Raising funds, yes. Letting go of raised funds, tough.

[kxl]

I would like to purchase an M10.

I do not want to spend money out of pocket, but do have more than enough gear that I can sell to fund the purchase.

My difficulty is actually letting go of $6500 that I would have raised to buy an M10.

Paying $6500 as down payment on a car is not an issue, given the utility of a car. But, as a hobbyist, paying $6500 for a camera body is inciting feelings of guilt, given that I can use the money for non-photo expenses. The most that I've ever spent on any one photo item is just south of $3000, and I had absolutely no qualms about that. But $6500 for a camera seems to go beyond some imaginary threshold for me.

Is this sheer lunacy? Am I alone in thinking like this?

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Not alone. Spending that much money on a camera body without a lens could be a calmly rational decision for someone with an extremely high income and near unlimited discretionary income, because said person would not be needing to give up something else to obtain it. Lower incomes, it becomes a more emotional decision, because there are consequences. I've come to the realization over time, that, if I'm going to worry about it later, I shouldn't buy it.
If, however, I think I can get away with buying something, and not beating myself up about my foolishness later, then I'm good to go, no matter how irrational the purchase. Some people would rather have a newer car, and a less expensive camera; others are happier driving a 35 year old car if it means having the camera of their dreams.
There is no right or wrong here; for those of us for whom "the money is an issue" it's just which compromises are we willing to most happily live with. For those who can afford a $10 million dollar yacht, God bless them, spending $6,500 on a camera is no more an emotionally gut wrenching exercise than buying a magazine, because it doesn't really involve choices.
If I was someone qualified to dispense advice, which I'm not, I'd say don't do it if it bothers you, which is how it now seems.
But, like most of us, if you rationalize long enough, or up the dosage of your mood elevators, any decision will seem to make sense.

 

[back alley]

i don't even think about leica gear anymore...awhile ago i realized that at 66 it is very doubtful that i will work as a photographer or be discovered as an artist. truth is it's a hobby...since then, i don't even think about pro gear or top of the line gear. at one time getting a fuji xpro2 would have been a natural thing for me but now the xt20 does more than i need it to.
reality sucks...

 

[kxl]

But, like most of us, if you rationalize long enough, or up the dosage of your mood elevators, any decision will seem to make sense.

That's what scares me.

My practical side is saying: "If you can raise $6500 by selling some gear, why not put that money to other uses, like getting the house painted or as a down payment on a new car."

But another part of me says: "You've spent way more than $6500 if your add up all your gear, so by selling some of it you can have a shiny new M10 with absolutely no money out of pocket."

I may just end up renting the M10 for a week just to temporarily satisfy the lunacy.

 

[p.giannakis]

Is there a specific reason why you would like an M10?

 

[kxl]

i don't even think about leica gear anymore...awhile ago i realized that at 66 it is very doubtful that i will work as a photographer or be discovered as an artist. truth is it's a hobby...since then, i don't even think about pro gear or top of the line gear. at one time getting a fuji xpro2 would have been a natural thing for me but now the xt20 does more than i need it to.
reality sucks...

I hear you. I am happy with the gear I currently use, and generally don't really want anything else, but the call of a DRF is sometimes hard to ignore. I know used DRF's are cheaper and available, but $3K on a used body is not an option for me.

 

[kxl]

Is there a specific reason why you would like an M10?

I'd like a DRF (new not used), and from what I've read, the M10 "hits the spot" and honestly, I'm sure the "need for the latest and greatest" is probably a factor.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

When I bought my M9 new in 2010, I was only a tiny bit hesitant but I had a bunch of Leica lenses at the time so I thought it was worth it. Hindsight says I should have taken the student deal on a Leaf back for a Hasselblad. I'd probably still have the kit.

Phil Forrest

 

[p.giannakis]

I'd like a DRF (new not used), and from what I've read, the M10 "hits the spot" and honestly, I'm sure the "need for the latest and greatest" is probably a factor.

I always keep in mind that the reason i want something is the fact that i don't have it - things might change when i get it. So i tend not to spend too much money on things based on my desire alone - that can come and go.

 

[f16sunshine]

Hi Keith

It's a tough one.
I was just looking at some M10 images that are now coming up online.
To be completely honest and objective as possible .... I don't see anything separating those images from the M240 or 5Dx or D8xx or Fuji Xxx etc.....
For Myself.. I could not be separated from my cash for the M10 either. Not at $6500.
The performance would need to offer some separation from the pack in output.
It's just not that novel of a camera otherwise to command the price. (one bias as well for myself, I rely on Af).
So there is my opinion.

OTOH. There his a beautiful Silver MP-240 in the classified for what seems a good value price. If you really want a Cmos Leica... It's a beauty go check it out. (not mine)

 

[aizan]

after the money is spent, you don't really notice it not being there.

unless it ruins you financially, of course.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

My practical side is saying: "If you can raise $6500 by selling some gear, why not put that money to other uses, like getting the house painted or as a down payment on a new car."

I may just end up renting the M10 for a week just to temporarily satisfy the lunacy.

There is nothing easier than painting a house, which is why I do it myself. Ka-ching! Money not spent, buys just as much as money earned. I drive a 34 year old Land Cruiser, one of the most reliable things ever produced by humanity, which costs almost nothing to run and, oddly enough, is worth more now than when I bought it over 20 years ago. Ka-ching! Saved that money, spent it on cameras, happily.

