Bill W Posted August 3, 2018 Share #21 Posted August 3, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have emailed Popflash to see if they have a 55-135. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 3, 2018 Posted August 3, 2018 Hi Bill W, Take a look here Where are thge lenses for CL. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ramarren Posted August 3, 2018 Share #22 Posted August 3, 2018 Whatever happened to the notion of patience? Are we all so desperate to have a new lens that we must have it right now and right now only? Does your next gig depend utterly upon obtaining the new lens immediately or your rent money is in jeopardy?...? When I want to buy something that is in short supply, I just go to my favorite dealer and place an order for it. When it arrives, I pay for it and take it home. That's usually a matter of a week or two, rarely more than that. If I really need it in a hurry, I hunt around to see if any other vendors I trust have it and pay whatever premium (or inconvenience) buying from them might entail. That seems the rational and sensible thing to me, rather than feeling so entitled that whatever I want must be available for me specifically at my whim. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted August 3, 2018 Share #23 Posted August 3, 2018 Popflash said they have not had any of these for some time and have them on continual back order. FWIW Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 3, 2018 Share #24 Posted August 3, 2018 i think Leica did not anticipate such a succes of the CL and the resulting demand for the lens - it is undoubtedly a batch production. I have the impression that it was far less popular on the T/TL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsawyer Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share #25 Posted August 3, 2018 Ramarren, Sorry, but what an odd attitude. I waited a whole year for my Porsche but what good is a camera without a lens? I bought the CL for its small factor and great zoom lenses. I dont have a supply of older Leica glass, I have a camera and I expect to buy a lens. Have you read the thread? The whole of the UK, with 52 million population has no 55-135 zoom lens. Dealers have had none for about three months now. Leica UK say none are in the country and have no idea when they will be available. One member posted none in the whole USA. Maybe two in the Netherlads, maybe one in Germany. Other members have found an odd one here and there in the entire world. This is not short supply, it is no supply. How patient should I be when no one can say when it will be available? A year? It is not a matter of a wait for a week or two, it has been three months. And frankly, spending thousands on a CL should entitle me to a lens when I want it, specifically at my whim. I dont want to wait and why should I? Just because you have a patient attitude I am a spoilt brat with money. So, with help from the forum I have paid over the odds for one from Austria and I shall enjoy it. He stamps his feet and leaves the room. PS Leica Vienna have emailed the UPS delivery date and I think that customer service is wonderful. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsawyer Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share #26 Posted August 3, 2018 Above responce is tongue in cheek of course Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted August 3, 2018 Share #27 Posted August 3, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am reminded of my younger brother who, from about the age of six months until two years, would rock back and forth in his high chair, scream and bang his fists on the serving tray until somebody finally stuck a bottle of formula in his mouth. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted August 3, 2018 Share #28 Posted August 3, 2018 I am reminded of my younger brother who, from about the age of six months until two years, would rock back and forth in his high chair, scream and bang his fists on the serving tray until somebody finally stuck a bottle of formula in his mouth. Funny, I do the same thing when I want some wine...! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramarren Posted August 3, 2018 Share #29 Posted August 3, 2018 Ramarren, Sorry, but what an odd attitude. I waited a whole year for my Porsche but what good is a camera without a lens? I bought the CL for its small factor and great zoom lenses. I dont have a supply of older Leica glass, I have a camera and I expect to buy a lens. Have you read the thread? The whole of the UK, with 52 million population has no 55-135 zoom lens. Dealers have had none for about three months now. Leica UK say none are in the country and have no idea when they will be available. One member posted none in the whole USA. Maybe two in the Netherlads, maybe one in Germany. Other members have found an odd one here and there in the entire world. This is not short supply, it is no supply. How patient should I be when no one can say when it will be available? A year? It is not a matter of a wait for a week or two, it has been three months. And frankly, spending thousands on a CL should entitle me to a lens when I want it, specifically at my whim. I dont want to wait and why should I? Just because you have a patient attitude I am a spoilt brat with money. So, with help from the forum I have paid over the odds for one from Austria and I shall enjoy it. He stamps his feet and leaves the room. PS Leica Vienna have emailed the UPS delivery date and I think that customer service is wonderful. Above responce is tongue in cheek of course Um, buying something at whatever price doesn't actually entitle anyone to anything else at all. Did you buy the CL without any lens at all? If so, why? Particularly if it's your only camera...? In 2015, I ordered an M Monochrom typ 246 when they were announced in the Spring. I waited five months and decided in that time that I didn't really want/need it, so I cancelled the order. The money that I'd allocated and not spent, fortuitously, went to buy the SL when it became available. That one I ordered when it was announced, my dealer friend noted that I'd waited so long for the MM and made sure I had the first one in the store on release day. Patience, sir, is not an odd attitude. There's nothing in a camera that is a desperate, time dependent need. Even when I made my living from shooting, I