The effect of the Leica badge on price

[Godfrey]

The answer to your question is: Because people are willing to pay that much for these cameras.

It's certainly not Leica's fault nor does Leica have any influence on what people are willing to pay a lot of money for. And, by the way, Leica gains no benefit from used camera sales at all. So why try to grind Leica's badge into the mud about it?

Just call such sales the result of foolish people paying more than things are worth. Who freekin' cares anyway? It's their money, they get to do with it as they please. If that means heaping it in a barbecue and igniting it to watch the pretty colors being outgassed from the Treasury department's fancy inks, so be it.

I see this kind of crap thread started here every month, at least. I cannot imagine what benefit it has for RFF or for the people who participate in it. It's all negative crap.

G

 

[Archlich]

A person can`t be a bollock just things and situations 🙂

My bad but I've got my share of it 🙂

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I have no idea how Leica does it, but even rebranding works for Leica.
OP doesn't deny it.
Now the only thing he needs to accept and let it go is the fact what many people are willing to pay more even if it is not Leica made, but rebranded product.
Leica does it so good. Packaging, broken English manuals. It is so charming.
Or look at thier digital P&S. Old sensors, absolutely nothing special in rendering, including T, X and CL.
But cameras are so cute.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

It's all negative crap.

G

If you read through the thread there's really only one person being negative.

For the rest, just curiousity that the name is worth so much, when everything but the name is identical. No one is saying Leica sucks, no one is dragging their name through the mud.

 

[Huss]

I have no idea how Leica does it, but even rebranding works for Leica.
OP doesn't deny it.
Now the only thing he needs to accept and let it go is the fact what many people are willing to pay more even if it is not Leica made, but rebranded product.
Leica does it so good. Packaging, broken English manuals. It is so charming.
Or look at thier digital P&S. Old sensors, absolutely nothing special in rendering, including T, X and CL.
But cameras are so cute.

Indeed it's a strange thing the way we are so affected.

Take any of the Hasseblad Xpan series cameras. They are 100% Fujis where the absolutely only difference is the name Hasselblad. I had both the Hasselblad and Fuji version at the same time. The Xpan sold for $1000 more than my TX-1, same condition!
But I get it, there is just something to seeing the name there. And I was thankful that the buyer saw it too!
I've kept my TX-2..

 

[Huss]

The answer to your question is: Because people are willing to pay that much for these cameras.

It's certainly not Leica's fault nor does Leica have any influence on what people are willing to pay a lot of money for. And, by the way, Leica gains no benefit from used camera sales at all. So why try to grind Leica's badge into the mud about it?

Just call such sales the result of foolish people paying more than things are worth. Who freekin' cares anyway? It's their money, they get to do with it as they please. If that means heaping it in a barbecue and igniting it to watch the pretty colors being outgassed from the Treasury department's fancy inks, so be it.

I see this kind of crap thread started here every month, at least. I cannot imagine what benefit it has for RFF or for the people who participate in it. It's all negative crap.

G

Take a breath. Relax. Ohmmmmm.

 

[Emile de Leon]

I cannot imagine what benefit it has for RFF or for the people who participate in it.

It's called...fun...!
Just us wankers...pontificating...

 

[B-9]

ohhhhhhmmmmmmm resistance is futile!

 

[zuiko85]

Leica is in the enviable position of being able to price their goods high enough to actually make a profit.
At least making enough money that they can indulge in still making a couple of M film cameras, one even meterless, a real purist camera. None of the other major players would have the extra profit to do that.
Ask a few other camera companies how well they are doing. Often bringing out new models every 9 months and having to dump the last model for less than their cost. It's a brutal business world out there. I doubt Olympus has made a nickel on their camera division in the last few quarters. Not sure how Canon or Nikon or Fuji are faring.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

At least making enough money that they can indulge in still making a couple of M film cameras, one even meterless, a real purist camera. None of the other major players would have the extra profit to do that.

I wonder if the M-A is an indulgance, or a key part of their brand marketing? They might not be making any direct profit from it (I have no idea), but I suspect is represents an important part of maintaining the Leica mythology.

 

[Michael Markey]

I see this kind of crap thread started here every month, at least. I cannot imagine what benefit it has for RFF or for the people who participate in it. It's all negative crap.

G

I agree …. no benefit what ever and it`s been done to death.
Whatever happened to posting shots.

 

[CMur12]

Could it be that the typical buyer of such used cameras isn't aware that certain Leica models are rebadged from other brands?


- Murray

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Whatever happened to posting shots.

They're same place they've always been... https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=62

 

[Michael Markey]

Yep . I know Nick . 🙂
It`s just that sometimes I get tired of the " is Leica worth it , can`t cameras be simpler , film /digital threads ".
Its a photography forum , photographers are supposed to have a little imagination when instead it`s like bloody groundhog day around here sometimes. 🙂

 

[zuiko85]

Yep . I know Mick . 🙂
It`s just that sometimes I get tired of the " is Leica worth it , can`t cameras be simpler , film /digital threads ".
Its a photography forum , photographers are supposed to have a little imagination when instead it`s like bloody groundhog day around here sometimes. 🙂

For what it's worth we were having the same silly arguments back in the days before the internet.
I was selling cameras at Altman's in Chicago back in the early 70's and this "discussion" came periodically among the sales staff. I was there when Leica brought out the M5, you should have heard the noise! You would have thought it was the end of world for the Leica purest camp. At the time I was with the 'Leica is overpriced jewelry' camp, being young and stupid. Having aged (grumpy old man stage of life) I'm more in agreement with Godfrey's 'Who the hell cares' attitude. Like he said, it's their money, they can spend it however they like.

 

[nzeeman]

new people come and want ti discuss some things that we maybe already discussed... nothing wrong with it... and its always interesting to talk about power of brand. especially nowadays when its so easy to compare components used and to see that all brands share so much interior and still make different price... same as with iphone-selling inferior device for much more money...

 

[Contarama]

Could it be that the typical buyer of such used cameras isn't aware that certain Leica models are rebadged from other brands?


- Murray

That's me!! I knew about the clear but not the others

 

[Huss]

Whatever happened to posting shots.

they are posted all the time in other threads...

Apparently the market has been watching this thread because now the cheapest working Leica AF-C1 is $333 with others in the $500 range!

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=leica+af-c1&_sacat=0

The identical Minolta is in the $10-$20 range

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Leica tends to have better quality control and longer warranties. If purchasing a new item that may be an important consideration. On used item, especially one of lower level, it is especially important as you loose the warranty. Recently, correct me if I am wrong, but I have seen a sharp increase in price of M6s, especially those in very excellent condition.

 

[Huss]

Leica tends to have better quality control and longer warranties. If purchasing a new item that may be an important consideration. On used item, especially one of lower level, it is especially important as you loose the warranty. Recently, correct me if I am wrong, but I have seen a sharp increase in price of M6s, especially those in very excellent condition.

Yep, the M6 and M7 now have had a sharp increase in price. (So has the Zeiss Ikon ZM). But this thread is about re-badged cameras, not 'real' Leicas.