leicanet Posted August 23, 2011 Share #41 Posted August 23, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) A quick look on the UK dealers second hand shelves (and brand new items shelves as well...) and they appear, well, empty...! Same story on most European dealers shelves, especially if you look into buying the top lenses (APO, ASPH and fast ones). Then you look at the eBay completed listings (actual sales) and the new 35/1.4 ASPH Summilux-M are now selling (used as well as new) at almost 5,000 Euros (as opposite to the 3,750 € recommended retail price), the Summilux-M 50/1.4 ASPH sells between GBP 2500 (used) and GBP 3000 (new), the APO 90/2 ASPH (it used to go for £1000 a year ago!) is now selling for £2000+ etc...so some people are actually paying these inflated prices and unless you are prepared to pay the same price then it is very hard to "beat" the competition, which is mostly made up of Asian buyers I guess. Also I have noticed the later production R lenses going up in price very much recently... This is the way the market is going at the moment and there is nothing that can be done other than accepting it as it is or just don't buy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 23, 2011 Posted August 23, 2011 Hi leicanet, Take a look here Taking Advantage of the Lens Shortage. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
bbbonthemoon Posted August 23, 2011 Share #42 Posted August 23, 2011 Well, as it was already said, reasonable offers are still found, if you look for it. Yes it's not as easy as just step into a shop and buy, but, hey, it makes it even more fun hunting I purchased eight lenses during past three months, apo and asph mostly, new or mint condition only, and I didnt pay any premium over official price, in fact I always paid less, at least for these that are in production now(Noct 1 price was ugly:D ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted August 24, 2011 Share #43 Posted August 24, 2011 To me it is the used market that is absolutely crazy. Hard to fathom, because these days there are alternatives from Voigtlander and Zeiss. Makes me wish I stocked up on Leica glass during the dark days of '05. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted August 24, 2011 Share #44 Posted August 24, 2011 Well, as it was already said, reasonable offers are still found, if you look for it. Yes it's not as easy as just step into a shop and buy, but, hey, it makes it even more fun hunting I purchased eight lenses during past three months, apo and asph mostly, new or mint condition only, and I didnt pay any premium over official price, in fact I always paid less, at least for these that are in production now(Noct 1 price was ugly:D ) Yeh, but I bet you wasted a lot of time in looking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted August 24, 2011 Share #45 Posted August 24, 2011 Some find it immoral and judge other people with a self righteousness. I don't. Isn't that what you just did? Maybe we should stop worrying about it and just go take pictures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted August 24, 2011 Share #46 Posted August 24, 2011 But the current high price of lenses is only a temporary market, not even fuelled by Leica Dealers who have to sell new lenses at rrp. When everybody gets their M9 or M9-P and has their two or three lenses that will be it, back to normal. There is a horizon beyond which demand will have been satisfied. A lot of people are going to feel foolish for paying over the odds if they are thinking its an investment, rather than just needing a lens to use on their new camera. It is the M9 that has been the turning point to cause the lens demand so even an M10 will not have the same impact on lens scarcity even if Leica sells as many M10 bodies. But every cloud has a silver lining, perhaps now it is time to stop the worship of the Summilux and realise that to all intents and purposes any other lens will win the Pulitzer Prize, and time to appreciate and re-evaluate some of the most interesting lenses rather than the technically perfect ones? Steve There's speculation and evidence that demand stems from non-traditional markets. I know the last vintage lenses I sold on Ebay went to China. That's a big market that may keep prices elevated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpants Posted August 24, 2011 Share #47 Posted August 24, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I just got a brand new M9-P (my introduction to the world of Leica Digital). Obviously I ordered lenses at the same time as the camera. I ordered a 35mm Lux Asph f/1.4 and a 90mm Cron f/2.0. These lenses are rarer than water on the moon so I needed SOMETHING to actually use the camera with. I bought a (relatively) cheap Zeiss 50mm Planar f/2.0 (silver barrel). It looks lovely, is very high quality and razor sharp especially around f/4.0 to f/22. It has 1/3'd stop notches on the aperture ring and the colour rendition is astonishing. This is a really good value lens at around £600 and, whats more, it was in stock and readily available. I have the luxury of never having experienced a Leica lens for myself (yet). All I can say is, if it is better than the Zeiss, which I think is fantastic, I really cant wait. You don't HAVE to buy a Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Fluff Posted August 24, 2011 Share #48 Posted August 24, 2011 There's speculation and evidence that demand stems from non-traditional markets. I know the last vintage lenses I sold on Ebay went to China. That's a big market that may keep prices elevated. Having spoken to two London dealers recently, they are often phoned by shops in China offering to buy up their entire stock of both new and used lenses...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted August 24, 2011 Share #49 Posted August 24, 2011 Just for the record, we should probably no longer refer to China/Asia as a "non-traditional" market, but as the "new traditional" market. We (well, the U.S., anyway) have given them all our money, and they have a "yen" for German products (or is that "yuan"?) Leica sales (most recent figures per region, 2009/10) - Asia and Australia - 51.5 million euros North America - 34.7 million euros Germany - 18.5 million euros I'd like to hope with 250swb that this is a passing phase for prices - but with the pent-up demand from China's new industrialists, and the weakness of western currencies, I'm not so sure it will go away just because M9 demand levels off. It'll take that - PLUS a stronger flow of new lenses out of Solms. At which point (maybe) the desire for "newest and best" will put some of the old lenses bought in the meantime back into the market at something like the usual discount. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpants Posted August 24, 2011 Share #50 Posted August 24, 2011 I think that it's true that Asia is a huge market which puts pressure on UK dealers to supply gear. In the defence of the dealers I know that they will always favour their private, homeland, customers. After all, it is us that keep coming back for more - smaller sales perhaps, but more regular. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 24, 2011 Share #51 Posted August 24, 2011 Leica aren't exactly great fans of selling from one market to another. A few years ago, was it with the launch of the M8?, a significant proportion of UK stock was old to the US, because the exchange rate was very favourable. Leica tried to discourage their dealers from doing so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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