never depended on the new thing for any job until I had it in hand for a few weeks to learn it, test it, and be comfortable using it. A few minutes worth of research would have told you what the situation was on lenses you might want before you even bought the camera... If you bought the CL with no lens at all and its your only camera, for a few hundred dollars you could buy some new or used lens to fit to it while you wait for the one you really want, and thereby get some use out of it in the mean time. After your preferred lens shows up, you sell the one that bought for the interim if you so choose. I just don't understand all the goings on about it. Several sources for the lens were articulated for you, if you actually needed it immediately. You just chose not to take any of them until you found one you were willing to deal with. When I've had a more immediate need, I've often had to buy from an overseas vendor to get what I needed in the time I had for the acquisition. Yes, it costs more and has other issues ... But eh? That's life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volbeat Posted August 3, 2018 Share #30 Posted August 3, 2018 Many thanks for the replies but it doesnt explain why there are so few of these lenses available to buy. If I bought a VW Golf, I would hope to buy tyres without importinhg them from Outer Mongolia. I would like to buy a new lens from a dealer, not a used one from Ebay. I have never been unable to buy a lens before in my 40years of photography, guess I was ignorant of the Leica world. I shall have to wait for the Leica faries to collect enough magic dust to make a few lenses. I think the current lead time for any VW group car on the Polo/ Golf/ Audi A3/ Audi TT etc line is in excess of 50 weeks. But there are plenty used examples on the forecourts. Don't know the back story but 2 friends have tried to buy recently (1 Audi, 1 VW) both for the same, "so stock available" response. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 3, 2018 Share #31 Posted August 3, 2018 I had to wait three years to get a Morgan (quite some years ago, but I think nothing has changed)... To get more up-to-date: Tesla anybody? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegaskin Posted August 4, 2018 Share #32 Posted August 4, 2018 At the end of the day, people will always have different views and different needs but I’m absolutely with David Sawyer on this one for the following reasons. Leica launch a new camera (the CL), and their marketing, advertising and website promotes its features and benefits and it’s range of lenses. Like most new product launches this is anticipated to create interest and of course sales for the new product as well as increased demand for associated products, i.e the TL lenses; if Leica didn’t expect that, they’re thinking is somewhat strange! Only Leica TL lenses are compatible with the CL to provide the autofocus function so most consumers would be needling to purchase them if they specifically want to use autofocus. Not everyone has unlimited funds, and for example buying a Leica for me is a big deal, (and one i’m happy to make), but having to pay additional shipping fees is not helpful. My local UK dealer (LCE), are great and therefore I prefer to deal with them. I wanted a CL with 18-56 and then possibly an11-23, but they could only supply CL/18mm kits or CL and 23mm or 60mm lenses. At the time, back in April (that’s 4 months ago), they were anticipating the 18-56 to be 2-3 weeks delivery, but the 11-23 ‘possibly September!’. They kindly offered to sell me a 18mm kit, then swap the 18mm lens for the 18-56 when it came in; excellent service, and on that basis I decided to go ahead. As I was trading in other equipment and LCE had offered me the best trade-in price, it was important for me to be able to deal with them. Unfortunately after two weeks they told me that the date for the 18-56 was now uncertain, but they had located a near-mint used one which if I wanted they would get; I did this and have been very happy with it. The 18-56 is still out of stock as are all but the lenses I mentioned earlier. I began monitoring their used items weekly and shortly afterwards an 11-23 came into stock at another of their branches, mint and at a fair price, which I have bought. In my situation I have therefore been very lucky. The main points here are that Leica appear to have either miscalculated the demand for zoom lenses or mismanaged the CL launch as camera bodies, 18mm kits and primes appear to be generally available. Whilst drip feeding stock can create demand for products and enhance sales (Apple do this very well), expecting consumers to wait several months for key products is either a management error or an arrogance borne out of their reputation for niche products in the sector. The analogy with the car industry, is like a car maker launching a brand new soft-top at the beginning of the year that won’t be available until winter. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeri Posted August 4, 2018 Share #33 Posted August 4, 2018 I had to wait for six weeks for a new bike. No, not a motor bike, but a normal bike. Waiting is a very subjective thing. Instead of getting annoyed in traffic because you 'lose' ten minutes (which you do what with when you get home?), I try to be thankful for these ten minutes where I can just sit and relax. To be more car specific: driving a hybrid or electric car makes traffic far more enjoyable to me btw. Waiting is a curious word. We think waiting is a waste of time. A few years ago I spent five months on and around Scandinavian lakes. In the evenings I did nothing but staring at my fire and reading a good book. Best time ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 4, 2018 Share #34 Posted August 4, 2018 At the end of the day, people will always have different views and different needs but I’m absolutely with David Sawyer on this one for the following reasons. Leica launch a new camera (the CL), and their marketing, advertising and website promotes its features and benefits and it’s range of lenses. Like most new product launches this is anticipated to create interest and of course sales for the new product as well as increased demand for associated products, i.e the TL lenses; if Leica didn’t expect that, they’re thinking is somewhat strange! Only Leica TL lenses are compatible with the CL to provide the autofocus function so most consumers would be needling to purchase them if they specifically want to use autofocus. Not everyone has unlimited funds, and for example buying a Leica for me is a big deal, (and one i’m happy to make), but having to pay additional shipping fees is not helpful. My local UK dealer (LCE), are great and therefore I prefer to deal with them. I wanted a CL with 18-56 and then possibly an11-23, but they could only supply CL/18mm kits or CL and 23mm or 60mm lenses. At the time, back in April (that’s 4 months ago), they were anticipating the 18-56 to be 2-3 weeks delivery, but the 11-23 ‘possibly September!’