Poll: Who's Getting the Upgrade?

[Bill Blackwell]

M8 cameras will continue to be sold as they are and the upgrade is always extra. Dealers will not be able to have an advantage and apparently, customers will not have to select every upgrade as they come along.

The first "upgrade" package is a sapphire crystal LCD screen and a new, quieter (lower top speed) shutter, at a cost of 1200 Euros (around $1,800). This first upgrade will apparently have no effect on how the camera takes pictures.

So, who's going to do it?

 

[Ascender]

I will be first in line pledging my life and soul to the Leica Gods for the upgrade

I will be first in line pledging my life and soul to the Leica Gods for the upgrade

M8 cameras will continue to be sold as they are and the upgrade is always extra. Dealers will not be able to have an advantage and apparently, customers will not have to select every upgrade as they come along.

The first "upgrade" package is a sapphire crystal LCD screen and a new, quieter (lower top speed) shutter, at a cost of 1200 Euros (around $1,800). This first upgrade will apparently have no effect on how the camera takes pictures.

So, who's going to do it?

There...... that should sufficiently irritate some M8 have nots.😀

-charlie

 

[retow]

An upgrading concept sounds compelling. Yet what is being offered does not improve the M8 as a tool for picture taking. Hopefully future upgrading packages include more exciting technical improvements of the camera.

Therefore, I'll skip this one, but am open to consider future upgrades.

 

[Tuolumne]

Do you have to own an M8 to participate in this poll? :angel:

/T

 

[kbg32]

I'll take one upgrade at a time.....

 

[Todd.Hanz]

There...... that should sufficiently irritate some M8 have nots.😀

-charlie

naaaah, the upgrade for the M3 thru MP3 is already here, ISO from 50-12,800 and beyond. Does your upgrade do that??? 😱

(just yankin' your chain bra')

 

[mas]

Instead of talking about upgrades, I think we should be talking class action. Two problem areas should have been addressed during initial manufacturing. Leica just put a price tag on them. They should be paying us.

Michael

 

[Peter G1G2]

I will be first in line pledging my life and soul to the Leica Gods for the upgrade

-charlie

Congrats Charlie.

May I ask why? What do you think makes it worth the €1200?

I'm still in doubt, because the shuttersound doesn't really bother me, and my very first plastic screen-protonus still sticks just fine.

But I sure would like the extra 2 years of full warranty 🙄

Thanks,

Peter

 

[Mike Ip]

I voted undecided, but I think I'll probably see how the subsequent upgrades are going to be like. The sapphire screen sounds great, but as mentioned already, it doesn't increase the capability of the camera. The current shutter is fine for what I do right now, and doesn't seem to be worth it. The warranty on the other hand might be worth it, but I just bought my M8 3 months ago. I'll probably consider an upgrade in 21 months.

 

[usayit]

unless the update adds to the camera's IMage quality and/or useability, I'll pass.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Think about it...

If this is what we're going to get for 1200 Euros, what do you imagine a full-frame digital sensor upgrade is going to cost? This would not only involve a new shutter mechanism, but also new frame masking and light shield, but also a new rangefinder!

 

[POINT OF VIEW]

Up What?

Up What?

The camera salesman said to the customer, as he leaves the store with his new M8, can I interest you in a upgrade Sir?

 

[Gid]

What really irks me is non M8 owners beeing annoyd of upgrades when it doesnt effect them in any way what so ever.

I know I have a point.... 🙂

I have to agree with Erik 🙂

Lets try and break down these costs and see if they make any more sense 😱

Courier from and to your house 100 Euros
A days labour 400 Euros
Parts 300 Euros
Profit (20%) 200 Euros

That leaves us 200 Euros short assuming my figures are anywhere near reality - I've based a days labour cost (cost to the company, not just pay) on UK figures - probably higher in Germany. There will almost certainly be some contingency in the cost to cover other parts that may need replacing. So, whilst we can all argue about the utility value of the upgrade and the requirement for upfront payment I am not sure that the cost of the upgrade is that far off the mark. Also bear in mind that in the EU that cost includes tax which probably is the missing 200 Euros.

 

[Gid]

The full Cla and extended 2 years warranty cost cash.

I had notionally allowed for the CLA in the days labour and contingency, but I had forgotten about the warranty.

I think that there is another problem from a US perspective - over the years I've got used to the fact for US goods (mainly guitars) what the US pays in dollars, the UK pays in GB pounds (it has changed due to the exchange rate fluctuations and now the parity seems to be with Euros), so you might expect the upgrade to cost in the region of $1200 in the US and 1200 Euros in Europe. So, for someone in the US $1700/1800 will seem steep.

 

[xihalife]

What really irks me is non M8 owners beeing annoyd of upgrades when it doesnt effect them in any way what so ever.

I know I have a point.... 🙂

Indeed. The non-owners should be happy they heard about it before making a purchase so they can at least make a choice on whether to buy the camera (which now stands to cost 1200 more if you feel the upgrade is necessary) or not.

I am not going to upgrade. I shoot mostly outdoors so I have never noticed the shutter sound (it's about the same as DSLR's). The warranty would be nice, but I just bought my M8 so it's not important for me just yet. My only wish is that the future upgrades will not require the purchase of the previous ones... but I don't think it will as they would end up with gradually smaller and smaller potential group of customers who can even consider upgrading.

 

[sjw617]

Quote:
The LEICA M8 Upgrade Program ...... presently investigating the possibility of further upgrade steps including the camera’s complete digital section, even including the sensor itself.

I don't think a new sensor will mean a full frame sensor, just a new cropped one. If the camera was designed to work with a cropped sensor, how will a full frame be able to work? If it is put into the same place won't there be major vignetteing? Aren't cropped and full frame cameras designed differently?
And remember it says investigating.... not planning.

Steve

 

[ZebGoesZeiss]

Of course there will be an updated camera sometime in the future. It simply doesn't make sense to offer a stripped camera, that "everyone" has to send in for upgrading anyway. And a bit further down the line: Leica will go Apple, and cut the retailers. All Leica's will be made to order. Or there might be a "basic" version available through the retailers, but that will have to evolve with technology, no way the M8 is sold with a 10MP crop sensor three years from now.

And what about the upgrades? What is the value of "new" two years warranty on an already new camera? I'm exited about this latest move from Leica, but I do hope they have thought about these things...

 

[dseelig]

2 year warrnty

2 year warrnty

Most consumer advocates will tell you do not buy an extended warranty.
everything here is to leicas advantage. Canon for a 1d shutter charges 400 bucks in stalled. If the glass is the same as canon which everyone says it is it will sratch.

 

[Rayt]

Am I the only one here who thinks the shutter has too much vibration? I don't care about the noise but the vibration is causing unsharp photos at slow speeds. I am glad Leica has a fix but at the same time I feel this was a design flaw we shouldn't have to pay for. And what is this about paying in advance for work you don't get for 6 months? I really have mega bucks invested in lens coding and filters else I would just ditch it.

 

[Iron Flatline]

UNDECIDED, leaning toward "probably not the first one". I want to hear the shutter, and if it is a substantial improvement I will do it. I was shooting a wedding last night, and would have preferred to be less audible. The other upgrade components aren't that interesting to me. When the FF comes I will DEFINITELY upgrade to get more wideness out of my wider lenses. 21mm would be nice again.

LOL, soon we will be able to stop comparing Leica to Porsche in terms of business models. With enough Upgrades and Bolt-On stuff we can start comparing Leica to Harley-Davidson, another brand that benefits from a history greatly distorted in the minds of those looking back through the haze of time, and filled with those much maligned dentists and attorneys vs. the supposedly true old-schoolers...