chiron wrote: 1bwana1 wrote: retrofocus wrote: johnvanr wrote:
I have a M11 and I’m trying out a Zf. My feelings for the Leica aren’t so strong that I cannot imagine getting rid of it. Actually, this talk of being top-notch and having top build quality, while we all know about its weaknesses actually annoys me. I’ve given up on BMW for similar reasons, not to speak of Boss suits. All German brands that don’t live up to the hype.
I am native German as mentioned above but I kind of agree with you. I have Leica cameras and lenses, but it is just one brand of several ones I am using. To me all the hype around Leica which is well marketed is not working. I would feel uncomfortable being surrounded in a meeting only by Leica enthusiasts. I personally believe that Leica made the best rigid and reliable gear in the 50s with the M3 followed by M2 and M4 - and the decay kind of started when they ventured using cheaper parts causing rangefinder flare etc. This whole luxury brand and collector thingy is just mind-boggling to me. I appreciate Leica's important history for photography and the quality it started off with.
German work stood in the past for high quality and precision. This time is long gone. Now all is globalized, parts come from all over the world and are pre-assembled at all kind of places. Leica still makes excellent stuff and markets it at such, but I don't see this balanced anymore with the asking price especially of new gear. Leica was expensive in the past also but the price-performance gap has significantly widened since. No matter how much money I have, I will never ever purchase a camera for about $9K. Maybe that's because Germans are also often - cheap
People can speculate all they want about Leica pricing. But I have yet to hear anyone make a compelling case that Leica cameras and lenses, particularly the D-Lux 8, The M(x), or the Q(x) are over priced.
Anyone care to take a stab at that?
The right price for something is what a reasonably well-informed person will pay for it. So, in that sense, Leicas are priced right. In terms of functionality as cameras, they significantly underperform their price point in terms of what similarly priced cameras can do and how well they do it.
Of course, someone may strongly value some aspect or feature of an item that underperforms its competition in other ways--for example, its scarcity value or its manual rangefinder focusing--and the exclusive availability of that feature on a particular product then properly overrides other comparative financial considerations.
It is also the case that items can have narrative or symbolic value that exceeds their functional value, like a baseball glove once used by Willie Mays. Leicas certainly participate in a strong narrative and symbolic context. In this sense, while underperforming in functional and technical terms, as jewelry they are priced about right.
Function? One reason I own Leica digital Ms is the way they function. The M 10s do not have stuff I don't want on a camera. If I wanted all that stuff there are plenty of other options on the market. Leica Ms function perfect for the way I see and work. Just because they aren't gadget heavy, for some like me, means that they function perfectly. Creative tools shouldn't be thrown into the consumer car buying mentality. You know, the more features the better. Some photographers like me want things that function more simply. With less to come between us and the process. A camera because the way it functions allows me to fully control the process. Less is more kind of approach. Nice to have a true alternative to all the other choices out there.
Dec 18, 2024 at 10:40 PM
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