Leica? Not at this price

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I just received an email from Harrison Cameras in which they mention the Leica M240 Safari camera so I thought, 'go on then, let's have a look'...

...http://www.harrisoncameras.co.uk/pd...on-Digital-Rangefinder-Camera-10933_10933.htm

Seven Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Pounds!!

£7,850 !!!

I'm sure they are great cameras but unless it had sensor material mined on one of Jupiter's moons I just can't fathom the price.

I suppose it's like Rolex, but in the end, it tells the time.

Or the Dyson Airblade hand-drier (£750)...a glorified paper towel (1p-ish).
 
They will be bought, and put in glass cases.

They're not real cameras.
 
Some probably will but they are still real cameras. I dare say there are some Mustangs in the automotive equivalent of glass cases - does that make yours not a real car? (FWIW, I don't own a Leica, nor do I particularly want one but if someone gave me one of those mentioned above, I would use it rather than keep it as a glorified paperweight.)
 
Leica seem to do quite a few "special" editions - I think there was an M9P "hermes" edition at £30k although it came with 3 matching lenses and also the M-P "correspondent" which is "pre-brassed".
To me a camera is a tool rather than a fashion item so I'd only ever get the standard model of a camera.
 
That's not a bad price, it includes the Summicron-M 35mm F2 ASPH Lens........ I would think that most will be bought and used .......... the standard M240 is about £5k without a lens .... similar to the Canon 1DX and Nikon D4S

It's the only digital RF around and if that's what you want, and a lot do, then they will sell quite easily ...... to people who use them

All Leica kit has always been "expensive"
 
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It looks nice, but so does the x-t1 and it's much cheaper. And aren't some of fujis x line rangefinder style like the xpro 1?
 
If you are in the market for a Leica, cant really see a Fuji being on the shopping list however good it might be.

Also the Leica is likely to be the better investment when it comes to resale.
 
boliston said:
"rangefinder style" is not the same as "rangefinder" unfortunately
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I didn't know there was a difference but I see what you mean, also, if you see the price of the Leica and find out you're not in the market, a fuji alternative that doesn't hold its value would be my second choice then haha
 
ShinySideUp said:
I just received an email from Harrison Cameras in which they mention the Leica M240 Safari camera so I thought, 'go on then, let's have a look'...

...http://www.harrisoncameras.co.uk/pd...on-Digital-Rangefinder-Camera-10933_10933.htm

Seven Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Pounds!!

£7,850 !!!

I'm sure they are great cameras but unless it had sensor material mined on one of Jupiter's moons I just can't fathom the price.

I suppose it's like Rolex, but in the end, it tells the time.

Or the Dyson Airblade hand-drier (£750)...a glorified paper towel (1p-ish).
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Haven't got a clue about the camera sorry but I love it when I use a public loo that has a Dyson Airblade so quick, no standing around for 2 mins waiting to dry your hand on warm tepid air, bang them in the airblade and 10 secs later perfectly dry :)
 
BillN_33 said:
That's not a bad price, it includes the Summicron-M 35mm F2 ASPH Lens........ I would think that most will be bought and used .......... the standard M240 is about £5k without a lens .... similar to the Canon 1DX and Nikon D4S

It's the only digital RF around and if that's what you want, and a lot do, then they will sell quite easily ...... to people who use them

All Leica kit has always been "expensive"
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Isn't the xpro1 a digital rangefinder? Serious question not being awkward
 
shreds said:
If you are in the market for a Leica, cant really see a Fuji being on the shopping list however good it might be.

Also the Leica is likely to be the better investment when it comes to resale.
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Not sure about that. How much is a Leica likely to depreciate over say 2 years? At a guess, it'll be more than an X-Pro 1 will cost you now.

As Adrian has pointed out, while the X-Pro looks and handles a bit like a rangefinder, it isn't one really! (Personally, I prefer the handling and focussing of the X-Pro over the Leicas I've handled and the Fuji does feel very well made.) Leicas are lovely pieces of engineering (or the film ones were, at least) but whether they can maintain this reputation in the digital era remains to be seen. I can easily live without one and will be sticking to the Fuji!
 
If you want the ever ready case (material unspecified) then add £330.

I expect that cameras like this are in the group where if the price is a concern they are just not for you (or me).
 
Looks rather stylish to me. If I had that sort of money going spare I might be tempted ( .... but I haven't, so I won't!! ... :rolleyes:). Just have to stick to my run-of-the-mill Canon stuff ... hey ho ...
 
