geesbert Posted November 7, 2009 Share #1 Posted November 7, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I already received mine, but only after nagging my dealer for weeks to give me his demo camera. it seems that more and more people are seriously pissed about not receiving theirs. is there any official and credible statement by leica what is happening there? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 7, 2009 Posted November 7, 2009 Hi geesbert, Take a look here is there any official statement about the m9 delay?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LeicaS2 Posted November 7, 2009 Share #2 Posted November 7, 2009 There is nothing official yet. Amazon is now shipping orders placed the second day of order, Sept 10. That suggests the backlog is less in November. I thought the problem was delivery of sensors from Kodak. Remember, Kodak is not a direct supplier, so they can be called a secondary supplier so as make it sound so minor. But I doubted that Leica was going to officially point fingers at Kodak. The greys are showing up now too. I think they changed the finish, or let it "age" before release. The S2 assembly team seems to be assigned to the M9 backlog too. This camera is in higher demand than the M8 ever was, and the M8 was backlogged for months too. Hey I can't get a Canon mark 4 either. (not that I've ordered one.) I know a photographer who ordered their first RF or Leica ever with this model, so the camera is attracting new users to RF and Leica which is good news for us all, but some wish they would wait in line behind the M8 beta testers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemeng Posted November 7, 2009 Share #3 Posted November 7, 2009 I just found the following in my in-box: --- For Immediate Release, Solms 8 Nov 1909: Problem? What problem? Photographers Who Photograph Cats In The Northern Hemisphere took delivery of the camera on September 9th. For anyone after that, well... "Sie müssen geduldig sein". Time for another coffee break. See you next year. --- So you see, there is nothing to worry or even be angry about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 7, 2009 Share #4 Posted November 7, 2009 Nothing new there, the M8 was backlogged four months in the beginning of 2007. Lenses will be on a waitinglist too when the M9 gets moving. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted November 8, 2009 Share #5 Posted November 8, 2009 My local photo dealer had a store-wide sale and company demos today on various items, and the regional (mid-Atlantic US) Leica rep was there. I'm not in the market for an M9, but I took the opportunity to ask how product sales were going. He didn't quote numbers, but said that M9 orders were well ahead of his initial expectations; S2 sales would meet established goals; and X1 orders were 4x greater than his expectations. He attributed the delay in S2 production primarily to demand for other products. I think this is good news for Leica, and for its customers...albeit perhaps in the longer rather than shorter run. FWIW, he said that he has been screaming at Leica for a while now about the need to produce a digital slr body...any body...to support R lenses. He says that, based on his knowledge and experience with his customer base, this would be his best selling item...by far. He says his philosophy...not popular with others...is that Leica is (are) in the optics business, not in the camera business. Don't shoot the messenger. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted November 8, 2009 Share #6 Posted November 8, 2009 I had some correspondence a few weeks ago with the Leica UK sales manager on the delay and allocation principles. His words were "Leica has been let down on some component supplies". My dealer was also told about two weeks ago, that the delay in anthracite/grey ones had been down to the coating being reformulated to improve its scratch resistance. After about 10 days of my grey one being constantly in and out of a bag, there is not a mark on it, so it seems to have worked. Supplies seem to be ramping up pretty quickly now. My guess is that by the first quarter of next year, anyone will be able to go into a Leica dealer and get one off the shelf. Just as well for Leica, as by that time, they would be wanting to move people off the M9 line onto the X1 and S2 lines. