Leica Store coming to Washington DC

[TheFlyingCamera]

Just as we escaped the loss of our premier independent camera retailer through a take-over by Calumet, we're now on the way to getting a Leica store, a scant three blocks from the downtown location of Penn Camera.

 

[Barry S]

A Leica store? Weird. Is it going to be a small independent shop or something flashier, run by Leica?

 

[brucemuir]

From what I've seen on the web "The Leica Store" is like a boutique with big buck decor to match the camera prices.

Guess I'll have to stay on the sidewalk with my screwmount

 

[Barry S]

Apparently it's going to be a lot of flash run by Leica. Can't wait to visit and get the stinkeye for browsing. Perfect for K street lawyers and diplomats adept at skimming the resources of their countries. The six actual photographer-Leicaphiles in DC aren't going to keep the store in the black.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Oh, even better - I'll go in wearing my Contax G2 around my neck and see how long it takes them to have security escort me out .

 

[Trask]

If it's anything like the Leica Store in Paris, they'll do a good job of ignoring you when you walk in. Overpriced used gear. too.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I get the feeling people aren't looking forward to the opening too much. LOL

-Rob

 

[vpik01]

It's only ok becuase Penn survived, if we lost Penn and got 'The Leica Store' as the only replacement it would have been tragic. I agree with Barry's comment about the K St lawyers/diplomats being the target audience. The preview articles I've read look like it will be a very high end showcase, pricey, exclusive... all those adjectives. I also saw something about there being a studio of sorts in the back where they will let potential buyers (investors) demo a wide range of Leica gear. Despite the astronomic prices I do think that is cool.

I might have to poke my head in there with my Canonet the opening weekend just to drool a bit...

 

[Barry S]

I'll definitely go visit and I wish them well, but the store will be of little practical use to most of us. The camera bodies run $5000-$8000 and the most plebeian of lenses start at around $2000. I did find a well-reviewed Leica product in my price range though.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/197640-REG/Leica_98631_Shoulder_Tote_Bag_Black.html

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The Leica "My point of view logo"????? I always thought it was the Leica Red Dot. Sheesh- are people over-thinking things a little? Or else just the marketing guys got their hands on a really stiff bowl of hash before they wrote that ad copy.

 

[Klainmeister]

Do they sell little stick-on Leica badges? I think it'll make my camera better...

 

[benjiboy]

All those crooked politicians on Capital Hill have to have somewhere to spend their ill gotten gains. :munch:

 

[arpinum]

I work on K St and am not in one of your vilified groups.

Any info on if the store will actually have anything in stock or will be staffed by anything more than booth babes?

If you want a leica in the area, go to Pro Camera in Charlottesville as they seem to acutally serve the film user and carry a good stock of 'pre-owned' gear.

Penn Camera may have been saved, but it appears they have completely given up on film users.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I would like too see that store!

Jeff

 

[EASmithV]

Will it be in Georgetown? Figures. Now people can take blurry Leica-photos of their damn cupcakes with their Leicas because Leicas are rangefinders and are still very limited in use despite their prices being high enough to buy the hammer of god.

"Oh, but that guy sitting three chairs away in the background is as sharp as an SLR used properly!"

Smeh. I've had it with the preppy shit in this area.

I've come to hate Leicas the same way I hate BMW's, Audis, and New Jersey drivers.

 

[ME Super]

I should get a red sticker and a silver pen, and write the word "Leica" on it and stick it on my Pentax. It would then be a one-of-a-kind Pentax-Leica AF SLR - notice that Pentax comes first!

ME Super, from Illinois not DC

 

[pbromaghin]

I have a v-lux-1. Can I join the party?

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

No, the store is on G Street, between 9th and 10th IIRC. So smack in the middle of downtown, a scant two blocks from the FBI headquarters.

Penn Camera gave up on film users a long time ago. Now they're owned by Calumet, who is reorganizing the stores completely, so do expect some holes in the stock for a while until the transition is complete. They do still carry an ok range of 35mm film - you're in trouble if you want bigger, but that's been the case for the last half-dozen years.

 

[nhemann]

Hey - How did Jersey get dragged into this? lol.

 

[PKM-25]

I've come to hate Leicas the same way I hate BMW's, Audis, and New Jersey drivers.

I can't stand the company anymore.

I had a brilliant opportunity to photograph behind the scenes portraits of Cirque Du Soliel performers on Kodachrome in January of 2011 two weeks after Dwayne's stopped accepting the film as I was the only one left shooting it. I tried for three days to get a .95 Noctilux since I cold not use flash and was out of Kl-200. I got the nose in the air treatment. Kodak paid my lab bill for a year but in using some of the best "other" gear they make and telling Leica how important it was to my project, they could care less, instead loaning the gear out to talentless hacks like Seal and other "Internet Gear Review Heros" who just gushed over the lens along with the M9.

Three weeks ago, I sold all my Leica crap except for one M3 and a 50/2 Zeiss. I don't need a $3,000 35/2 when in all honesty, my new used Nikon 35/2 AIS does just as good in black and white and I have no issues with wear, marks on the paint dropping it's value by hundreds of dollars.

Leica can go F__k them selves, the company and the prices are a joke, not worth it by any stretch in the digi age.
That said, my wife and I love our new Audi S4, brilliant car for that often treacherous drive to Denver airport when the weather is super nasty...;-)

 

[NB23]

Dan, that's a bit of a nonsense.

One can easily imagine how many requests these companies have on a daily basis.

"I am going to Disney on Ice with my daughter. I absolutely NEED a 200-400 VR for a day. In exchange, I'll mention you in my Facebook Timeline and I'll drive you business in no time. I have 274 friends!"

"Dear Canon, I will be shooting Cirque du Soleil this week-end, on some Tri-X that Kodak gave me for free. Please lend me a 50 f1.2 and I'll have a good word for you on various internet forums"

I mean, really. How does this sound?

 

[PKM-25]

Ned, you don't have or need all the details. It was in the works for weeks, they dropped the ball in ways I am not going to go into on here or even in a PM. I know you love Leica and I did too in shooting tens of thousands of color slides with it, but for black and white and especially digital, different story.

Say what you want, I have nothing else to say about the matter.

 

[RPippin]

I wonder what kind of trade in I might get on my two Zorki 4K's?

 

[NB23]

Dan, I really didn't mean to be disrespectful. But those companies really do get insane amounts of insane requests. In the end they must stick to the business end of things.

Yes I love Leica equipment but I'm also fully aware that I could come up with the same results with just any camera, in the end.

I'm sad for the outcome ypu had with Leica but I guess it could have been expected, to some extent.