Officially announced: discontinued!

[michaelbogdan]

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I was very excited when Leica released the original T. To me it signaled that they were moving towards more modern and exciting designs. So I bought the T, and eventually the TL2, but both frustrated me with their poor focusing. I hung in there because the lenses were insanely great, and when the focus was on point, the results were amazing! I thought eventually Leica would figure this out and I’d have the setup of my dreams, but then the CL was released with recycled parts in an old body design. Then they released a firmware update for the CL to improve focus, but not for the TL2. When that happened, I knew the system was doomed, and I sold all my great and picked up the Sony a7iii. 
 

I hated that a7iii, and even with their best lenses I was never as happy with the results and shooting experience versus the TL2, when shots were actually in focus that is! I wish Leica would focus more on iteration and design and less on recycling old products and stupid limited editions to squeeze money out of collectors. The T was exciting!! But everything now is tired and the internal electronics stink. I’m over Leica. 

[elambo]

There's an awful lot of heated conjecture stemming from and hovering around this yet-to-be-released internal memo. Let's see how things pan out in official terms.

[ramarren]

7 hours ago, gotium said:

Nor do Sony, Canon or Ricoh/Pentax

Leica is not Fuji, Sony, Canon, or Ricoh/Pentax. They cater to a different market. 

Participating in the fantasy that they should be just like those other companies, well, why? 

G

[frame-it]

1 hour ago, pop said:

Provided they become aware of it. The TO forgot to mention how and where he found it, I think.

someone at Leica asked me for the link to this thread when i mentioned it, just sent them the link

[julian m]

1 hour ago, michaelbogdan said:

I was very excited when Leica released the original T. To me it signaled that they were moving towards more modern and exciting designs. So I bought the T, and eventually the TL2, but both frustrated me with their poor focusing. I hung in there because the lenses were insanely great, and when the focus was on point, the results were amazing! I thought eventually Leica would figure this out and I’d have the setup of my dreams, but then the CL was released with recycled parts in an old body design. Then they released a firmware update for the CL to improve focus, but not for the TL2. When that happened, I knew the system was doomed, and I sold all my great and picked up the Sony a7iii. 
 

I hated that a7iii, and even with their best lenses I was never as happy with the results and shooting experience versus the TL2, when shots were actually in focus that is! I wish Leica would focus more on iteration and design and less on recycling old products and stupid limited editions to squeeze money out of collectors. The T was exciting!! But everything now is tired and the internal electronics stink. I’m over Leica. 

Exactly how I felt and feel. The T was incredibly exciting. I love shooting with it. I hate how often I miss focus. I find other cameras uninteresting and unexciting, I’d rather just shoot with my phone than use them.

I’d still buy a TL2 right now if I had any hope that it’d focus noticeably better than my T.

Edited May 18, 2022 by julian m

[gotium]

1 hour ago, ramarren said:

Leica is not Fuji, Sony, Canon, or Ricoh/Pentax. They cater to a different market. 

Participating in the fantasy that they should be just like those other companies, well, why? 

G

Nothing you say there has anything to do with my post

[ramarren]

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4 minutes ago, gotium said:

Nothing you say there has anything to do with my post

So what's the issue? Is every comment supposed to directly address your angst?

But I contend that my comment has everything to do with the attitude and question posed by your comment. Feel free to disagree.

G

Edited May 18, 2022 by ramarren

[gotium]

14 minutes ago, ramarren said:

So what's the issue? Is every comment supposed to directly address your angst?

But I contend that my comment has everything to do with the attitude and question posed by your comment. Feel free to disagree.

G

OK I’ll disagree. Was not intending to suggest that Leica should be Fuji or Canon. Nor was there a question in my comment. 

[ramarren]

So, then, why did you mention them?

G

[gotium]

7 minutes ago, ramarren said:

So, then, why did you mention them?

G

I wish I hadn't!

[ehecatl]

Meh.

Yeah, it's a drag they are moving out of APS-C, but as far as I'm concerned, my CL still works. And it has seen stuff. A couple of years ago, in an early attempt at seeing if I could do astrophotography with it (short answer: kind of), it fell off my star tracker onto a concrete porch.The base plate was dented, and the battery door broke so it wouldn't close, but otherwise it still worked. I put it in a half case and now you can't see that the base is dented or the battery door is broken.

And it still works.

