Can't find a 50mm Summilux 1.4 for love nor money!

[Dannybuoy]

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Anyone else having the same problem? Just worked my ass off and sold a load of my old Canon gear to buy a Summilux 50mm. I've been toiling over whether to buy one for a while. Over the weekend made my mind up. Silly me. rang a load of shops today and discovered you can't get them anywhere! Waiting lists galore. Any one know where there is stock in the UK? I imagine there probably isn't but you never know. Gutted as the VAT goes up in the UK in Jan so this lens will cost quite a bit more. Oh well, by the sounds of all reviews it'll still be worth it.

[egrossman]

If you are prepared to buy one in the US I suggest you register at nowinstock.net and register which lenses you have interest in. As soon as one of the participating stores gets inventory you get an email message. This is how I got my 50mm Summilux (from B&H).

[lars_bergquist]

Leicashop in Vienna is a good source in the E.U. (https://www.leicashop.com/) But there are really no privileged providers. Leica sold out their entire planned production run of M9 bodies in just nine months. They have had to revise their plans upward drastically.This means that lots of people also want new super lenses. The production of these cannot be arbitrarily expanded just like that – rare glass has to be ordered months in advance, and Leica cannot expand the workforce very rapidly either. Highly competent craftsmen must be trained, and if they are sacked six months later, they won't come back, so they have to be treated as long term assets. So it's not just a matter of turning a dial from "forward" to "extra fast forward".

 

There was an anecdote about the upper-crust ladies of Boston. When somebody asked them "where do you get those hats?" the reply was "we do not get our hats. We have our hats." And just now it's much the same with most Leica lenses. My own local dealer is also pretty well out of stock. "You put the lens in its glass case with one hand, and take it out with the other hand to be sold", said a salesperson. And indeed, the cases were largely empty. No demonstrators, even!

 

The old man from a Different Age Altogether

[vonheim]

There is one here in Oslo, Norway:

Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH (E46) Objektiv til Leica M sort - Fotovideo 3.0

 

Not sure how prices compare (we have 25% VAT).

 

Good luck!

[archi4]

look in the buy and sell section

[DFV]

Interesting, this to me proves that the guys at Leica have no clue whatsoever what their customers need. Furthermore, they have either not care at all or simply the wrong people. Such a mistake, on more serious industries, are usually concluded with several people being out of a job. Selling the whole projected production in only nine months might seem good but as fart a business (Freshman Business 101) is concerned this is just unforgivable. Luck for the current management that I am not a shareholder...

[bill]

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Interesting, this to me proves that the guys at Leica have no clue whatsoever what their customers need. etc...

 

There's nothing like a balanced view.

 

Sorry, I mean there is nothing like a balanced view

 

Clearly you are absolutely right; they are incompetent nimnos who should be taken out and flogged. How dare they allow the M9 to be a roaring success?! How dare they sell as many lenses as they can make?! How dare they distribute fairly and evenly?! How dare they not expand production capacity rapidly to cater for the current demand - don't they know that it will continue at this level forever?!

 

Perfidious Leica!

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[viramati]

Try some of the smaller suppliers like Jacobs or Kingsley photographic

Kingsley Photographic Limited

or even Selfridges

That is How I got mine a year ago when none of the larger dealers had one.

[jaapv]

look in the buy and sell section

+1

[Guest dk_samurai]

look in the buy and sell section

 

+2

 

If you want a new one, get on a waiting list and buy a 2nd hand one to use in the meantime.

 

/David

[DFV]

There's nothing like a balanced view.

 

Sorry, I mean there is nothing like a balanced view

 

Clearly you are absolutely right; they are incompetent nimnos who should be taken out and flogged. How dare they allow the M9 to be a roaring success?! How dare they sell as many lenses as they can make?! How dare they distribute fairly and evenly?! How dare they not expand production capacity rapidly to cater for the current demand - don't they know that it will continue at this level forever?!

 

Perfidious Leica!

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

That the M9 is a success is absolutely true. However, a full frame digital M has been demanded for, I don't know how long. Little over ten years? Before the new digital Ms I would like to remember you that Leica was several times on the verge of being no more. Unfortunately I have that feeling that if there is a digital M today it is just because of the consequences of being cornered due to the market and not because the guys at Leica had the extraordinary foresight to make a digital M. (and this is likely to be so if the HERMES group had not bought it...) Not only that, but the current M9 to me is just like an M6 that is in tune with the current times. So forgive me for NOT giving current management the credit that in my eyes do not deserve. As they say; Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

And here is a prediction; The R-system is dead. How long until those incredibly "savvy" business men at leica provide all those with R-Lenses with a solution? I guess that if EVER they come out with a digital R the will have reinvented 35mm digital photography...

