On a Leica M waiting list?

Doug

Doug

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Or maybe you are on more than one waiting list, and will go with the first available camera? I gather shipping may begin around the end of next February.

I was on the phone today with Alex at PopFlash, an RFF sponsor. He mentioned there are 41 committed buyers on their M(10) camera list, and given limited availability that struck me as taking a while to fulfill!

It costs a non-refundable $500 to get onto the list. What did it cost for the list(s) you are on? 🙂

Alex said they had started their waiting list last April, when folks were expecting an M10 to be announced on May 10, so some have waited quite a time already.
 
I believe the $500 holds a place in line, but you can get out of the line and get your money back.

For this reason, pre-order deposits seem to be rather useless...
 
The smaller dealers have some benefits: (1) not hitting you out of nowhere with a $7K charge bill when a camera comes in (you usually get informed first); (2) letting you change colors (I know PopFlash does this); and (3) going to bat for you on warranty stuff in a way that the big boxes don't. You're not paying any more for the product - and not likely waiting longer, either.

The smaller dealer deposits generally are NOT refundable, but they can be applied to other goods.

Dante
 
Yes, as Dante suggested, there is a bit of a "hold" on your $500 as Alex told me that if you choose to back out they would convert the funds as a sales credit on another product. No refund.

They also maintain a "notification list" so that they will contact you when an M not otherwise spoken for becomes available. It would seem at that point though that the paid waiting list would have to be exhausted...
 
41 committed buyers doesn't necessarily mean they will all buy from pop flash, so maybe if you're at number 42 on the list you might actually be the 20th (or so) to get a camera, as there are many that put their name on every dealer list they can and buy the first camera offered. I don't personally like being on a "paid list" that long, because the wait can get frustrating especially if you see a couple popping up as available at other dealers.
 
It's kind of fun being the first on the list for things, but two days after the M was announced, I was talking to my usual dealer and he said someone had already got in line for a new M. Would I like to be the second? I had to decline, as I have no idea what will happen to the exchange rate by the time the camera hits Australia. But it would have been cool! No deposit required, just a place held for you when they start to come in.
 
I added my name to two waiting lists here in the UK. Leica of Mayfair, who wanted £1000 deposit, to guarantee an M in the first batch in Feb. But the other store no deposit required. I am not to sure about plunking down £1000 for a supposed first batch M.
 
Doug,

Currently I'm number 11 on Pop Flash's list for a Monochrome. Started out as number 15. My deposit was $1K.

I know I could of gotten a camera quicker from a smaller dealer, but because Pop Flash is a sponsor of this forum and because I have done other business with Tony and Alex in the past I feel I did the right thing.

Also know that I also inquired about getting a Chrome version of the Monochrome and Alex was very helpful in letting me know they were ready, willing and unable because the chrome version is available exclusively through Leica Solms. Pop Flash it seems is locked into Leica USA.

After talking with Alex and learning the smut, the next day I went to PhotoPlusExpo and inquired at the Leica booth to break this log-jam. A Leica Rep was very helpful and we exchanged contact info, but we both knew that Hurricane Sandy was coming. Currently a state of emergency continues for many-many people due to the storm, and my e-mail was undeliverable so far.

Anyways, part of the excitment is the waiting, and I am much relieved that I have many other great cameras. It seems that I am no longer one of the early adopters, and I'm not sure if I will be able to upgrade to a chrome version of the Monochrome. Either way I think I will be happy, but I have to say that Alex has kept me excited with updates and also has extended great flexibility that may lead to a chrome Monochrome.

Cal
 
Last I checked with Broadway Camera's Leica Boutique in Richmond, British Columbia, there was only 2 others on the waiting list, and this is an area with a lot of Leica owners ...
 
I am on the waiting list of the following Leica:
1) full frame 48 bit 18MP monochrome sensor
2)live view through an EVF with NO time lag
3)EFFECTIVE ISO (means no burnt highlights, and reasonable shadow detail) between 64 and 2000
4) shutter speed down to 1/8000th
5) not bigger than the present Monochrome
 
mfogiel said:
I am on the waiting list of the following Leica:
1) full frame 48 bit 18MP monochrome sensor
2)live view through an EVF with NO time lag
3)EFFECTIVE ISO (means no burnt highlights, and reasonable shadow detail) between 64 and 2000
4) shutter speed down to 1/8000th
5) not bigger than the present Monochrome
Click to expand...

I trust you are not holding your breath.

Cheers,

R.
 
Unless you are high on a waiting list, it seems to me that you are better off adding your name to multiple waiting lists that do not required deposits. Just my 2 cents.
 
JMQ said:
Unless you are high on a waiting list, it seems to me that you are better off adding your name to multiple waiting lists that do not required deposits. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

I see your point, but I'm in no rush. The way I see it the waiting is like foreplay, and in the end I get what I want.

Unless you are in a rush, waiting is O.K.

Meanwhile I still have all these great film cameras I intend on keeping to shoot. Its not like I'm hungry or deprived, and I'd be the first to say I'm spoiled.

Cal
 
No2 at my dealer and they said they are getting 2 black M's late December?!?!?!??? I don't know if I believe it but in truth, I got my M9 from them at a time there was still a huge waiting list for it at Leica Mayfair. They said they tend to get them earlier as they export them overseas to "select clientele" 😉 put down a very serious deposit though and am not sure I'll go ahead with the purchase yet until I see the output of the new sensor vs the M9...
 
I cannot fathom depositing funds to be on any list. I have been on many lists where I got the product very early in the cycle and never put one penny down.

For example, my wife got the first Monochrom delivered in the world, from what we can tell, without putting one cent down in advance. Just after Photokina mine showed up also without putting a penny down, even though the dealer for mine saw me with my wife's during Photokina.

I stopped using Samy's Camera for that exact reason since they put a hold on my credit card for the total purchase price of a lens I wanted.
 
M-arrival date

M-arrival date

from my source...fwiw, April if the firmware bugs get tweaked to their standards, as they dont want to release before it is right...and worst case, as late as June. I'm on the list for a chrome, but don't know where on the list that places me. Just have to wait and see.
In the mean time I got a new p&s, iPhone 5
 
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