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelico Posted November 9, 2009 Share #7 Posted November 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) My local photo dealer had a store-wide sale and company demos today on various items, and the regional (mid-Atlantic US) Leica rep was there. I'm not in the market for an M9, but I took the opportunity to ask how product sales were going. He didn't quote numbers, but said that M9 orders were well ahead of his initial expectations; S2 sales would meet established goals; and X1 orders were 4x greater than his expectations. He attributed the delay in S2 production primarily to demand for other products. I think this is good news for Leica, and for its customers...albeit perhaps in the longer rather than shorter run. FWIW, he said that he has been screaming at Leica for a while now about the need to produce a digital slr body...any body...to support R lenses. He says that, based on his knowledge and experience with his customer base, this would be his best selling item...by far. He says his philosophy...not popular with others...is that Leica is (are) in the optics business, not in the camera business. Don't shoot the messenger. Jeff I really don’t get it, any serious company would do a survey or bit of marketing research to find out what demand their product will have. Its obvious to me and many M users that FF Leica will be sold in much higher quantities than M8 and yet they state that “M9 orders were well ahead of their initial expectations”. On top comes “coating being reformulated to improve its scratch resistance” – hey Leica you’ve been producing (almost ) the same body for decades and yet you have to improve scratch resistance. Poor excuses for poor productivity …. Sorry for complaining, but Leica’s marketing promises got me into paying for M9 not knowing that I will be waiting for months to get it and that got me really upset. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted November 9, 2009 Share #8 Posted November 9, 2009 I really don’t get it, any serious company would do a survey or bit of marketing research to find out what demand their product will have. Its obvious to me and many M users that FF Leica will be sold in much higher quantities than M8 and yet they state that “M9 orders were well ahead of their initial expectations”. Unless you know what their initial expectations were how can you say their statement is wrong. Leica have a highly skilled workforce. You can't just employ an addition 100 people and expect them to assemble M9s. Even if you could, what do those people do once the initial demand slows down? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 9, 2009 Share #9 Posted November 9, 2009 Sorry, that is a bit of nonsense. Leica is a limited capacity production facility which cannot just rev up the wheels of the robots to up the numbers. No way could they stock up. And yes - the coating on the M9 is new and latest coating technology - or would you rather have the old wear-off-immediately black paint? And why did you pay?? Most reputable dealers don't take deposits - or only minimal ones. I would not buy at a shop that makes me pay for a product that I don't take home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager Posted November 9, 2009 Share #10 Posted November 9, 2009 I really don’t get it, any serious company would do a survey or bit of marketing research to find out what demand their product will have. Its obvious to me and many M users that FF Leica will be sold in much higher quantities than M8 and yet they state that “M9 orders were well ahead of their initial expectations”. On top comes “coating being reformulated to improve its scratch resistance” – hey Leica you’ve been producing (almost ) the same body for decades and yet you have to improve scratch resistance. Poor excuses for poor productivity …. Sorry for complaining, but Leica’s marketing promises got me into paying for M9 not knowing that I will be waiting for months to get it and that got me really upset. The reason you don't have your camera (and I don't have mine) has nothing to do with Leica underestimating demand. The reason we don't have our cameras is because Leica ran into a parts shortage from one of their suppliers. That happens. And there's not much they can do about it. As frustrated as we M9 buyers are, can you imagine how absolutely torqued Leica management must be? After a brilliant pre-launch advertising campaign, leading up to a much-heralded and much-sought-after product, Leica is left with... almost no product to deliver. I'm as frustrated as anyone. But not at Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoersch Posted November 9, 2009 Share #11 Posted November 9, 2009 My dealer was also told about two weeks ago, that the delay in anthracite/grey ones had been down to the coating being reformulated to improve its scratch resistance. After about 10 days of my grey one being constantly in and out of a bag, there is not a mark on it, so it seems to have worked. Wilson Wow, 10 days of use and still no marks on it! Well, if the M9 is really that durable then it sould be worth every one of the 5495 Euros it costs. Who can be sure - it could even last for months... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwalker649 Posted November 9, 2009 Share #12 Posted November 9, 2009 Wow, 10 days of use and still no marks on it! Well, if the M9 is really that durable then it sould be worth every one of the 5495 Euros it costs. Who can be sure - it could even last for months... Yeah..I'll bet they won't sell one at that price! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted November 9, 2009 Share #13 Posted November 9, 2009 Wow, 10 days of use and still no marks on it! Well, if the M9 is really that durable then it sould be worth every one of the 5495 Euros it costs. Who can be sure - it could even last for months... Manfred, You may scoff but the initial grey coating was getting marked up by fingernails/bag zips etc in the first few days, so this is a distinct improvement. I managed to put a small scratch on my M8 chrome in the first month of ownership from a metal lens hood, so no finish is damage proof. If my M9 has not got scratched so far, I don't see why it should in the future, as long as I keep it away from sharp hard objects. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