. They kindly offered to sell me a 18mm kit, then swap the 18mm lens for the 18-56 when it came in; excellent service, and on that basis I decided to go ahead. As I was trading in other equipment and LCE had offered me the best trade-in price, it was important for me to be able to deal with them. Unfortunately after two weeks they told me that the date for the 18-56 was now uncertain, but they had located a near-mint used one which if I wanted they would get; I did this and have been very happy with it. The 18-56 is still out of stock as are all but the lenses I mentioned earlier. I began monitoring their used items weekly and shortly afterwards an 11-23 came into stock at another of their branches, mint and at a fair price, which I have bought. In my situation I have therefore been very lucky. The main points here are that Leica appear to have either miscalculated the demand for zoom lenses or mismanaged the CL launch as camera bodies, 18mm kits and primes appear to be generally available. Whilst drip feeding stock can create demand for products and enhance sales (Apple do this very well), expecting consumers to wait several months for key products is either a management error or an arrogance borne out of their reputation for niche products in the sector. The analogy with the car industry, is like a car maker launching a brand new soft-top at the beginning of the year that won’t be available until winter. The only thing being that the CL was an addition to an existing system and predictions for specific lenses were probably based on previous sales. Leica is not Sony or Canon, their production is too small to twist a handle and speed up the robots. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted August 4, 2018 Share #35 Posted August 4, 2018 I own the complete CL/TL lens line except for the 18 (and some recent shooting with an 18 has made think much better of it as well). I picked most of them up either as unsold old stock or used in mint condition before the CL was shipping, in order to use them for 4K video on my SL. The good prices and easy availability during that "orphan" period makes it likely that Leica had plenty of stock from the initial TL series, and would be cautious in ordering the lenses in large new batches until they could see how the CL would sell. Now they can see that it is selling well, but must choose the size of the batches of new lenses to make themselves or order from a Japanese partner, based on estimating how long the good sales will last. If Leica has decided to support the CL and APS-C products for the long haul, we may see some new lenses announced and greater availability late in 2018. I suppose the cautious approach would be to wait another year and see if Leica is serious about the CL. But everything in the product line costs about half of what the equivalent products in the M and SL line cost, and I am enjoying mine. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted August 4, 2018 Share #36 Posted August 4, 2018 Ditto ...... I had most the TL lenses long before the CL when Leica was having difficulty even giving them away ..... Leica have clearly been caught out by CL sales and demand for lenses and no doubt there has been some head scratching at Wetzlar deciding how many to produce ....... and with it being done in Japan it's not as easy as re-scheduling production runs at base. I'm sure there are lenses lurking out there for anyone willing to do the legwork in tracking them down. Googles increasing tendency to stratify results based on what it wants you to find rather than what you want to find makes it much more difficult to track these things down ......once upon a time I used to use Copernic .... which would find anything on the net, no matter how obscure, but I think the net version is long defunct..... ho hum ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramarren Posted August 4, 2018 Share #37 Posted August 4, 2018 ... The analogy with the car industry, is like a car maker launching a brand new soft-top at the beginning of the year that won’t be available until winter. This actually happens fairly often, at least in the higher priced marques... Many people are still waiting for their ordered new Ferrari, for instance, announced a year and a half ago. And they're more similar to Leica in that the companies are smaller, with lower production, a more limited clientele, and overall high desirability. Since I personally was not intending to purchase any new lenses at all, I didn't even look at lens availability when I ordered the CL. The CL body is proving to be an excellent body for my intended use and my R system lenses suit it beautifully. If I find I want the TL11-23, however, I'll just put in the order and let it show up when it shows up. No rush, no big deal... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveD1 Posted August 7, 2018 Share #38 Posted August 7, 2018 I was in the same situation while looking for the 55-135. I email each dealer in the U.S. and found the San Francisco store had just received a shipment. Had it the next day. Happy Day! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted August 8, 2018 Share #39 Posted August 8, 2018 As long as we are doing Leica's business planning for them, and reading tea leaves to get the underlying data, what do you all think motivated Leica to start giving away M-to-L adapters with each CL body sold? A gap in CL lens availablility, perhaps? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 8, 2018 Share #40 Posted August 8, 2018 Or a desire to sell M lenses? Or to sell CLs to M owners? Or to establish the CL as honorary member of the M family? 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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