How Many M-A's have been made to date?

[Torontoamateur]

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I like analogue and have M4-P, M6 and a Zeiss ZM Ikon.  If Analogue is really coming back as in a resurgence the number of M-A's will show this. How many have been built so far?

[willeica]

32 minutes ago, Torontoamateur said:

I like analogue and have M4-P, M6 and a Zeiss ZM Ikon.  If Analogue is really coming back as in a resurgence the number of M-A's will show this. How many have been built so far?

 A better measure is the number of second film Leicas and other makes sold. The M-A is at the top end of the price scale and is not affordable for the majority of people doing film photography, particularly the younger age cohorts who are most enthusiastic about film. There are many other signs that film photography is coming back or is being taken up by people who have never done it before including the existence of two new high quality film photography magazines in Germany and the US. You could also look at the Lomography website or those of the film manufacturers. Finally websites like these two will get a better feel for the situation than statistics about the M-A https://camerarescue.org and https://www.35mmc.com .

William

Edited September 13, 2020 by willeica

[250swb]

14 hours ago, Torontoamateur said:

I like analogue and have M4-P, M6 and a Zeiss ZM Ikon.  If Analogue is really coming back as in a resurgence the number of M-A's will show this. How many have been built so far?

There are already enough film cameras in the world to go around, new camera's like the M-A are a very small niche market. It's also a mistake to think that the resurgence of film is led by people wanting rangefinder cameras, most people are put off by the high prices. It is Lomography that grabs peoples attention, or with them being a high profile presence the publicity reawakens the desire for using film in older photographers. And then there is also the massive uptake of instant film to take into consideration. So look at how much film is sold year on year to answer your question. 

[Ouroboros]

16 hours ago, Torontoamateur said:

I like analogue and have M4-P, M6 and a Zeiss ZM Ikon.  If Analogue is really coming back as in a resurgence the number of M-A's will show this. How many have been built so far?

You could ask the people who make the M-A for sales figures although I’m not sure what you might learn from their numbers because the M-A is an expensive niche product.
 

Fortunately, the market for used film equipment does not rely on collectors.  There are a lot of film photographers out there who buy film equipment with the intention of using it.

If you’re active on Facebook, there are numerous groups for Leica and other brands for film photographers to share their work and knowledge, including the group that I run, which is not Leica specific:: https://m.facebook.com/groups/143150712736072?group_view_referrer=profile_browser
 

 

 

[kivis]

"new camera's like the M-A are a very small niche market"

Hell, the whole Leica product line is a small niche market. And that's fine by me as long as Leica can make a go of it.