photolandscape Posted November 9, 2009 Share #14 Posted November 9, 2009 Manfred, You may scoff but the initial grey coating was getting marked up by fingernails/bag zips etc in the first few days, so this is a distinct improvement. I managed to put a small scratch on my M8 chrome in the first month of ownership from a metal lens hood, so no finish is damage proof. If my M9 has not got scratched so far, I don't see why it should in the future, as long as I keep it away from sharp hard objects. Wilson I'm guessing this is the main reason why the steel grey M9's have been so scarce. Painted finishes can be ridiculously fragile if they aren't applied correctly. I had the Hasselblad XPan and you could literally take paint off the metal finish with little more than your fingernail. Not good. They ended up replacing the top plate 3X before they finally got one that had been finished properly. Sometimes it's less about the paint itself than how it is cured/heated in order to harden and resist easy scuffing and rubbing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheewai_m6 Posted November 10, 2009 Share #15 Posted November 10, 2009 as much as i understand the frustration everyone who's ordered an m9 is feeling, i can only think that this is great for leica's future. imagine if leica was able to delivered to all its customers? it would mean that there isn't much demand, or much of a future for leica. as much as everyone is frustrated and annoyed, i'm sure you'll return and continue to be leica customers in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelfocus Posted November 10, 2009 Share #16 Posted November 10, 2009 Nothing new there, the M8 was backlogged four months in the beginning of 2007. Lenses will be on a waitinglist too when the M9 gets moving. You're right about lenses going on waiting lists as well Jaap. I wanted to order a 50 Lux ASPH and was told that there was already a queue forming and it would probably be 2010 now. Well it would be good news for Leica if lens sales pick up alongside M9 demand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthury Posted November 10, 2009 Share #17 Posted November 10, 2009 There is nothing official yet.Amazon is now shipping orders placed the second day of order, Sept 10. That suggests the backlog is less in November. I thought the problem was delivery of sensors from Kodak. Remember, Kodak is not a direct supplier, so they can be called a secondary supplier so as make it sound so minor. But I doubted that Leica was going to officially point fingers at Kodak. The greys are showing up now too. I think they changed the finish, or let it "age" before release. The S2 assembly team seems to be assigned to the M9 backlog too. This camera is in higher demand than the M8 ever was, and the M8 was backlogged for months too. Hey I can't get a Canon mark 4 either. (not that I've ordered one.) I know a photographer who ordered their first RF or Leica ever with this model, so the camera is attracting new users to RF and Leica which is good news for us all, but some wish they would wait in line behind the M8 beta testers. God ... golly ... all root causes are not Leica but they are somebody else. How about upholding some accountability? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjjjuin Posted November 10, 2009 Share #18 Posted November 10, 2009 Leica is finally starting to get the cameras in larger quantities. Thisshould be the last "two weeks" that you hear quote from my leica dealer. seems encouraging huh? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrice Posted November 10, 2009 Share #19 Posted November 10, 2009 quote from my leica dealer. seems encouraging huh? Indeed, and good luck to you! I just get told "No ETA" by my dealer and I'm next in line for a camera Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted November 10, 2009 Share #20 Posted November 10, 2009 I already received mine, but only after nagging my dealer for weeks to give me his demo camera. it seems that more and more people are seriously pissed about not receiving theirs. is there any official and credible statement by leica what is happening there? it would seem the answer may lie in your question... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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