The affordable Leica is never going to happen..

[Don_ih]

"SOFORT" simply means "instant" or "instantly" in German. That is all.

But when it's after the word Leica and in all capital letters, it looks like a codeword. Although it really should be 5 letters.... They should change it to SOFOT.

 

[guangong]

We had a customer who used one. Not sure of the age, but it was a very nice camera and produced really nice images. Certainly not the costly camera it now is, though. I think they are great but not many multiples of thousands great.

Bob

Alpa cameras were in the same price range as Leicaflex, because back in 1970s I was deciding which one to choose. I had a good friend who used one. But another friend a third generation Leitz worker told me that he would not work on one because Swiss engineering approach differed from German. Also, the Alpa didn’t get good reviews in photo mags at the time.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I bought my Leica M4 and wife’s M5 cameras new when they were introduced. Always felt comfortable using them and never considered changing. When M6 was introduced I was having a serious bad problem with vision, and felt that M6 viewfinder fell short compared with M3, 4, or 5. Also, not a fan of diodes. Amortization over 50+ years is not a bad deal. But as I read many threads on APUG, I sense that many have spent a bundle searching for that wonderful budget camera.
I bought my Hassy 2000FCM new around 1981-82. Even as I reluctantly await its destined unrepairable demise, over 40 years use is not a bad deal. Better than jumping from one MF SLR to another hoping to save a few dollars. And with 2000, able to use many Zeiss, Nikon, and Leitz lenses that I already owned. (The Zeiss Olympic Sonnars and Nikon clone also build strong muscles.)

I would rather spend more money and get EX or EX+ or higher so I can enjoy the equipment sooner. That is what I did with my Hasselblad 503CX and Hasselblad 903 SWC and lenses. I also buy from known people on APUGPhotrio, KEH or Samy's Camera who will stand behind the equipment and help me work out a problem.

 

[guangong]

I would rather spend more money and get EX or EX+ or higher so I can enjoy the equipment sooner. That is what I did with my Hasselblad 503CX and Hasselblad 903 SWC and lenses. I also buy from known people on APUGPhotrio, KEH or Samy's Camera who will stand behind the equipment and help me work out a problem.

Wise advice. About a decade ago I bought a C/M from KEH for good price waiting for the day when the 2000FCM stops working. And able to find 80, and 150 Hasselblad lenses at an estate sale. Only had Hassy 60mm lens for 2000. My normal lens was a Kilfit. When I was fortunate to have dealt with many ethical and kind dealers in NYC during 1960s- 1980s. Two that stand out were Ken Hansen, and Willy Schwartz, who owned Camera View Central. Two of my Leicaflexes were dealer specials and dealers passed savings on to me.
I have a friend who destroyed his Porsche going from one cheap to cheaper shop over and over for service. Turns out none ever changed his oil filter.

 

[Huss]

The affordable Leica will never happen. But a new film Leica may come out.

 

[jnk]

The affordable Leica will never happen. But a new film Leica may come out.

It's gonna happen and already has over and over again. I can't afford it, but that doesn't matter
someone can certainly afford it, it's like saying "affording a solid gold limo to drive me away from a solid gold lake" isn't going to happen
but it has like 20 years ago.
in bikini bottom !

 

[mrosenlof]

Didn't Leica have a "budget" line a decade or so ago. I think they were all called Elmarit, but I'm going on vague recollection here. They got criticized for not being up to normal Leica quality levels and are now gone.

Seems like a couple of years ago, they manufactured a few lenses in Portugal and sold them a little bit cheaper. I just checked the Tamarkin web site. They seem to be gone also.

I don't expect them to try the budget thing again very soon.

 

[Pieter12]

The original Leica CL film camera (made by Minolta) was certainly a budget Leica, as were the lenses designed for it.

 

[logan2z]

Didn't Leica have a "budget" line a decade or so ago. I think they were all called Elmarit, but I'm going on vague recollection here. They got criticized for not being up to normal Leica quality levels and are now gone.

Seems like a couple of years ago, they manufactured a few lenses in Portugal and sold them a little bit cheaper. I just checked the Tamarkin web site. They seem to be gone also.

I don't expect them to try the budget thing again very soon.

I think you're thinking of the Summarit line of lenses. They were discontinued a few years ago.

The Made in Portugal lenses were a reaction to the Trump-era tariffs on German made lenses. Leica claimed they were the same quality as the German made lenses just made in the Portugal factory instead of at Wetzlar, Germany. Some people claim that the lenses were always made in Portugal anyway so there never was a difference, but who knows...

 

[Don_ih]

The Made in Portugal lenses were a reaction to the Trump-era tariffs on German made lenses. Leica claimed they were the same quality as the German made lenses just made in the Portugal factory instead of at Wetzlar, Germany. Some people claim that the lenses were always made in Portugal anyway so there never was a difference, but who knows...

