Jeff S Posted July 1, 2017 Share #1 Posted July 1, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) In the US, price has dropped almost $1500 to $5995. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 1, 2017 Posted July 1, 2017 Hi Jeff S, Take a look here SL Price Reduction. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Donzo98 Posted July 1, 2017 Share #2 Posted July 1, 2017 Wow!! Wonder if something new coming down the pike... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen B Posted July 1, 2017 Share #3 Posted July 1, 2017 Not selling? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle123 Posted July 1, 2017 Share #4 Posted July 1, 2017 (edited) Just saw this announced moments before this topic appeared. These wild price drops make it hard to justify buying new releases. I find it unbelievable they are already about to release a new SL version. My guess is they are dropping prices across the board, or SL may be discontinued. If I was even thinking now about the M10 or other, would wait... Edited July 1, 2017 by Belle123 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted July 1, 2017 Share #5 Posted July 1, 2017 I got a blurb from Leica Miami early this morning. Leica will offer deals trying to move stock before they release a newer model. I would rather see them get the newer lens lineup out first....! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tourian Posted July 1, 2017 Share #6 Posted July 1, 2017 I literally bought an SL less than 7 days ago. I'm livid. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted July 1, 2017 Share #7 Posted July 1, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) I literally bought an SL less than 7 days ago. I'm livid. See if there is an option to return it if you bought it new retail but take the offer of a refund of the difference. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveBK Posted July 1, 2017 Share #8 Posted July 1, 2017 Options: 1) Harmonizing US prices with global pricing (SL is much more expensive here than UK/EU/HK) after all the FX changes since SL release. US was also only region where SL was so much more expensive than M10. 2) Moving inventory as it is not selling well enough.. 3) Clearing inventory in front of an upcoming SL2 release.. 1&3 seem most likely. Leica doesn't usually lower prices during a product cycle, unless something new is coming. Often they increase prices! Further, as I recall M240 was on perpetual "special discount for X months" in US in its last year before M10 came out. So is an SL2 in Q4 2017 / Q1 2018 possible? Sure. No sooner though. And possibly even later like Q3 2018. I'm itching to see what this does to used pricing. I was seeing retail used @ $5000-5500 and eBay/forum @ $4500-4700 (with accessories). If I can nab a retail used @ $4200 or eBay/forum used @ $3600, I'm a buyer. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tourian Posted July 1, 2017 Share #9 Posted July 1, 2017 See if there is an option to return it if you bought it new retail but take the offer of a refund of the difference. I just called the DC Leica Store that I purchased it from and they refunded me. Phew. Although now I'm wondering if an SL2 is coming soon. Does anyone know relatively how quickly a new model is announced after a price drop? 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveBK Posted July 1, 2017 Share #10 Posted July 1, 2017 As far as I can tell, only US dropped price. Closer to global pricing but still a good 7-10% above. @ July 1 prices/FX rates: US @ $6000 EU ex-VAT @ $5620 HK @ $5600 UK ex-VAT @ $5420 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveBK Posted July 1, 2017 Share #11 Posted July 1, 2017 I just called the DC Leica Store that I purchased it from and they refunded me. Phew. Although now I'm wondering if an SL2 is coming soon. Does anyone know relatively how quickly a new model is announced after a price drop? See my slightly long post above. I would not worry about an SL2 in near term. SL is too new in product cycle (21? Months). Similar price drops before replacement went on 6-12 months. So enjoy your camera! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingo Posted July 1, 2017 Share #12 Posted July 1, 2017 Leica German only store offer the SL for 5.900 €. The price before was 6.900 €.This might be also because of the new Sony A9 which is in a similar price range? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfarkas Posted July 1, 2017 Share #13 Posted July 1, 2017 While Leica isn't saying for sure, I get the impression that this price move has two goals: 1) Provide better global price harmonization 2) Be more competitive against other full frame pro DSLR/Mirrorless cameras from Nikon, Canon and Sony The SL price was out of line with the rest of the world if VAT was backed out, especially compared to other products in the portfolio. With the adjustment, the US pricing falls much closer to the rest of the world. And while the SL lenses are priced higher than their C/N/S counterparts, the body no longer is. The case can certainly be made for the superior performance and build quality of the Leica SL glass, but a good number of the photographers Leica is trying to attract still see the body as a commodity of sorts. Use the SL and the difference is clear. Rock solid build. Elegant, simple interface. Incredible EVF. And, of course, stunning image quality. But.... the issue has always been convincing N/C/S users to give the SL a try in the first place. This price adjustment reflects Leica's effort to attack this market more aggressively. And I think the timing makes perfect sense now that the 24-90, 90-280 and 50 SL are available and the new crop of Summicrons and 16-35 are on the immediate horizon. As further evidence of Leica's conversion goals, just take a look at the SL launch. Adapters were almost immediately available for Nikon and Canon lenses. Leica didn't have to cooperate and could have kept their L-mount proprietary. Instead, they worked closely with Novoflex to make