Film Leicas: Less than 5% of U.S. new M camera sales

[Guest AgXlove]

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At least the Leica M shooters in Japan still get it.

 

With the ease of use and flexibility of digital cameras, how many film-based snappers do you think are still sold? We don’t have figures from across the industry, but according to Leica USA president Roger Horn, less than 5-percent of his company’s cameras sold in the US are analog. Meanwhile Leica UK’s managing director, David Bell, reckons that film cameras account for around 6-percent of the company’s M-series.

 

However Bell also insists that film-based cameras are still relevant, pointing to a strong second-hand market and a cultish popularity in Japan. He blames the US obsession with the latest gadget for the disparity in figures, suggesting that “‘new’ tends to command greater attention”. Still, it remains to be seen whether refreshing Leica’s two analog cameras, the MP and M7, is a priority for the firm.

[via Amateur Photographer]

 

Link: Leica USA: analog cameras less than 5% of sales

[wattsy]

Discussed here a little while ago.

[Guest joewehry]

I recall back in the late 90s everyone said Apple was going out of business because of their small market share....

 

One perspective: From the New York Times to the New York Post nothing gets readers like a good controversy. Bloggers know this. Money is made in part by advertising which is not only priced by space but is affected by readership. Companies want their ads seen by the most people, so newsmakers will report the items that will get them traffic, without pissing off customers and advertisers too much.

 

For example: What makes for better copy, announcing iPad festivities or reporting on the thousands of frustrated Apple users who will have to upgrade or buy new computers if they want to meet the system requirements of the new device? That'd make people happy.

 

Back to our camp...do you really think newspapers are going to report on the longevity of film cameras or the quality of film images, or the millions of consumers who have wasted billions of dollars replacing digital cameras every year?

 

If you're worried, buy a new Leica M7 or MP, or kick butt and do the a la carte. And keep shooting film. A company will only supply what people buy.

[Xmas]

Hi

 

Many of the M9 (and M8 before) sales are to people who have never had a Leica.

 

They buy a lens or several lenses to go with the camera leaving a shortage of 5cm, 3.5cm or even 2.8 cm lenses, new and second hand.

 

If they keep the camera then we have new M users, some may even buy a spare film body.

 

Noel

[plasticman]

As I mentioned in another thread - you can do whatever you like with statistics like this: for instance, the sudden buying frenzy of M9s would definitely shrink the apparent percentage of film cameras sold - but the actual amount may be roughly constant (although probably gradually shrinking).

 

Far more interesting would be a sample that showed the pattern in sales over a number of years instead.

 

What really is significant is how little effort and promotion is going into selling film cameras in contrast to the M9 or the S2, and yet still maintaining 5% of total sales.

 

Also of significance is how Leica themselves seem to view the 5% figure - seems to me the reference seems rather disparaging - and therefore their efforts to promote film cameras are hardly going to be increased, but rather the reverse.

As so often, the death of film is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

[SteveYork]

I'm not surprised, given the cost of new analog cameras from Leica, compare to the competition (Zeiss and Voigtlander). I wouldn't buy Leica if I was getting into rangefinder photography today (unless, of course, I wanted a digital rangefinder or got a screaming deal).

[R.Morrison]

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And not Japan only! There seems to be about as much enthusiasm for an 'M' in China though I have no idea what leica's sales figures would be. I only know that every time I raised my M4-P to my eye in Shinyang, it was to a chorus of, "Leica! Hen hao!" from passersby. And then there was the charlady in the Fushun dept. store who just stood in front of me transfixed in admiration for something she very well knew the value of but had little chance of ever owning.

Yours,

R. Morrison

[holmes]

As someone else has said, look to Japan. Not only for Leica but for medium format, film. There seems to be a resurgence in going back to film, from the country that started it all, or most. The US market I would consider very unstable ground. "What's the latest fad?" We are a 'fad' culture. 'I got'a have it.' Be it a ten year old, or a 45 YO in his/her office. Japan made a 'god' of the 'throw away culture'. It is interesting to see them now, reverting back to Leica and their own medium formats. They know what quality is.

[contaxgary]

What happens when you factor in the sale of all Leica cameras.. new and used..film vs. digital?

[Xmas]

Hi

 

Just looked at the film and digital forum on our site 13% of on line people in the two sub fora are film...

 

Noel