 Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
Why are Leica cameras so expensive? Whenever I run across a Leica in a KEH catalog or something similar, I always notice that Leicas are so expensive! I even saw a used Leica body in one catalog for $8,000!! Can anyone tell me why they are priced the way they are????
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Kerry L. Walker |
There are numerous reasons why Leica's are so expensive. One is the build quality. Leica's are built to last. Primarily, however, Leica's are expensive because they are produced in limited quantities so the development costs and set-up costs are spread over a more limited production that the costs for mass produced cameras.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Forgot one thing. The used Leica you saw at such a high price was probably a collector's item. I read once that a used Leica MP (the original, not the newer version) in good condition sold for around $50K.
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Mark Feldstein |
Welllllllllllllll, like Kerry said. But if you're interested, you can get a clean used M-6 body for about $1,500 that does OTF metering and is an incredibly accurate, sharp (and quiet) rangefinder camera. So, save your $50,000 for lenses. Now, depending on whether the lens was a Zeiss made in Germany or Canada, you can save some bucks there. Quite honestly Andrew, once you've used a Leica, it's almost difficult to go back to using any other 35mm SLR. Take one for a test drive. ;>) Mark
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Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
OTF????
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robert G. Fately |
"Off the Film". This is a metering method where the light sensors are pointed at the surface of the film. It's somewhat surprising to know that film (slide and print) generally has the same reflectance, so this system works quite well. The reason for taking this kind of approach is to allow for the monitoring of the actual light coming through the lens while eliminating the need for any mechanical contrivance to swing the sensor out of the way when the shot is taken.
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Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
Call me crazy, and I do like nice things, but I'd rather save my big money for lenses, wouldn't ya'll, if it was either/or?
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Kerry L. Walker |
Speaking of big money and lenses, have you priced the Leica lenses?
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Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
No, I haven't.
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Mark Feldstein |
Actually, I meant to say TTL / OTF or through the lens off the film plane metering when working with a properly equipped electronic flash. M.
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