They are only as expensive as the top Canon and Nikon models

Lens prices can be high but they last forever and some are unique in certain situations
an modern bodies can still use the any lens back to the 1930's

If you handle one you can feel the build quality
 
7850 isn't too out of line with Leica's prices for their normal stuff considering it comes with a 35/2 ASPH + different hood and some accessories.

Standard Leica M-P: 5.3k, 35/2 ASPH 2.2k, leather strap/case/different hood should make up the difference.
 
jakeblu said:
Isn't the xpro1 a digital rangefinder? Serious question not being awkward
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Nope - it looks like a rangefinder, but the term "rangefinder" refers to the manual focusing mechanism that the Leica M cameras use. The XPro1 uses standard autofocus rather than a manual rangefinder (though you can focus it manually, it's not a rangefinder mechanism).

I quite like that Safari actually. If I had the money and a lot more besides, I'd have one. I don't so I'm sticking with my rangedfinder-style Fuji X100T which is just fantastic, and a bargain at just under £1000.
 
I'd love one, but not at that price. I have an M8 which I bought secondhand, probably 5 years ago now, after the M9 came out. It's still worth 75% of what I paid even though the M9 has been superseded at least twice since then. The Fuji XE1 I bought since then however has decreased in value to almost nothing.
 
After looking at it closely .......... it's a bargain
 
magicolor1 said:
I'd love one, but not at that price. I have an M8 which I bought secondhand, probably 5 years ago now, after the M9 came out. It's still worth 75% of what I paid even though the M9 has been superseded at least twice since then. The Fuji XE1 I bought since then however has decreased in value to almost nothing.
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I also have an M8 as it's the only currently readily available "affordable" digital rangefinder on the market and good value at about £1k second hand, so half the price of a second hand M9 and does not seems to suffer from cracked sensors like the M9. Also shoots 14 bit raw with the m8raw2ndg software package.
 
boliston said:
I also have an M8 as it's the only currently readily available "affordable" digital rangefinder on the market and good value at about £1k second hand, so half the price of a second hand M9 and does not seems to suffer from cracked sensors like the M9. Also shoots 14 bit raw with the m8raw2ndg software package.
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Yup, and I like having the option to shoot IR just by swapping a filter :)
 
theres the epson r1d1 or rd1 which was made by voitlander

theres also some company allegidly doing a full digital range finder

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/22...-digital-rangefinder-in-the-pipeline-for-2016

modern leica lenses are extremely good, and normally render more attractive pictures of the same stuff than most other lenses, and for middle distance and focal length they are a good tool, not sure on ultrawide, but telephoto is better with slr/ttl and and so is macro
 
ShinySideUp said:
I just received an email from Harrison Cameras in which they mention the Leica M240 Safari camera so I thought, 'go on then, let's have a look'...

£7,850 !!!
Click to expand...

I can't see myself ever paying that for a camera system but good luck to those who do.

If you want to buy into the badge and stick it in a glass case and drool over it when friends come over that just fine and using it is just fine too as if you want a digital 35mm RF your choices are a bit limited.

There's room for all sorts in this world and you're a long time dead so although this isn't for me I say live and let live and I'm sure they'll sell :D
 
It's certainly a thing of beauty and will feel so smooth in action. Looks a lot like my old IIIg rangefinder which sadly spends it's time in a display case since I went digital but before that it was in regular use long after I got an SLR because it was so compact and easy to use. It must have been in use for nearly 50 years. Don't know whether this model will last so long.
 
Made as a millionaires toy

They're all at it ,250k for a Ferarri , let's make one for a million and see if it sells, ooo it did

Porsche, hey they sold a car for a million quid , we'll make one and on and on.

Handbags,shoes,coats even suitcases if there's amarket for it they'll make it

But yes it is nuts, £8000 for a camera
 
wack61 said:
Made as a millionaires toy

They're all at it ,250k for a Ferarri , let's make one for a million and see if it sells, ooo it did

Porsche, hey they sold a car for a million quid , we'll make one and on and on.

Handbags,shoes,coats even suitcases if there's amarket for it they'll make it

But yes it is nuts, £8000 for a camera
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only about £5k is for the camera - pretty much in the same ballpark as a nikon d4s - we are looking at flagship body prices here remember
 
popped into Wilkinson's Liverpool last week and they have it in there on display!!!....aimed at the serious buyer/collector i suppose. Its camera porn for middle aged photographers lol
...now! ...where did i put that cheque book ;)
 
They're still a lot cheaper than a digital Hasselblad, PhaseOne, Alpa, etc etc.
 