They could have just made the lenses in Canada. Although I think the ELCan plant mostly makes rifle scopes...

 

[mrosenlof]

I think you're thinking of the Summarit line of lenses. They were discontinued a few years ago.

The Made in Portugal lenses were a reaction to the Trump-era tariffs on German made lenses. Leica claimed they were the same quality as the German made lenses just made in the Portugal factory instead of at Wetzlar, Germany. Some people claim that the lenses were always made in Portugal anyway so there never was a difference, but who knows...

you are correct, I was thinking of the Summarit line.

 

[Don_ih]

They would make Leica lenses - in 2022?

Well, after being bought by Raytheon, the facility continued to make lens elements for Leitz up untill at least 2005. There is nothing odd thinking a state-of-the-art optical factory could make lenses according to specification. Why would you think that odd?

"Today Elcan belongs to the Raytheon group but still makes some of the best Leica M-mount lenses like the Noctilux 1:1.0/50 mm." according to here (however reliable that is)

(You know, google being your friend and all)

 

[DF]

Doesn't matter - using a Leica won't improve your picture taking.
It's you - not the camera....

 

[Pieter12]

All my pictures are better when I have my (free) Leica key fob in my pocket.

 

[bags27]

Thing is, love 'em or hate 'em; think of them as leaders or followers; rapacious or just a family-owned business, they are still doing film. They apparently sent around a #filmisnotdead email with something like this.

Personally, I have really conflicted feelings. I hate their sales pitch, I hate their market manipulation, but I really like some of their cameras and I really, really, really like some of their glass. And they make other lens makers reach for better and more.

 

[Huss]

Ok, it is real and it is coming. How do I know? I spoke to a Leica shop - who I will not name to protect their innocence - and they said they could not speak about it because it is still under embargo.

 

[mshchem]

Ok, it is real and it is coming. How do I know? I spoke to a Leica shop - who I will not name to protect their innocence - and they said they could not speak about it because it is still under embargo.

Excellent!!

 

[gone]

Porsche going from one cheap to cheaper shop over and over for service. Turns out none ever changed his oil filter

That's on the car's owner, unfortunately. Every oil and filter change is dutifully recorded and stuck to the bodywork where the door's lock is, or to the inside of the windshield. Someone who doesn't know even that has no business driving a car like a Porsche (or any car, actually).

When you're repairing cars, cameras, etc, one needs product knowledge. It's not enough to be a good mechanic, you need the hands-on experience w/ the car you have in front of you. They're very different ,even from the same car maker, and knowing the quirks is required. Always take a car like a Porsche to the Porsche dealership, they're the pros w/ the knowledge and experience.

The car owner should sorta understand these quirks too. I worked in the parts dept at a Porsche dealership and a taillight bulb was $7 (way back when). The same bulb was $3 at the VW dealership, and $1 at the local parts house.

 

[Steven Lee]

@Huss at this point the entire Internet is aware of the M6 remake, you could have pointed your source at leicarumors and squeezed a few bits of additional info!

 

[MattKing]

at this point the entire Internet is aware of the M6 remake

The "entire internet" is probably more interested in a Kardashian remake than anything Leica is doing .

 

[madNbad]

The "entire internet" is probably more interested in a Kardashian remake than anything Leica is doing .

Maybe Leica could scrape up a couple of million dollars for a photo of Kendall Jenner holding the new M6. Look what she did for T3 sales!

 

[Huss]

@Huss at this point the entire Internet is aware of the M6 remake, you could have pointed your source at leicarumors and squeezed a few bits of additional info!

They are aware of a rumor of a remake. The store confimed it.

edit: they did not confirm if it was an M6…. Just a film camera.

 

[Steven Lee]

edit: they did not confirm if it was an M6…. Just a film camera.

Which automatically means it's going to be an M6 flavor because Leica is not capable of making anything else. Everything they sell is various M6 tweaks. Even the M6 itself is just an M4 with a meter. Why would the new model be any different? Their R&D has been busy figuring out which parts they're going to painted vs chromized, what kind of a rewind knob this iteration is going to have, which direction the speed dial turns, and where to engrave the serial number.

 

[Huss]

Still hoping for a new CM… forever a dreamer!

 

[brbo]

Let's dream big. A Leica M-B (B for "it comes after A", B for Leica's idea of budget and B for people still going broke) and a CM.2.

I don't see much point in releasing another M mount film camera, but I guess I could see that new users want a meter. A premium priced P&S, though, is probably a very popular idea within Leica marketing department. On the other hand I don't see Leica pricing it bellow 1500 - 2000 EUR, so it will be interesting to see how popular this camera will be within the T2/T3 crowd.