sure these adapters were available shortly after launch. As far as clearing the decks for a new body, I wouldn't be so quick to jump to this conclusion. The SL was only introduced 18 months ago as a brand new system, and the lens line is still being developed. The Q is six months older and shows no signs of being replaced. Fact is, Leica's product cycles are longer now. Four years passed between the M240 and the M10. And, in many ways, the SL is more advanced than the just-launched M10. From an image quality perspective, performance of the SL and the M10 are extremely similar. Leica has also been diligent about rolling out regular firmware updates for the SL to continually improve the performance and user experience. Bottom line: this is not an end of life product. Rather, it is Leica's current standard-bearer. Based on other product cycles, I wouldn't expect to see a replacement in anything less than 18-24 months. And a lot of new SL glass will be rolling out in that timeframe, further bolstering the system. For those who recently purchased a new SL body at the old price, I'd recommend reaching out to your dealer and seeing what they can do for you. 13 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterman1 Posted July 1, 2017 Share #14 Posted July 1, 2017 I had a feeling this was coming, the reason I traded in my SL and 24-90 zoom 3 weeks ago. I decided on a Thursday and the following Monday I my silver M10 at the orginial price and some accessories to use with my 28mm Lux and APO 50mm. I still had funds available and I ordered a mirrorless system and a zoom. The SL is a wonderful system, no complaints. I just didn't want to walk around large construction worksites with the SL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted July 1, 2017 Share #15 Posted July 1, 2017 (edited) Just purchased the SL new on May 25th along with a 21 SEM. Will certainly check with my dealer. Had I known this was coming, I most certainly would have held off as this translates to ca. $2000 savings CDN. As a result, I would not have had to trade in my M9 to make the SL happen.....but thanks Leica for depreciating the camera a further $2K after a month of ownership. Wankers. Edited July 1, 2017 by jplomley Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenw0lf Posted July 1, 2017 Share #16 Posted July 1, 2017 Imagining that all electronic parts are getting cheaper, I find it not too astonishing that the camera went a little bit down in price. (compare it to other "computers".) But maybe my opinion is not related to the market - I am no seller of cameras and I have no idea how many cameras Leica has produced. But what I really hate to hear is the complaints of collectors or other "users" mainly interested in the price. For a photographer the value is still the same (even better after the latest upgrade). I hope for many more "losses of value", because Leica brings new equipment (hopefully at reasonable prices). (Hopefully more lenses very soon). Why can i find here so little about how the SL takes pics - and so much rubbish about value depreciation and the "much better" competition. (One or the other of course). Whoever traded any camera is NO exciting NEWS for me. I am a happy user of the SL and glad not to come here mainly for accounting. Please bring more real news (lenses etc.). 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramarren Posted July 1, 2017 Share #17 Posted July 1, 2017 Thank you, David, for the excellent sum up. I'm glad to hear that Leica has made the SL body's price point a bit more accessible. This is a great camera with superb lenses; having it be more accessible to a larger audience can only be a good thing. I don't care what the price change might do to the valuation of my camera ... that only matters if I were about to sell it, and I can see no reason whatever to sell my SL. I bought it to use, not to manage as a financial investment. It is the best digital camera I've owned and will be with me for some years to come. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted July 1, 2017 Share #18 Posted July 1, 2017 Leica invariably produce a selection of variants prior to updating a product ..... specials, pro versions and other rather dubious enhancements ...... maybe some minor tweaks are in the offing ... There have also been periodic discount spells in the past for other cameras with no particularly obvious reason. I suspect dropping the price halfway through the product cycle whilst Sony/Canon/Fuji/Hasselblad churn out more competition is the logical answer and keeps the camera moving off the shelves. As has been pointed out, the Q has been around a while ..... and the T even longer without a major update. Hard to see where the SL can go without a quantum leap in processing power and speed ...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted July 1, 2017 Share #19 Posted July 1, 2017 (edited) Leica recently added more models for trade-in of M9 sensor corrosion. Now a price reduction. Perhaps they have built up inventory of bodies. I received a new Leica SL body directly from Leica in June, when I looked at firmware it was 1.2 and the date of manufacture was March 2016 (15 months prior). I don't know if any conclusions could be drawn, possibly a left over body at the bottom of a stack or Leica has a warehouse full. One last thought, it is not uncommon to see price drops from Nikon and Canon within months of a new product launch, so this is not unusual, it is however different for Leica. Edited July 1, 2017 by darylgo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxo Posted July 1, 2017 Share #20 Posted July 1, 2017 Is this already the end of the SL story, or is this the restart with an improved body? Leica should make a statement, just to encourage new customers to invest in the SL system. Currently I wouldn't buy one, maybe the big price drop is the start of a clearance sale and the end of the SL system? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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