 

Lost opportunities are a definite negative in business. If I bring this up it is simply because I was one of the first concerned with Leica's disappearing, and the happiest that the current situation is a great opportunity to enjoy Leica for years to come. Unfortunately, when things are too scarce customer turn to other options. The more people out there with M9s ensures that the "ghost" of the brand disappearing is kept well at bay.

 

Personally I use, and not collect, my equipment. Exclusivity is not an issue and every time I see a Leica M around it makes me a very happy owner. I am also fortunate enough to have "closed" my M-system including two 35 and 50mm LUXes. My only possible purchase in the future might be a LNIB LUX 75mm if I find one, or if they make it again. Personally I feel much better if there are 500,000 Leica digital M users out there than 5,000.

 

Sorry for the rant, but that is only my opinion.

 

D.

[bill]

Rant away, Old Chap, there is much truth in what you say. However, the shortage of Summiluxes cannot just be blamed on poor management. I would be delighted to see Leica able to meet demand and for that demand to keep growing year on year.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[spylaw4]

.......... But there are really no privileged providers. Leica sold out their entire planned production run of M9 bodies in just nine months. They have had to revise their plans upward drastically.This means that lots of people also want new super lenses. The production of these cannot be arbitrarily expanded just like that – rare glass has to be ordered months in advance, and Leica cannot expand the workforce very rapidly either. Highly competent craftsmen must be trained, and if they are sacked six months later, they won't come back, so they have to be treated as long term assets. So it's not just a matter of turning a dial from "forward" to "extra fast forward".

 

......... "You put the lens in its glass case with one hand, and take it out with the other hand to be sold", said a salesperson. And indeed, the cases were largely empty. No demonstrators, even!

 

The old man from a Different Age Altogether

 

 

Lars is absolutely right!

 

However now that camera production has essentially caught up, we should see lens production accelerate gradually.

 

But think yourself lucky that you "only" want a 50 'lux. Pity those lusting after the 50/.95!

[jaapv]

That the M9 is a success is absolutely true. However, a full frame digital M has been demanded for, I don't know how long. Little over ten years? Before the new digital Ms I would like to remember you that Leica was several times on the verge of being no more. Unfortunately I have that feeling that if there is a digital M today it is just because of the consequences of being cornered due to the market and not because the guys at Leica had the extraordinary foresight to make a digital M. (and this is likely to be so if the HERMES group had not bought it...) Not only that, but the current M9 to me is just like an M6 that is in tune with the current times. So forgive me for NOT giving current management the credit that in my eyes do not deserve. As they say; Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

And here is a prediction; The R-system is dead. How long until those incredibly "savvy" business men at leica provide all those with R-Lenses with a solution? I guess that if EVER they come out with a digital R the will have reinvented 35mm digital photography...

 

Lost opportunities are a definite negative in business. If I bring this up it is simply because I was one of the first concerned with Leica's disappearing, and the happiest that the current situation is a great opportunity to enjoy Leica for years to come. Unfortunately, when things are too scarce customer turn to other options. The more people out there with M9s ensures that the "ghost" of the brand disappearing is kept well at bay.

 

Personally I use, and not collect, my equipment. Exclusivity is not an issue and every time I see a Leica M around it makes me a very happy owner. I am also fortunate enough to have "closed" my M-system including two 35 and 50mm LUXes. My only possible purchase in the future might be a LNIB LUX 75mm if I find one, or if they make it again. Personally I feel much better if there are 500,000 Leica digital M users out there than 5,000.

 

Sorry for the rant, but that is only my opinion.

 

D.

You are missing the point. As a Jaguar dealer once told me: We close down the sales department from time to time. We don't want the whole world driving these cars

[egrossman]

There is also a used 50mm Summilux for sale (out of Norway) on the rangefinderforum.com classifieds section.

[LeicaBraz]

Some people fail to see the fringe benefits Leica offers. In short, S&M. Yes, that’s the benefit: other than selling the almost unique and best range finder cameras coupled with the best lenses made in these days (or the bygone ones), Leica allows you to benefit from a non-photographical sado-masochistic experience. At no extra price.

This little german company provides the sadistic part: they offer top quality, highly expensive photographic goods. You have the money, you have the will to belong amongst the chosen few and maybe you even want to brag about it. But then, your primeval capitalistic instincts are given a cold shower: you can’t get them. You have to wait!!!

First for the camera and then for the lens. And wait you must until the teutonic sadism says so.

