AA filter, nicer lenses though high price.

 

[Uncle Bill]

Everyone needs coffee ... why complain?

The M8 is salvation for tired old Leica shooters who are sick of dealing with film but aren't quite ready to give up photography. If the price of salvation increases unreasonably there could be a strain on the 'aged care' system!

Surely you considered this? 😀

Speak for yourself, I still love playing with film.

Here is some food for thought, Nikon D3 is coming out and it's a full frame DSLR for the same price.

 

[jaapv]

That's my suspicion also, unless someone can convince me that Lee and Kaufmann accumulated their resumes being clueless 🙄 We all tend to think from the perspective of our own priorities and budgets and count ourselves as part of Leica's market, but in reality we may not be in Leica's targeted demographic. I know guys into photography who have a closet full of $1500/pr shoes and wear them with $100/pr socks. $500-$1000 more for an M8? I've seen those guys lose that much on a single game of golf and not bat an eye. Maybe those are who Leica's really after 😀

It's a different world, Benson. Ten years ago I expected that 500$ a night a person safari lodges in Botswana would run out of customers - Now they have hiked prices to up to 1500$ a person a night - and are booked solid for more than a year.

 

[jaapv]

That Leica would even consider raising their already absurd price on this flawed body can only mean they have a death wish. I was ready to buy an M8 as soon as Leica fixed the worst of the problems, but the problems don't seem to be getting fixed, and a price increase will cause me to sit this one out -- mainly because, considering the less than sane things they've done so far, I have trouble believing Leica will survive.

As I said in a post earlier this year, it's a heartbreaker.

What problems have not been fixed then?

 

[Tuolumne]

I am saving my money for the new Nikon D3xxx. Seems a much more practical alternative than the M8.

/T

 

[jaapv]

Seems to be an excellent camera. Maybe even a Canon-killer. But alas- not a rangefinder...🙁
And as such - yes more practical as any SLR is over a RF. But what is your point?

 

[Tuolumne]

Has anyone noticed that the street price on the M8 has already gone up from $4750 to $4950?

/T

 

[Ben Z]

I'm very excited about the D3 and the D300. I have a passle of old manual Nikkors I've been using with adaptors on my 20D but that's a colossal pain in the rump. I'm looking forward to snagging a D200 at a good price during the upgrade frenzy 😉

The M8 price really does boil down to priorities. I have friends who pay $5-6000 apiece for suits. I wouldn't pay more than $200 for a suit. I'm not saying that making a suit is child's play, but if some illterate 3rd-world woman in a sweat-shop with a scissors and sewing machine can learn to do it....🙄 OTOH I can't even imagine me being able to make a wristwatch or a camera, skill and knowledge-wise, not to mention the cost of the equipment needed. OTOH those guys try up and down to convince me their $5000 suit is higher quality than my $200 Mens Warehouse clearance special, with as little luck as I have trying to convince them that my $5000 camera has some advantage over their $200 p&s. Priorities.

 

[Ben Z]

Maybe even a Canon-killer.

I doubt it. Twice as much money as a 5D with the same resolution, 2/3 the cost of a 1DS-MkIII with (almost) double the resolution. I don't see too many Canon users dumping their entire systems to switch over, or too many undecideds being swayed to the Nikon side. I think the D3 is intended to keep more of Nikon's current users from considering defecting. I was a very loyal Nikon guy at one time but I just couldn't wait for them to get AF motors and IS into the kind of lenses I was looking for. Then until the D200 their affordable DSLR's wouldn't meter with my lenses :bang: Nikon's not got the cushy position as Leica. When you have no competition you can beat your customers off with a stick and they'll still keep coming back 😀

 

[pizzahut88]

Yes, good Lord . . .

Yes, good Lord . . .

You and me truly are in the same boat...I also have canon eos stuff and the 5D is awfully hard not to pounce on especially since I like shooting wide angle and my 17-40 is begging to be taken off my dying 20D. Plus I also though I could pick up a zeiss 50 or something then get the adapter and shove it on the camera since my canon 50 1.4 isnt focusing right anymore due to build quality issues. The only thing holding me back is that I much prefer rangefinders to SLR's.

We are in deep do do eh?

I definately agree with you.
I will be keeping an eye on the M8 price trend.

If M8 price keeps inflating,
I will switching over to 5D plus Zeiss M42.
DSLR full frame sensors has matured.
With Nikon doing full frame, every other manufacturer will inevitably do full frame.


I really question who would be patiently enough to wait for Zeiss's digital RF.
Rf has lots of great lenses, but the limited choice of digital body is its main weakness.
M8 or R-1Ds?


Voigtlander is not an electronic company.
They have produced nothing that is digital.
Fat chance they could do one.

 

[iridium7777]

why do you guys complain

why do you guys complain

why? how many are there of you that own an m8 here? 50? 100? 200? even if it's 200, which i doubt, do you think you even represent 10% of the owners world wide? i'd be surprised if it wasn't below 2%. do you think the complains here about price raises will be heard? you already bought into an m8, doesn't matter to them. anyone else that wants one now will have to pay more. and statistically assuming there's a lot more of them than you.

a year from now when they raise the prices to 6k you'll have the same kind of bitching, but life goes on. yes, i know it's unfair but get over it. you don't drive the market. you don't like it don't buy it, but don't think you've single handedly are being picked on by a company. i want to buy panerais all day long at 2100 like they were in 2001 🙄 waaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

[KM-25]

Well.....

I have had my M8 for nearly a month now, took two weeks off of using it to shoot a high end advertising gig in Mexico..

Now what I have to say....I say with hesitation because I don't want the used prices on the M8 to drop even further if I decide to sell it, but I think the $5,000 honeymoon might be over for me even though when the camera is behaving, the files are really nice..I still don't have my IR/cut filters yet from Leica, so bear that in mind when I make the following comments:

Likes:

Build, design, response, use of M lenses, color, contrast, low contrast details.

Dislikes:

IR problem, break up of fine details with aspheric lenses in medium to high contrast images, brightly colored moire in darn near every kind of fine pattern including fabrics, window screens, street sign lettering, etc. Some not fixable with PP, some are, consistent basket weave noise even at ISO 160 when using C1 and totally useless WB.

I work with my cameras for a living, including Leica M's. I have moire popping up daily with this camera, colored blobbing between certain fine details that would otherwise come up super sharp in my 5D and the breakup of fine details in certain areas of my images even when no blown highlights have been experienced.

I want more than anything to have this camera work well. I love the files when they are good, but I am just not pulling off consistent enough results to trust it in pro use. And if I can not trust it, then I have to part with it and take my $800++ loss.

I am giving it one more week, I have Sean Reid and several others on the Leica forum working on the weave noise, fine detail breakup and other issues right now. If I can not come up with a repeatable solution to some of the image quality details, then you can buy my M8..

I love the idea of having a digital M for work, but if I am getting results that are all over the board like this, I have to give up on the idea and cut my losses.