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How has the M8 sold?


SteveYork

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Steve--

Leica isn't a high-volume company. My understanding is that they were stunned at the high volume of cameras they moved initially, and even more stunned at the lens sales that the camera brought along. As you're probably aware, there's still a heavy backlog of orders for a number of lenses. So I think you can say that the M8 has done well for them. ;)

 

--HC

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I don't think it is only cameras. I heard a dealer has well over 200 of the two new Leica lenses on order, but has received less than two dozen from Leica since December.

 

UPS left a note on my door yesterday saying they had a delivery from Leica. I assume it is either the repaired M8 or the 28 Summicron I ordered through their 30% off offer.

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Guest guy_mancuso

From my friends in Solms when i was there it was said 12k in m8 sales. More than they expected in a short time, they have dedictaed part of the building just for the M8 product line, we watched them assemble them and it was interesting to watch that process. What they did not expect more than anything was lenses and the demand . What they say they attribute that to was brand new M users and there need for glass. They are very happy with this interest from new users on the M8, i'm actually one of those new users. LOL

 

The new WATE and 28mm 2.8 are very popular sellers in there new lineup. Personally i would expect more lenses hovering around in the 28mm 2.8 price range in the future, so folks can build a nice M system for a good cost and still make a few of the exotic fast glass for the more demanding customer, that is my personal take and actually what i asked them to do.

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Guest tummydoc

12,000 since November '06 sounds highly impressive until you put it in the perspective that Apple sold 700,000 iPhones the first weekend, and are now planning a new model @ half the price to be offered through several wireless carriers and project selling 40 million of them. But bravo for Leica, 12,000 is still highly impressive, especially in light of the cost and its quirks and bugs. If the M8 helps Leica to segue into the 21st century successfully, it will have accomplished its task, and the M9 will no doubt be a smashing camera.

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Guest guy_mancuso

Vinay there already talking about a new Iphone, man that was quick. i have one and it really is very nice indeed. Just the images on it alone are very nice

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The iPhone nano was found to be completely nonsense, another analyst at JP Morgan in NYC wrote a note to reverse the rumor from their colleagues in Taiwan.

 

That being said, I fully agree that the M8 has been a marketing success for Leica, consider at full capacity, Nikon could only handle 10k of their high end units per month. What Leica has accomplished is absolutely miracle.

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So it seems the number until "now" is about 12.000 M8 ? (Guy, WHEN did you speak with Solms' friends of yours ?) ; let'say 12.000 in 7 months ? (Nov 06 - May 07)... some comparision (not with i-phones....)

 

Leica I : 4500 pieces ca. in 1926-27 (do not know the dates, seem to remember "spring" of '26 (or was it the "Leipzig Spring Fair" announcement and prod time after ?)

 

Leica M3 : about 40.000 in the year of introduction (1955); consider.. times in which Leica was still simply the 35mm camera par excellence... no serious SLRs.

 

Leica M5 : 33.900 in five years '71-'75... RFs were definitely out of fashion... and M5 was not anyway much appreciated by Leica enthusiasts. Leitz was sunking...

 

Leica M4-2 and M4-P : 39.500 in about TEN years ... small volumes... but the classic RF continued to sell... lot of corporate / propriety changes and finally..

 

Leica M6 : 14.000 in the first 12 months of production (from summer '84) , subsequently, in the mean, about 10.000/year can be approx considered as the "standard product volume" of the camera that, IMHO, has definitely convinced someone that A LEICA would have to continue to exist.

 

With this figures in mind, the numbers of M8 are promising... of course, in industrial terms (cost of parts & raw materials, supply chain, assembly methods...), is a product very different from M6 , but I think that, after the first year of ramp/up, a mean volume in the range of 12 to 15.000 year could be satisfactory BUT... there is the problem of digital vs. film... very different time of obsolescence... Leica Co. could survive (an not very well) on a volume of 10.000/year M6, almost unchanged for 15 years about... how long shall it last the current M8 ? Will they have the resources to reinvest on some "M9" when the market shall force them to do ?

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There is this nagging question in the back of my mind: when Leica begins to use a different (more detailed?) sensor in (some) camera back, will the M8 be upgradable?

 

As this is the original we-dont-do-obsolescence company, it would be reassuring to hear that they have this in mind as a desirable future feature.

 

This is not really a case of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately but just a wondering.

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Though I am one of those strange analog men still working with M4 - R4s, I have to say that I'm really glad. 12k M8 from Nov 06 to June 07 are a clear success and think Leica as a corporation may gain a lot (even in a psycological way, if I may say). That's probably mean a good numer of people still like do photo in the way I also like and (...how disagree?) the B&W from an M8 are great indeed. In one year maybe they will sell 15.000. Not so bad, though the Luigi's question about obsolescence

is an important one. I bet Leica people are working about it already, both in technical and commercial perspectives.

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The new WATE and 28mm 2.8 are very popular sellers in there new lineup. Personally i would expect more lenses hovering around in the 28mm 2.8 price range in the future, so folks can build a nice M system for a good cost and still make a few of the exotic fast glass for the more demanding customer, that is my personal take and actually what i asked them to do.

 

I hope they do something different than they did with the 28/2.8. My copy is pretty harsh and contrasty. Maybe they could offer some lower priced alternatives that are

non-asph.

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Guest guy_mancuso
There is this nagging question in the back of my mind: when Leica begins to use a different (more detailed?) sensor in (some) camera back, will the M8 be upgradable?

 

As this is the original we-dont-do-obsolescence company, it would be reassuring to hear that they have this in mind as a desirable future feature.

 

This is not really a case of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately but just a wondering.

 

Well Bill it is a good thought but look at the M8 it was not what i would call a wonder kit in digital , there are many throwbacks to film on this body and very analog in many ways.

 

I don't think we will ever see leica just forget where they came from, there history seems very important to them and what they have done in the past will always carry them further into the future but whatever they do will always be backwards compatible. Yes we may see a M9 with different features but the M8 can be side by side with it

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There is this nagging question in the back of my mind: when Leica begins to use a different (more detailed?) sensor in (some) camera back, will the M8 be upgradable?

 

I'd doubt it. It'd be great if they could, but they didn't retrofix meters in M2/3/4's etc. when the M6 came out and the insides of the M9 will be far more complicated.

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Guest tummydoc
Vinay there already talking about a new Iphone, man that was quick. i have one and it really is very nice indeed. Just the images on it alone are very nice

 

Guy you are an incorrigible beta tester :D BTW, how do the IPhone images compare to the M8? ;)

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Guest guy_mancuso

Thanks for reminding me of the beta tester, it can be a killer on your patience. Actually the images are very true on the Iphone and better than the LCD of the M8 . Of course a lot bigger also. Need to get to a Apple store and try one out, pretty cool toy. But it really does have nice e-mail and that was the main reason for it.

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