Leica8888 Posted March 1, 2011 Share #1 Posted March 1, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm not a patient person to begin with, but, after over 6 months, I'm starting to question the reasonableness of any expectation that I'll get a new 35 lux during this lifetime. I had figured that, given that the M9 titanium came with a 35 lux, most of the resources to produce this lens might have been focused (no pun intended) on this package. But I have reason to believe that all of the limited edition M9 titaniums were produced by the end of 2010, thus leaving capacity to generate 35 luxes for the masses. Has anyone recently gotten this lens--especially in the U.S.? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 1, 2011 Posted March 1, 2011 Hi Leica8888, Take a look here Where are the 35 luxes?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted March 1, 2011 Share #2 Posted March 1, 2011 They make lenses in batches. One month it might be 50 Summiluxes, the next month it might be 35 Summicrons, for example. Just because they made 500 titanium Summiluxes for the M9 Titanium, doesn't mean that they are now making normal 35 Summiluxes. Virtually all M lenses are constrained. They just cannot make enough to keep up with the demand caused by the success of the M9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted March 1, 2011 Share #3 Posted March 1, 2011 I had the option to buy one last month in the UK. I declined in the end as I figured my initial interest was just GAS. The (small regional) dealer told me that if I changed my mind he was expecting more "in a few weeks". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 1, 2011 Share #4 Posted March 1, 2011 That's a very good point, Ian. There's no reason why someone in the US can't buy from the UK, or Germany or Hong Kong... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted March 1, 2011 Share #5 Posted March 1, 2011 scarcity = pushes prices up hmm, yeah. seems to work for Leica and other prestige brands. standard strategy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spylaw4 Posted March 1, 2011 Share #6 Posted March 1, 2011 scarcity = pushes prices up hmm, yeah. seems to work for Leica and other prestige brands. standard strategy That certainly applies to second-hand prices. However any official Leica Dealer will sell at or maybe very slightly less than the recommended retail price, scarce or not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeicaPassion Posted March 3, 2011 Share #7 Posted March 3, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) To repeat what I've written before. Be proactive. Contact dealers, particularly in smaller cities, around the US. That's how I've found 50 luxes and 35 luxes and even a 90 cron in the last few months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfx Posted March 5, 2011 Share #8 Posted March 5, 2011 They are definitely around. I got lucky on my first inquiry to Allen's Cameras in Pennsylvania, as I did for a 50mm Summilux ASPH. It takes diligence, determination and a bit of luck, but you'll find one if you keep at it. Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfarkas Posted March 5, 2011 Share #9 Posted March 5, 2011 A few factors are contributing to the scarcity: 1) Let's assume that there are 100,000 active M users (based on M8, M8.2 and M9 sales over the last 4 years). If just 20% want the new 35 Lux, there is a demand base of 20,000 units. Given the hand-made nature of all M lenses and the fact that they still have to produce 21 other M lens types, Leica may not be able to actually deliver this many lenses in a year. (in this light, the relatively small titanium run of 500 doesn't make much of an impact) 2) Many people ordered this lens before it was even announced. Looking back at our pre-order list, our first order for the new 35 Lux was in November..... 2009!! No, I didn't have secret knowledge and neither did my customer. He just had a gut feeling that Leica would be replacing the 35 Lux with a new model and wanted to be first in line, just in case. In fact, he was right and he was first. 3) As Andy mentioned, Leica operates on batch production for lens manufacture. This is why deliveries of lenses like the Noct 0.95 can be spaced by a couple of months. 4) While we are receiving pretty regular deliveries of the 35 Lux, we are filling pre-orders in date order. This will make the lens appear out-of-stock for passers-by. As we deliver more lenses, we also receive more pre-orders. Eventually, the list will achieve equilibrium and we will have lenses to mark in-stock on our website. After a few years, we still haven't reached that point with the Noctilux, as we continue to work off a short list. Rest assured that the 35 Lux is being produced and delivered to people who want it. Just like any new Leica product, it could take a while until everyone who wants one will get one. We all want the quality and old-world craftsmanship... we just want it faster. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spylaw4 Posted March 6, 2011 Share #10 Posted March 6, 2011 David's explanation points 3 & 4 spells it out clearly. The same applies to all of the popular lenses right now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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