So there I was on Friday in the Leica shop ...

[AndySig]

Last week I popped back over to the UK and wandered into a camera shop which is essentially a Leica specialist that sells a few other things. I was after another thing (hood for ZM tele tessar 85 mm) which the bloke had. The ZM lens in question was fitted to my M6 body and this led the bloke to tell me that the vast majority of the lenses he is currently selling to Leica owners are made by Zeiss. He said that even the rock stars and actors amongst his clientele are baulking at Leica prices and that he wasn't sure who was actually buying them. He said that he had raised the price issue with Leica who replied that they are selling everything they can make at the moment. Interestingly, they can apparently only knock out 1,700 lenses a year working flat out.

So clearly somebody is buying them, presumably to go with their brand new M9s. But the prices are silly.

 

[sparrow6224]

I am reading -- in bits and fragments, jumping around in the text -- Erwin Puts' new Leica Compendium and, immersed in that, no price would surprise me. If I had the money, I would buy the S2 and a set of the lenses. If I had the money, I would not buy an M-9, I'd buy a D3s or 5D mk II or D700. But that's just me. That said, for my M4-P, I'd DEFINITELY buy the Summilux 50 and the Summicron 75 ASPH..... These rock stars don't know sh*t about how to spend all that money they have.

 

[Rogier]

Limited Supply + Quality Products = High Prices.
Also future collectibles...

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Of course, that'll also drive the price of used Leica glass through the ceiling.

 

[LeicaFan]

Problem is, the alternatives (e.g. ZMs) are in short supply as well and as a consequence, drives up the prices.

I agree. I've been trying to find a Zeiss Planar 50/2 and have had almost no luck. Somebody on the getDPI forums sent me a PM saying that he would sell me his for $1200. 😡

I understand that the prices go up as the demand goes up and supply goes down, but some people are getting greedy and some of the recent sales have been flat-out robbery (e.g., 35mm Summilux going for 7-8k)...

 

[Roger Hicks]

I agree. I've been trying to find a Zeiss Planar 50/2 and have had almost no luck. Somebody on the getDPI forums sent me a PM saying that he would sell me his for $1200. 😡

I understand that the prices go up as the demand goes up and supply goes down, but some people are getting greedy and some of the recent sales have been flat-out robbery (e.g., 35mm Summilux going for 7-8k)...

You can't rob someone who is willing to pay the price: he always has the option to walk away from the deal.

Cheers,

R.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I'm glad I just managed to buy a Zeiss Biogon ZM from a fellow RFF member for half the price of a new, with hood and boxes included. Methinks it's going to be my last Leica-related purchase in a very loooooong time... especially given the pre$ent circumstances.

 

[LeicaFan]

You can't rob someone who is willing to pay the price: he always has the option to walk away from the deal.

Cheers,

R.

I knew somebody would say that. Well, maybe it isn't exactly robbery, but it's definitely greed. What ever happened to giving others a good deal? I've always gotten good deals with my photography stuff and because of that, I will always give good deals to people. I guess some people let their greed take over. I, for one, will not support that.

 

[anu L ogy]

Did I read that correctly? Can they seriously only produce 1,700 in total per year, or 1,700 of each type of lens?

 

[huntjump]

Did I read that correctly? Can they seriously only produce 1,700 in total per year, or 1,700 of each type of lens?

Hand assembled, very scrupulous quality control measures. 1700 still seems low, but accurate given the scarcity lol

 

[Tzelet]

I think Leica should rise their prices. Everywhere I turn, I see new lenses being flipped, just like Banksy prints. People buy them, and sell them for a profit at the first opportunity. There's nothing wrong with that, but I hate the prewritten script it comes with: "I thought I should offer this to my friends first, before putting it on eBay" (cough, *getDPI* cough).

If lenses are this scarce, Leica is simply not pricing them correctly, and ought to increase the prices accordingly.

 

[Tzelet]

Seriously, to me it makes very little difference if the latest 35mm Summilux ASPH costs $5000 or $8000: I can't afford it either way. But if they're selling for $8000, I'd rather see those extra $3000 go back to the company/dealer that will keep developing and distributing the lenses and cameras, instead of some guy that spends far too much time on a forum.

 

[Richard G]

The place where i buy film and get processing had some Summarits and a chrome 35 (ASPH?) and one other chrome Leica lens - maybe six or seven Leica lenses in all a few months ago. Some dealer from HK rang and asked what they had. He said he'd take the lot. They had two Ikons and four or five ZM lenses when I was there 10 days ago, and a new BP MP that was so long arriving after being ordered in August last year that whoever ordered it had got a Nikon instead. I could have had that MP, which I held, or an M9, courtesy of my wife for my birthday, but the prices are too ridiculous, and I've already got an MP, only better - an M2. She's agreed I can have the M10. I won't hold her to that.

 

[HenningW]

..... Interestingly, they can apparently only knock out 1,700 lenses a year working flat out. ...

That doesn't make a lot of sense. Serial numbers are well over 4,000,000 by now, and although not all serial numbers have had actual lenses attached to them most have. Leica has been making lenses for 80 years, approx and at present make as many or more per year than during much of that time. In any case, that averages out to 50,000 per year which seems reasonable. I would not be surprised if their present output is twice that per year. 1,700 has to either have the decimal displace by two orders or be the production of some specific lower volume model.

Henning

 

[Gid]

As already said, supply and demand.

I recently picked up an M6 and an M7 (long story) at, IMO, very reasonable prices. I also picked up a CV 35 2.5 P1 for £199 and I am amazed at how sharp it is - even after scanning on my Epson flatbed (I had a 35 2.5 PII before but only used on digital). My point, as most of you know, you don't need to spend big money on Leica or even Zeiss if you're just interested in the end product. CV make some very nice lenses.

 

[walnuts]

It helps when 1 billion people get rich overnight(on a global scale) and also have a small obsession with status symbols.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I knew somebody would say that. Well, maybe it isn't exactly robbery, but it's definitely greed. What ever happened to giving others a good deal? I've always gotten good deals with my photography stuff and because of that, I will always give good deals to people. I guess some people let their greed take over. I, for one, will not support that.

Whose greed?

Isn't the willingness of someone to pay [what you consider to be] an absurdly inflated price a form of greed too? "I must have it, so I'll pay whatever it takes."

Sorry, the argument doesn't wash. A "fair price" is one where both sides are happy -- but there will always people who will whinge, after completing any deal, as buyer or seller, "I was ripped off."

Cheers,

R.

 

[fotomeow]

Leica controls production to control the value of their items. its just like controlling oil production or any other commodity. if they dont do that, all their gear will fall in value. a basic business model. sad but true.

 

[Gid]

It does seem that in some specific niches (generally luxury goods) there is more disposable income than available product, so prices rise. That is just how it is and no amount of bemoaning the fact will change that. Only when supply increases either through more production or because the latest fad has passed will prices move downwards. I can wait 😉

 

[Roger Hicks]

Further thought: WHY should I sell something cheap to someone I don't know? Sure, I may sell cheap to a friend or acquaintance, but then again, I've had 'friends' buy cheap (or even accept gifts) and then sell on immediately, at a profit.

If there's a going price, there's a going price. Is that greed? Hard to see how.

Cheers,

R.