Pretty outrageous pricing really, they aren't even made in Germany any more are they? Having said that, just got back from Hong Kong and Leica must be doing something right as a good few Leica shops have appeared since my last visit a couple of years ago!
 
JYC said:
Pretty outrageous pricing really, they aren't even made in Germany any more are they? Having said that, just got back from Hong Kong and Leica must be doing something right as a good few Leica shops have appeared since my last visit a couple of years ago!
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they have factories in solms and wetzlar i think - not aware of any leica factories elsewhere
 
JYC said:
Pretty outrageous pricing really, they aren't even made in Germany any more are they? Having said that, just got back from Hong Kong and Leica must be doing something right as a good few Leica shops have appeared since my last visit a couple of years ago!
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All the "real" Leicas are still made in Germany. It's only the Panasonic pseudo-Leicas that are made elsewhere.
 
Rolex said:
popped into Wilkinson's Liverpool last week and they have it in there on display!!!....aimed at the serious buyer/collector i suppose. Its camera porn for middle aged photographers lol
...now! ...where did i put that cheque book ;)
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With a username like yours I'd have thought you'd be all for it!

Just bear in mind that for the same kind of money you could have an Apple Watch Edition. I know where my money would be going (if I had that sort of cash to splash) and it wouldn't be on a watch which is likely to be mostly obsolete in a few years.
 
magicolor1 said:
All the "real" Leicas are still made in Germany. It's only the Panasonic pseudo-Leicas that are made elsewhere.
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I think that some of the rebadged Panasonics say "Made in German" on the back don't they?

I can't remember the rules on applying a Made In X badge but a looong while ago it was (as far as I do remember) to do with "substantial change." What substantial change is though may well be open to a little poetic licence... So if you pay someone in Thailand peanuts to make a Panasonic camera and then ship it to Germany and pay someone there European levels to apply the made in Germany sticker you maybe meet the rules if you bend them enough :D Or maybe something more substantial is done like adding or changing the firmware etc or maybe the cameras are shipped as a kit and assembled in Germany. "Assembled in Germany" or "Produced in Germany" maybe don't carry the same cachet as "Made In" though.

I don't know what percentage of a modern "real" Leica is made or assembled in Germany. Flow soldering, surface mount and testing etc is perfectly possible and economic in Europe (I used to work for a company which did) but I think it's likely that some of the electronics and other bits and pieces will come as sub assemblies.

The whole thing will no doubt be open to abuse/poetic licence, for example another company I used to work for shipped complete products either in the "makers" boxes or with no identifying marks at all and when a prestige brand is involved I'd expect this to be doubly so :D
 
Surely something so unique and not quite aimed at the mass market should be priced at 7500 guineas :-)
 
tonybassplayer said:
Surely something so unique and not quite aimed at the mass market should be priced at 7500 guineas :)
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it is a camera that will be bought and used

a Basic M240 is £5.3k
the 35/2 ASPH is £2.2k

This is a "normal" price for the Leica ...........it is not one to put in a Glass case .......... way too inexpensive for that

I have a few Leica's but stopped at the M8 .............. if I bought a new M240 and 35/2 at current prices I would not feel that I had paid over the odds ....... same with a Nikon D4S and their 58mm f1.2

OK top camera gear is expensive but I cannot understand why some of you think that it will only be bought to put in a display case ....... are you saying that Leica's are not good cameras?
 
BillN_33 said:
it is a camera that will be bought and used

a Basic M240 is £5.3k
the 35/2 ASPH is £2.2k

This is a "normal" price for the Leica ...........it is not one to put in a Glass case .......... way too inexpensive for that

I have a few Leica's but stopped at the M8 .............. if I bought a new M240 and 35/2 at current prices I would not feel that I had paid over the odds ....... same with a Nikon D4S and their 58mm f1.2

OK top camera gear is expensive but I cannot understand why some of you think that it will only be bought to put in a display case ....... are you saying that Leica's are not good cameras?
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I have a 35/2 ASPH on my M8 but I didn't pay anywhere near £2.2k for it! I bought mine (used) probably about 12 years ago in the pre-digital (Leica) era so prices were depressed as people were selling up their film Leica gear to go for digital from other manufacturers. Once Leica came out with the M8 the used lens prices recovered, and new prices seem to have climbed significantly. They still produce some of the best glass available, but it's the usual case of diminishing returns for any high-end product. Compare with high-end HiFi and these prices are cheap!
 
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