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Archive 2023 · Why impossible to find a Q3

sonamair
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Weeks pass
And only 7000$ secondhand Q3’s come up for sale

Sep 20, 2023 at 06:23 AM

1bwana1
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Leica is a small, hand made, low volume, company. They can't make more faster. The Q3 is a unique and wonderfull product that is in high demand.

Demand and supply will balance out in time.

Sep 20, 2023 at 07:37 AM

sonamair
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Even so
A shame one has to pay 7000 here or 8500$ on EBay
Or buy another camera
It still does not make sense to me
These are more “ hand made” than other wonderful cameras

?
Doubt that honestly
Maybe the boxes are

Sep 20, 2023 at 07:55 AM

retrofocus
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Imagine Leica would supply a lot more new cameras to the market at once. Prices would drop due to larger quantities offered. By having the same demand but keeping supply lower, Leica ensures moon prices remain and don't start dropping. It's part of Leica's luxury brand strategy.

Sep 20, 2023 at 08:30 AM

1bwana1
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Why impossible to find a Q3

sonamair wrote:
Even so
A shame one has to pay 7000 here or 8500$ on EBay
Or buy another camera
It still does not make sense to me
These are more “ hand made” than other wonderful cameras

?
Doubt that honestly
Maybe the boxes are

Electronic components no. But mechanical parts, assembly, cases, yes more hand made. The lens as well.

Clearly the price is not too high for the market if demand exceeds supply. This is true in most types of products.

Just think, an old Leica body just sold for more than 15 Million Dollars. No other brand has ever come even close to that.

It may be too high for an individual budget however.

Sep 20, 2023 at 09:08 AM

panos.v
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Selling a camera for 7k just means you're selling expensive cameras that people won't buy. Selling a camera for 7k that people can't buy means people will read the website and about the hand-crafted story and the brand history and the hand-me-to-the-next-generation thing and the aspirational video of some famous photographer you never heard off and then you sign up for a waiting list and give them your money and then you get a camera that scratches film. Oh wait I digressed.

Sep 20, 2023 at 09:34 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Keep checking this official page:
https://leicacamerausa.com/leica-q3-black.html

I've seen it in stock once so far.

Sep 20, 2023 at 10:14 AM

1bwana1
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Why impossible to find a Q3

panos.v wrote:
Selling a camera for 7k just means you're selling expensive cameras that people won't buy. Selling a camera for 7k that people can't buy means people will read the website and about the hand-crafted story and the brand history and the hand-me-to-the-next-generation thing and the aspirational video of some famous photographer you never heard off and then you sign up for a waiting list and give them your money and then you get a camera that scratches film. Oh wait I digressed.

Yep, the scratched film thing happened to one of very experienced and talented Leica shooters. Still, it was resolved, and I don't see him dumping his Leaic equipment out of disappointment with the brand, the shooting experience, and the images he is making.

As with all luxury goods, the story, and legacy is part of the marketing for sure. I try not to get distracted by the purchase price of things. I tend to focus more on the total cost of ownership after exiting a holding. In that analysis, Leica performs rather well. Sometimes ending with a good sized profit. Similar to my house. It is in a very expensive area where the cost to purchase is high. I could have a much better performing accommodation somewhere else for less money. But that is a false economy. The difference in cost must be viewed at the exit point. In this analysis the house was not only free to live in during my time here, but I got paid a substantial daily profit above all costs and debt service to live here. That is cheap housing. I have has similar experiences with cars, planes, boats, watches, and other luxury products. Often these outcomes don't make rational sense. But, that is the jungle we live in, so I say swing from those trees.

Sep 20, 2023 at 10:44 AM

RustyRus
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Why impossible to find a Q3

1bwana1 wrote:
Yep, the scratched film thing happened to one of very experienced and talented Leica shooters. Still, it was resolved, and I don't see him dumping his Leaic equipment out of disappointment with the brand, the shooting experience, and the images he is making.

As with all luxury goods, the story, and legacy is part of the marketing for sure. I try not to get distracted by the purchase price of things. I tend to focus more on the total cost of ownership after exiting a holding. In that analysis, Leica performs rather well. Sometimes ending with a good sized profit. Similar...Show more →

Wise words...

Sep 20, 2023 at 11:12 AM

la-px
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Why impossible to find a Q3

Not a lot of supply on release, but I think that's fine given the lifecycle duration of Leica's cameras. The Q2 ran for 4 years? Just need some patience

Sep 20, 2023 at 12:34 PM

VailJohnson
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Why impossible to find a Q3

1bwana1 wrote:
Leica is a small, hand made, low volume, company. They can't make more faster. The Q3 is a unique and wonderfull product that is in high demand.

Demand and supply will balance out in time.

The Leica Q is “made by hand” like a Fuji is “made by hand”.

https://www.popphoto.com/fujifilm-camera-and-lens-factory-tour/

They do make less cameras than other manufacturers. That’s the real difference. The Leica Q isn’t any more special than any other mirrorless camera out there. And a lot less practical since you can’t change the lens.

Just order it here

https://www.adorama.com/lcq3.html

Estimated shipping time is November.

Sep 20, 2023 at 12:56 PM

saxguy
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Why impossible to find a Q3

VailJohnson wrote:
The Leica Q is “made by hand” like a Fuji is “made by hand”.

https://www.popphoto.com/fujifilm-camera-and-lens-factory-tour/

They do make less cameras than other manufacturers. That’s the real difference. The Leica Q isn’t any more special than any other mirrorless camera out there. And a lot less practical since you can’t change the lens.

