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🇩🇪 Lang ersehnt: Leica Q3 43 mit APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH. 🇩🇪 ×
🇬🇧🇺🇸 Long awaited: Leica Q3 43 with APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 ×

M Lenses Back Ordered

mitchell

By mitchell
in Digital Forum

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carstenw

carstenw

Posted
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My Leica store, Leica Camera Berlin, has at the moment only one or two of the current lineup in stock. They have the whole lineup on order, but every time they get something in, they immediately sell them. Last week, they had two 75 Luxes, and this week, they are gone, at full retail price! This is a store with a fairly direct line of access to Leica, and some kind of special arrangement. I can't imagine what other stores get these days.

 

It seems that Leica will survive after all. They are selling everything they can make. Good for them, and I hope they put a significant chunk of the earnings into developing a new, more effective, infrared sensor filter, which is as thin, but blocks more infrared. Then I hope they offer us all a low-cost upgrade. That would make this camera near-perfect, if accompanied by a few stability changes in the firmware, and a new colour profile to make skin tones perfect.

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sparkie

sparkie

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The new Lenses (28/2.8 ASPH and WA TE) here in the UK are hard to get hold off. They sell immediately and some dealers have not even seen the WA TE. theres quite a queue for these new lenses, no question. Generally other lenses are not too difficult to get from what I can gather as my dealer got in quite a few lenses with 6-bit coding the other day I was in.

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Mark D

Mark D

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I have a 24mm on order at Popflash which hopefully will be here soon. But a surprise trip came up so I started checking stock and found a 21mm at BandH this morning so I had them overnight it to me. I will use the 21mm until the 24mm comes in and then decide which one to keep.

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photolandscape

photolandscape

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It seems that Leica will survive after all. They are selling everything they can make. Good for them, and I hope they put a significant chunk of the earnings into developing a new, more effective, infrared sensor filter, which is as thin, but blocks more infrared. Then I hope they offer us all a low-cost upgrade. That would make this camera near-perfect, if accompanied by a few stability changes in the firmware, and a new colour profile to make skin tones perfect.

 

Amen to that. I've got to believe they will see the virtues of re-investing whatever profits they are hopefully making on lenses, accessories, and hopefully even the M8 into getting things right when it comes time for the M8II or M9 or whatever they may call it. It's easy for me to say, but I've got to think that if they work hard on each of the issues, they can and will succeed. I also hope, as I sit here going on my 5th week with my M8 being fixed in Solms, that they absorb what has transpired and learn how to treat clients during a crisis.

 

Hoping my M8 comes back soon.

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Skippy Sanchez

Skippy Sanchez

Posted
Posted

What if.....?

What if Leica has developed the same marketing strategy as Harley Davidson did during the 1990s, by deliberatly withholding inventory -- or shipping greater percentages of that inventory to Japan -- when the company saw the US and European market was poised for a major upswing?

 

I doubt that's the case with the M8 itself, considering the "...early shipment of cameras were not up to the normal Leica standards," which resulted a potentially devistating blow to the company's bottom line, if not its future in the industry.

 

But we (including me) have all been faithful, convinced the traditon of excellence will continue. For the record, I am very brand-loyal when it comes to quality (whether Harley or Leica or Levis), and am waiting for my M8 and 28 from Tony, just like the thirteen people ahead of me are waiting. I've been familiar with the quality since the 1980s, and am as excited as anyone to have one in my sweaty little hands.

 

Be that as it may, Leica is not an altruistic company (even in light of the Financial Times article on Ernst Leitz): they're in it for a profit, just like I am when I cash my paycheck for shooting pictures for my newspaper. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

But c'mon, is the demand REALLY that great for an Elmarit 28/2.8 that it's going to take six months before I see mine? Has EVERYONE at Leica been reassigned to fixing broken M8s and they simply stopped manufacturing lenses?

 

Sorry to rant. Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.

-Skippy

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Guest guy_mancuso

Guest guy_mancuso

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There not mass produced and a lot of it is done by hand still, so it does take some time but you also have to look at the M8 sales which look pretty good given there hard to get.

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carstenw

carstenw

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Skippy, I am sure if you are willing to look around constantly that you can track down a 28/2.8 in less than six months. If you stick to one dealer, it may take that long. It seems a little random at the moment which dealers are sold-out and which are not.

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amorteguy

amorteguy

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My choice is the chrome version 35 Summilux, but it doesn't seem to be on offer.

 

I understand that it is an economic choice to manufacture one lens rather than two, but they offer the black and chrome in the 35 Summicron and the 50 Summilux.

 

Is there something I am missing? I just don't like the look of a black lens on a chrome body camera. So, I am looking for a used 35 chrome lux. They are not easy to find.

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bnelson

bnelson

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Leica's financial situation after the M8 debut will be interesting to follow.

 

They are a small company with only a little over 100M € in anual sames with about 50% of that in camera systems. Last fiscal year (ended March 30, 2006) they sold approximately 51M € in camera systems with about 30M of that sold in the last half of their fiscal year (September 30. 2005 to March 30, 2006). Sales of cameras during this period were up due in part to the R9/DMR sales and the financial reports state that fact.

 

This year's report (due after March 30, 2007) will provide more information about their profitability. Positives will be the M8 sales since introduction plus lenses, primarily M, since that time. Negatives are likely to me the fall of the dollar since last year, the extra expenses of repairing the M8's, cost of filters, etc.. On a go forward basis the loss of R9/DMR revenue will be a negative unless they announce something to replace it and begin shipping soon.

 

I am 100% behind the M8 and believe that if they can solve these early M8 problems they can regain profitability. It won't be easy but I'm behind them.

 

Bill

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Guest hammertone

Guest hammertone

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My choice is the chrome version 35 Summilux, but it doesn't seem to be on offer.

This lens is no longer in production but they show up regularly on the used market.

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