You begin to enjoy this masochistic experience; you sort of like it but you deny it. You cultivate it further by coming to this forum to enhance the suffering by having to endure a zillion posts about what would be the best bag for carrying a Leica with possibly a 50mm Summilux, that resists a wash machine and also will let you climb the Himalaya with comfort.

Or what lens would be the best option to take just one photograph whilst lying down in the Sistine chapel in June.

And you suffer because best you can do is take your family snapshots with a 50mm Summarit!! A real cheap lens. Don’t even mention Zeiss or Voigtlander: you are a true Leica man.

Meantime, you might come across some real good knowledgeable information in the forum from some of the old members, but then how could you enjoy it without being able to go out and test the Summilux? No way you are going to be humbled by buying a second hand lens made in 1965 (what’s bokeh?) – you want the top of the line , latest addition that is apochromatic, aspherical, asmathic and costs as much as a holiday at a luxury hotel; it’s your well earned (hopefully) money. Neither will you do with the Titanium version (it does come with a Summilux 50 mm, you know) because, well, really it’s rather too flashy and you already have the black M9. And who needs red lines in the finder?

And, horror of horrors, you just realize that your camera has 369 actuations whilst those sadistic forum members say that on average they come with 236. Have you been taken for a ride?

But then one day, after those gnomes consider that the sadistic dose is enough, you find the coveted lens. Your are given a respite.

Hallelujah or whatever religious expression you may choose.

But you have not yet crossed the Rubicon.

There’s more in reserve: it might back focus, it might front focus. It might even wobble and tremble and the aperture ring will make a horrible noise.

That teutonic sadism resurfaces: they need your lens, plus your camera back in their german redux. And that’s for at least two weeks (and you unfortunately happen to live in one of them Caribbean islands, so…).

And when you get it back and are ready to photograph the Kilimanjaro’s western slope at noon, the M10 is announced.

But now you are used to it: you enjoy it.

You are a Leica man. Now, what about the best scanner?

[hoppyman]

The total M9 lifecycle production was not one sold out batch of course. The production numbers just passed that expected lifecycle target very early and production continued.

 

Perhaps you just intended to provoke an argument with such a negative and mis-informed post? Or just do some Leica bashing.

 

 

Interesting, this to me proves that the guys at Leica have no clue whatsoever what their customers need. Furthermore, they have either not care at all or simply the wrong people. Such a mistake, on more serious industries, are usually concluded with several people being out of a job. Selling the whole projected production in only nine months might seem good but as fart a business (Freshman Business 101) is concerned this is just unforgivable. Luck for the current management that I am not a shareholder...

[DFV]

Well, it would be funny if nothing of this was true... Unfortunately and despite there being many points in this "satire" (no pun intended) I do think that a little more critique could be accepted and most of all "procesed" by the Leica executives. only for the sake of being spared some sadism from time to time.

 

To be honest, I have had my share of equipment traveling back to the factory... Strangely, my NIKON D700 (which I like very much) has never been back or skipped a beat. However, when I compare the results of both... The M9 just puls away into another leage. I don't know if it is the glass or the CCD vs. CMOS but the differences to me at least are simply worlds apart.

 

A Leica man. (but I do enjoy some non-Leica glass... )

 

P.s. Why is it customary in this forum to start a subject and endup in a completely different conversation?

[Ecaton]

Interesting, this to me proves that the guys at Leica have no clue whatsoever what their customers need. Furthermore, they have either not care at all or simply the wrong people. Such a mistake, on more serious industries, are usually concluded with several people being out of a job. Selling the whole projected production in only nine months might seem good but as fart a business (Freshman Business 101) is concerned this is just unforgivable. Luck for the current management that I am not a shareholder...

 

I like your sense of humor:D

Or might I be wrong, and your ranting is meant seriously:rolleyes:

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[DFV]

The total M9 lifecycle production was not one sold out batch of course. The production numbers just passed that expected lifecycle target very early and production continued.

 

Perhaps you just intended to provoke an argument with such a negative and mis-informed post? Or just do some Leica bashing.

 

Provoke an argument, always. Leica bashing, not really. Highly-paid executives critique, quite possibly. Negative, if you think so.

 

In any case the facts are on the table. There are shortages of M9s, 35mm Summiluxes, 50mm Summiluxes, 50 Noctiluxes, possibly the 90mm Summcron as well and I am sure there are a couple I leave out. Is that mis-information as well? I am sure that all the stuff I just mentioned you could easily purchase in one swoop from your local Leica rep. Or maybe not? I can almost guarantee that at this moment, amongst ALL authorized dealers in the whole world there is not a single one that could put all that equipment on he table. That, is definately something to think about...