Tuolumne said:
A few reasons:
(1) I needed more resolution. I'd not been happy with A3+ (20 inch) prints from my R-D1 ever since I saw my friend's 20-inch prints from his Canon 5D. It's not that the R-D1 prints are bad - they actually very good and hold their own against most dSLRs, and it was only when I was printing very large (i.e. A3+) that I started thinking about buying a new camera ...
(2) I like small, manually controlled mechanical cameras - and the only digital alternative is an M8 (I would prefer something like an Olympus OM1 with a digital sensor - but that's a pipe dream). Anyway, I'm used to rangefinders now and have Leica-mount lenses, and, as the R-D1 is my only camera, if I got a Canon 5D I'd have to buy new lenses as well.
(3) More megapixels isn't the complete answer to better digital images, in my opinion (large Canon 400D 10 MP prints don't look that different to those from my old 6 MP Canon 10D). The large sensor in the 5D definitely adds something to the quality of images compared with most APS-size sensors - but Leica M8 photos have a delicacy of tone and rendering that puts them above all the images I've seen from dSLRs.
(4) I like well-crafted tools that are still relevant to the present (hence my 30-year-old custom Guzzi Le Mans). Photography's a hobby for me, so practicality isn't everything: a Canon 5D would do the job, but there's no pleasure to be taken in its use - it's just a utilitarian lump of plastic. In contrast, the Leica is a delight - superbly engineered and built, mostly (like the R-D1), from metal.
(5) Allied to the previous point, I don't like viewing things as disposable - I hate the philosophy that if, for example, your TV breaks, you don't fix it but buy a new one. Often, you don't have a choice: frequently it's impossible to get an item repaired - or costs more than a new one to do so - and new model supersedes new model. In 20 years' time my Epson R-D1 will still take excellent photos - but if it needs an overhaul or a replacement part there's not a chance: Epson's would consider it a long-dead, obsolete product of no value, and think you mad to hang on to it for two decades! In contrast, I really like Leica's philosophy: I suspect they'll look after M8s for many years (granted there may be difficulties long term, e.g. if Leica can't source replacement sensors or LCDs - but I'm sure they'll look after their customers for as long as they're able to).
(6) If my M8 breaks, I can rely on Leica to fix it without drama.