I'm leaving for South America in a couple of weeks and that's the camera I'm taking with me, along with a couple of M lenses (normally I travel with my M240). I fully expect to enjoy shooting with it on this trip and for years to come. Even if I have to eventually duct tape it together, I suspect as long as it takes images, I'm going to use it, just as I use my other cameras that have been discontinued. My current astrophotography camera is a Canon T5i, and it works great with my setup. I have a small Leica C that I use for taking pics at concerts. For years I shot with an Epson RD-1 that I picked up in 2006: when I sold it two years ago, I tested it out again even though it had been in storage for years. I had a great time and regretted selling it. 

I get why people are upset. Investments in a system can get spendy. At the same time, the system still works and will continue to do so. I'm looking forward to carrying it around the Andes like I did back in 2018 when I first purchased it. 

S

Edited May 18, 2022 by ehecatl
Clarity

[Rosebud55]

I will be keeping my CL and L Mount lenses until the camera stops working. It’s a great little camera and so useful. I get to play with M Mount lenses too. I am hoping it will perform for many more years.

 

 

[pgk]

4 hours ago, ehecatl said:

At the same time, the system still works and will continue to do so. I'm looking forward to carrying it around the Andes like I did back in 2018 when I first purchased it.

I'm still using M9s because I like them! Repairability of electronic equipment appears, by all accounts, to be problematic as soon as the electronic componentry becomes obsolete because spares are only available from existing inventory. This affects all manufacturers who can only hope that faults will not occur which run them out of one part more quickly (M9 sensors for example). I feel the same though in that I will run my M9s until they fail which will hopefully be a long time away.

If a product line is proving to not be profitable what should a manufacturer do? Support can only be guaranteed for so long after which, if spares are still available, support may well still be available but cannot be guaranteed at this point in time. I see no real solution other than expecting a company to deliver a potentially loss making promise which few are lilkely to ever do.

[SoarFM]

 

It is true that someday, all our gear, expensive or not, shall be reduced to dust--just like us.

All our L line lenses (and I have 8, 5 of which are APS-C) will someday have electronics that fail with no replacements.  The M lenses have no such issue, but having lost an M lens to de-lamination and fungus I know they don't always last forever either. Think about where you may be in 20 or 30 years from now and your worries about your CL or TL2 and their lenses will probably not figure into it.

Wait till the S line memo is released.😮 

Edited May 18, 2022 by SoarFM

[ramarren]

4 hours ago, SoarFM said:

 

It is true that someday, all our gear, expensive or not, shall be reduced to dust--just like us.

All our L line lenses (and I have 8, 5 of which are APS-C) will someday have electronics that fail with no replacements.  The M lenses have no such issue, but having lost an M lens to de-lamination and fungus I know they don't always last forever either. Think about where you may be in 20 or 30 years from now and your worries about your CL or TL2 and their lenses will probably not figure into it.

Wait till the S line memo is released.😮 

Lessee ... 20-30 years from now puts me at 87 to 97 years old. I don't really want to think about 'where I'll be" at that point too much. But if I'm still breathing, I'll likely still be making photographs... or at least wishing to.  

G

[Chun Chang]

Not surprised by this development.  It has been rumored and discussed for some time.  The low end market continues to collapse, even for Leica.  

[Foxtwo]

On 5/17/2022 at 9:17 AM, jaapv said:

I guess that the used market for Leica APS-C has crashed right now...

Good opportunity to buy a back up “throw away” CL camera!

[Foxtwo]

1 hour ago, ramarren said:

Lessee ... 20-30 years from now puts me at 87 to 97 years old. I don't really want to think about 'where I'll be" at that point too much. But if I'm still breathing, I'll likely still be making photographs... or at least wishing to.  

G

I’m with you.

With people freaking over the 6 year support clause, I can’t help but chuckle when thinking of the doom and gloomers who say the planet will be gone in nine years (nevermind about the previous claims of planetary doom, they’re right THIS time).

Leica is simply being pragmatic. Why warranty something beyond the apocalypse?

[jaapv]

Well, my CL needed to have the eye sensor replaced - twice. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[elambo]

36 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Well, my CL needed to have the eye sensor replaced - twice. 

Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

As an aside: "Posts in blue bold font are made as a moderator" -- I've moderated many forums and never been afforded the opportunity to post as myself. Always in official capacity, which keeps me honest but is also constricting when it comes to latitude of opinion. In fact, I've never seen a forum where the moderator could jump in and out of his official uniform. If it works, I'm glad to hear that, though I wonder if forum members, reading posts, are actually able to separate the two roles. Separate usernames (which reference each other in their signature) has worked for some.