Farewell...MP (even tho I loveya)

[swamiji]

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Not a Glock?

[FiZZ]

M film cams will be a dime a dozen eventually, IMO. And, if not, you can still buy an MP, a nice one, with patience. Meanwhile, I think going to the M9 is gonna be great. Lots to learn, and fun doing it, too. I just hope it lasts.

 

Also, consider. I expect the dollar to crater over the next few years. Funding crisis and all. I'd rather spend the money on an M9 than having it sit in a bank and earn virtually ZERO interest. It's either buy GOLK with the funds or the M9, and right now the M9 wins. However, if Leica came out with a 14 carat MP, I might go for that...talk about buying REAL money with FIAT money, and then being able to shoot nice pics with the money....

 

If you want to invest money, send it on a film M. A digital camera will NOT make you the same money you spent on it. However, a film camera might even make you MORE money, especially as time passes bu.

 

Just sayin'...

[Nikkor AIS]

Saying that the MP will never be worth a dime a dozen is a rationalization by someone who has gone digital. It discounts the marvel of mechanical perfection that these Leica film camera are. In 50 years the film lecia's will be going strong. The simple fact is when I look at the bottom of my D3 I see a 10 with arrows going in both directions. Which means even Nikon admits that the D3 will be in the bottom of a landfill/recycled in ten years. And as expensive as the M9 is Im sure the M9 is no different. Digital technology is planned obsolescence. Plain and simple.

 

 

 

 

Gregory

[SteveYork]

I could sell both my MP rangefinders for more now then I purchased them for several years ago. Sure, they'll decline in value as film users decline, but not like an M9 or M8. The fact is that purely mechanical cameras, like an F, F2 or MP, hold their value better then electronic wonders, because the improvement in technology don't much effect them.

[andalus]

Forget the Leica bodies. MP or M9, they are merely venues for the wonderful lenses. Of course they are necessary, but what only a fool would sell are the lenses. Wanna shoot film? OK, any second hand M4 or M6 will work just fine, as well as any MP. Whatever body one uses, the only thing that will matter in the final analysis is the artistry/vision of the shooter (1) and then the quality of the mounted lens (2). So I don't have a prob selling an MP, cause I can easily find a replacement. The lenses are keepers, though.

[Jeff S]

Forget the Leica bodies. MP or M9, they are merely venues for the wonderful lenses. Of course they are necessary, but what only a fool would sell are the lenses. Wanna shoot film? OK, any second hand M4 or M6 will work just fine, as well as any MP. Whatever body one uses, the only thing that will matter in the final analysis is the artistry/vision of the shooter (1) and then the quality of the mounted lens (2). So I don't have a prob selling an MP, cause I can easily find a replacement. The lenses are keepers, though.

 

That was my philosophy last year when I sold 2 M7s, and my darkroom gear, for an M8.2 and digital printing gear. Using your philosophy, you could save some dough and not even go for the M9 yet. Get an M8 or 8.2 and make sure you like the digital process.

 

I print relatively small, 2/3 in b&w, and the M8.2 has outstanding IQ for my purposes. I don't mind the crop factor, and the filters were forgotten the day I put them on.

 

But, to produce the same quality prints I got from my darkroom days, a lot more was involved...both in the non-camera gear (printer, software, inksets, papers, profiles, etc), and in the learning curve to make best use of all the tools.

 

For me, the effort has proved worthwhile. I don't miss the darkroom, and I'm more productive than ever. That has given me more time for my favorite part...going out and photographing. Film or digital, that's what counts.

 

Jeff