Just order it here

https://www.adorama.com/lcq3.html

Estimated shipping time is November.

Actually, the Q3 is slightly more special since the non-interchangeable lens is exceptional and the color science is as good as the lens. Factor in the size and what you're getting is a really nice, albeit expensive, package. I've shot Sony (a7r iii, a7r iv, a9ii, a1; including the RX1R ii) and Canon (r5), each system with their best native glass, and from an editing standpoint alone, my Leica files are the easiest to work with. Like it or not, the images do also have a different look.

If you like 28mm (I'm still on the fence) and can afford it, it offers a great shooting experience and great quality images. It still doesn't compare to the SL2/SL2-S with the APO Summicron-SL lenses, but the form factor is much different.

There are two cameras I would trade my Q3 for... a Q body with a 40-50mm lens, or a Sony Rx1R iii with the Leica color science. Since neither of those two exist the Q3 is my go to for a daily carry/travel camera.

Sep 20, 2023 at 01:46 PM

retrofocus
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Why impossible to find a Q3

1bwana1 wrote:
Electronic components no. But mechanical parts, assembly, cases, yes more hand made. The lens as well.

Honestly if I could choose an option where the same camera and lens with the same performance was made by robots in an automated process for less than half the price of the artisan handcrafted virgin-hand camera, I would go for the cheaper option.....but that's just me.

Sep 20, 2023 at 02:41 PM

RustyRus
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Why impossible to find a Q3

retrofocus wrote:
Honestly if I could choose an option where the same camera and lens with the same performance was made by robots in an automated process for less than half the price of the artisan handcrafted virgin-hand camera, I would go for the cheaper option.....but that's just me.

You are lying....Only the Noctilux Titan edition is made with virgin hand assembly lines

Sep 20, 2023 at 03:00 PM

1bwana1
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Why impossible to find a Q3

retrofocus wrote:
Honestly if I could choose an option where the same camera and lens with the same performance was made by robots in an automated process for less than half the price of the artisan handcrafted virgin-hand camera, I would go for the cheaper option.....but that's just me.

Hard to disagree with that. I went to Jr High Scholl with hundreds of Virgins. I found them pretty much useless during this time of great need....

Sep 20, 2023 at 05:58 PM

tzhang4284
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Why impossible to find a Q3

sonamair wrote:
Weeks pass
And only 7000$ secondhand Q3’s come up for sale

Try one of the overseas leica stores - they have them without a crazy markup if you get lucky. Similarly the Leica website I was able to find one that was available. I'm on a couple of waitlists for leica store Miami and glazers camera - been around 2.5 months without any update.

I actually got one on launch day but it broke and I got a new replacement from Leica I decided to just sell on the forums since I didn't love it. I considered buying another one since there were things I did like (hence the waitlists above) and found one ready to ship at Leica Store Lisse. However, I decided to go with the Leica M11 instead and bought some used Leica M lenses on this forum.

In retrospect after letting go of the Q3, I found it to be an ok but not great camera. The 28mm lens I would describe as good but not necessarily great - probably comparable to one of Leica's non-APO summicron lenses. The form factor is also good but not great - I found the Leica M11 to be much better ergonomically with a summicron lens - the q lens is front heavy. The part of the camera that I think I would say is absolutely poor is the electronic part of the camera - it was very glitchy - had a lot of power on/power off issues and the phase detect AF performance is probably 3 to 5 years behind Sony (comparable to what I remember the A7R III to be).

Overall I concluded that a used Leica Q2 and/or a SL2 + APO Summicron lens made a lot more sense if I wanted an AF Leica system vs the Q3 at the $6000-7000 price point and the Leica M system made more sense if I wanted a true portable Leica experience (there's definitely something to love about Leica M lenses and using a rangefinder camera that I appreciate these days more than in the past). For any photography though where AF performance is critically important, I would just go with Sony or one of their competitors and stay away from Leica until they prove out they can deliver top quality af.

Sep 20, 2023 at 07:22 PM

sonamair
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Why impossible to find a Q3

What a thoughtful answer

Sep 21, 2023 at 07:08 AM

RexGig0
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Why impossible to find a Q3

sonamair wrote:
Weeks pass
And only 7000$ secondhand Q3’s come up for sale

You have answered your own question. In a time when speculators can buy a newly-introduced item, and then resell it for a nice profit, to buyers who have more money than sense, whether it is a trendy camera or a trendy gaming console, the supply will exceed the demand, for months, if not years. If buyers would refuse to pay the inflated price, the speculators would be forced to sell at a loss, and would stop speculating in new Leica cameras and lenses.

I could have had my Steel Rim “Re-Edition” Summilux-M 35mm lens, months earlier than I did, had I been willing to pay $1K+ US more than Leica’s recommended selling price. By being patient, and persistent, I paid the normal retail price, ordering directly from Leica USA. I was not on a waiting list. I simply checked Leica USA’s website, almost daily, until I finally saw “Add to Cart” displayed.

Edited to add: Just to be clear, I am not entertaining offers to sell my Steel Rim Re-Edition!

Sep 21, 2023 at 08:31 AM

lifeandmylens
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Why impossible to find a Q3

I believe Leica plays the scarcity marketing game and chooses to have demand exceed supply.

Sep 21, 2023 at 09:07 AM

sonamair
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Why impossible to find a Q3

I think that too

Sep 21, 2023 at 10:09 AM

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