Choices.

Think about something else for a while until the fever passes, then consider it again, calmly. Don't listen to us, we are not helpful. We are enablers.

 

[f16sunshine]

after the money is spent, you don't really notice it not being there.

To counter that I would say, if you spend the money you should have a whole lot of something to notice for the cash spent 😛
The tool is not a game changer in any way.
To use a car analogy, It's not like having a 4 wheel drive in the driveway when it's snowing vs a rear wheel drive. There is no advantage to the M10 vs it's contemporaries.
There is no real value add other than aesthetic.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

after the money is spent, you don't really notice it not being there.

.

See.......this guy= enabler.

 

[kxl]

Hi Keith

It's a tough one.
I was just looking at some M10 images that are now coming up online.
To be completely honest and objective as possible .... I don't see anything separating those images from the M240 or 5Dx or D8xx or Fuji Xxx etc.....
For Myself.. I could not be separated from my cash for the M10 either. Not at $6500.
The performance would need to offer some separation from the pack in output.
It's just not that novel of a camera otherwise to command the price. (one bias as well for myself, I rely on Af).
So there is my opinion.

OTOH. There his a beautiful Silver MP-240 in the classified for what seems a good value price. If you really want a Cmos Leica... It's a beauty go check it out. (not mine)

Hi Andy - I do agree that from an IQ standpoint, images from my D800e with my Sigma ART lens and to some extent, my A7R with the FE 55/1.8, are probably comparable to images form the M10. But the experience of shooting with a DRF plus the IQ is what draws me to an M10.

after the money is spent, you don't really notice it not being there.

Part of me says that as well...

I always keep in mind that the reason i want something is the fact that i don't have it - things might change when i get it. So i tend not to spend too much money on things based on my desire alone - that can come and go.

Counterpoint to the the above -- equally valid.

At the end of the day, it is probably too much money for me to shell out at once for a camera body (which may just be a case of GAS), but I just wanted to get other people's thoughts.

 

[Godfrey]

Buy a Fuji x pro 2 and save your money. Leica gear is no longer an investment. It's just another digital camera that will see a better version in a year or two. There will come a time when repair parts (electronics) won't be available. This is happening with batteries and some memory cards for 4-5 year old cameras. Just my two cents.

No camera was ever an "investment" ...

All cameras, no matter when or what, are simply equipment needed for a job. If you're running a business, the cost of your equipment is part of your "cost of doing business", and camera equipment, as capital goods, are simply depreciated over however many years you feel is appropriate (usually three). For a hobbyist, a Leica (or a Hasselblad, or a top of the line Canon or Nikon, or any other camera really) are expensive luxury goods. If you can't afford them, you don't buy them. If you can afford them and want one enough, you buy them. Period.

If you want a new Leica M10, save up your money and buy it. If you save up your money and can't bring yourself to make the purchase, you just don't want that camera enough. Nothing wrong with that ... buy some other camera and don't sweat it.

The photography you make if stressed out by the cost of the equipment you own will not be as satisfying as what you make if you're not stressed out. And it's the photography and your satisfaction in making photographs that are what's important, NOT the camera.

G

 

[Godfrey]

To counter that I would say, if you spend the money you should have a whole lot of something to notice for the cash spent 😛
The tool is not a game changer in any way.
To use a car analogy, It's not like having a 4 wheel drive in the driveway when it's snowing vs a rear wheel drive. There is no advantage to the M10 vs it's contemporaries.
There is no real value add other than aesthetic.

I cannot disagree more. Our tools influence our creative works in ways that are not discretely measurable. Getting tools that work the way you want them to and produce the results you want, whatever that might mean, is essential to producing your best work.

The analogy to an automobile isn't relevant. A Leica M10 is a camera that produces results that are different from other cameras because of what it is, what its lens and sensor see, and how you use it. The same can be said of all cameras, really, but that does not mean that all cameras can produce the same things.

Of course we are always constrained by available resources. If you don't have the money for what would really do you best, you buy something else and do the best you can with that. That's the nature of creative arts. "Not being able to bring yourself to spend the money" once you have it is the same as not being able to afford it. There's literally no difference.

G

 

[f16sunshine]

There are tools that are game changers.
The M10 is not one of them. It's just not that different from what came before it.
It offers very little in improvements. It's just a fact.

 

[JeffS7444]

I used Leica for years, including M8 and M9 and enjoyed it. But I'm afraid that buying a new Leica won't end your gear-cravings: Contentedness has to come from within you. But I took the minimal-system Leica M concept and applied it to my Sony gear, carrying just one or two lenses at a time, buying accessories sparingly. And not necessarily the fastest, top-of-the-line accessories either: Even if cost is no object, weight and bulk can be!

 

[KM-25]

I know used DRF's are cheaper and available, but $3K on a used body is not an option for me.

Why? I bought my M240 used two years ago for $4,000 and even though I have an M10 on order, I must just let it go and keep on using the M240 which has been flawless.

I tried the M10 for a good two hours in Chicago and as much as I liked it and want it, I just don't know if I feel like doling out $6,500 for it either, and I make a fantastic living with my gear.

I'll make that call when it comes in I guess, but right now I am super happy with my 240.