An Inflationary Tale

[I Love Film]

Leica is selling all the cameras and lenses they can make at the prices they are asking. If you ran the company, would you lower prices?

You would not make more profit on volume (if you lowered prices) since you can't make them any faster. There is no reason to lower prices.

What would you do if you owned Leica?

[goamules]

Charge what the market will bear, of course. I'm not criticizing Leica, I'm making a comment about the nature of buyers, wealth, and possessions.

[I Love Film]

If you've got billions, then the cost of the cameras or the cars are pocket change for you. You no more think about the price than you would if you were buying a sandwich.

The "idolatry" is mostly in your head, the people who can't afford this stuff mean nothing to the people who can. You don't even enter into their radar.

Originally Posted by goamules

Charge what the market will bear, of course. I'm not criticizing Leica, I'm making a comment about the nature of buyers, wealth, and possessions.

[x-ray]

Originally Posted by I Love Film

Price for one ounce of gold in 1962 - $35 USD
Price for one ounce of gold today - approximately $1575 USD

Price for Leica M2 in 1963 - Approximately 5 one ounce Gold coins.
Price for Leica M9 today - Approximately 5 one ounce Gold coins

Mediæval serfs.

Look at how gold has reacted to the market recently, Greece, Spain, euro and etc. I keep an eye on it as an investor and have invested in both silver and gold but did it with the idea that it's in a bubble. I rode the bubble and sold high. Seeing how the financial world has reacted to the euro situation shows it's all hype regarding the value of gold. I believe the hype was all about driving the price up so the big investors could dump their gold and make a fortune knowing the retail investor would follow the leader.

I believe the value of gold is all hype and believe the value of Leica is all hype. How many here bought Leica because HCB used Leica or Elliot Erwitt uses Leica. How many here follow the hype about the Summicron 35 V4, Summilux 35 V1, Noctilux and M9. Leica is good but not good enough to justify the insane pricing.

[I Love Film]

You are tragically wrong about gold. (you sold, and what did you sell it for? a bunch of paper currency. good luck.)

Big fluctuations on the daily prices mean nothing. The fact remains that it is one of the only serious store of value left.

But I'm glad you believe gold is all hype. Please, sell your gold, dump it all. Drive down the price for a little while.

As for Leicas, I have a M9. I have plenty of lenses, and I like playing with my Leicas and lenses. There is no hype, I don't "need" Leicas, but I enjoy them. I had a Leica long before I knew who HCB or Erwitt was. I have other cameras too, lots of them.

If you don't like Leicas or don't like the price, don't buy them. End of story. There are plenty of other cameras available for you.

Originally Posted by x-ray

Look at how gold has reacted to the market recently, Greece, Spain, euro and etc. I keep an eye on it as an investor and have invested in both silver and gold but did it with the idea that it's in a bubble. I rode the bubble and sold high. Seeing how the financial world has reacted to the euro situation shows it's all hype regarding the value of gold. I believe the hype was all about driving the price up so the big investors could dump their gold and make a fortune knowing the retail investor would follow the leader.

I believe the value of gold is all hype and believe the value of Leica is all hype. How many here bought Leica because HCB used Leica or Elliot Erwitt uses Leica. How many here follow the hype about the Summicron 35 V4, Summilux 35 V1, Noctilux and M9. Leica is good but not good enough to justify the insane pricing.

[BobYIL]

Originally Posted by I Love Film

If you've got billions, then the cost of the cameras or the cars are pocket change for you. You no more think about the price than you would if you were buying a sandwich.

The "idolatry" is mostly in your head, the people who can't afford this stuff mean nothing to the people who can. You don't even enter into their radar.

The point is not to enter into their radar but into the radar of Leica..

In its heydays, we were buying Leicas by noting of what was used by "the great masters of photography" like HCB, Ernst Haas, Alfred Eisenstaedt, W. Eugene Smith, Sebastiao Salgado, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank, Joseph Koudelka, Horst Haas, ....... They were Leica's pride list.

Today Leica's pride list: Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar, Dmyitry Medvedev, Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan of Brunei, Seal, Paris Hilton, Chow Yun Fat, Victoria Beckham, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, .....

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by BobYIL

Today Leica's pride list: Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar, Dmyitry Medvedev, Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan of Brunei, Seal, Paris Hilton, Chow Yun Fat, Victoria Beckham, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, .....

Truly funny. However, at least one of these people could be great at photography... there's a chance no? My money is on Paris Hilton.

[BobYIL]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Truly funny. However, at least one of these people could be great at photography... there's a chance no? My money is on Paris Hilton.

(Shhhhh.. Scarlett Johansson would never forgive you.. )

[x-ray]

Originally Posted by I Love Film

You are tragically wrong about gold. (you sold, and what did you sell it for? a bunch of paper currency. good luck.)

Big fluctuations on the daily prices mean nothing. The fact remains that it is one of the only serious store of value left.

But I'm glad you believe gold is all hype. Please, sell your gold, dump it all. Drive down the price for a little while.

As for Leicas, I have a M9. I have plenty of lenses, and I like playing with my Leicas and lenses. There is no hype, I don't "need" Leicas, but I enjoy them. I had a Leica long before I knew who HCB or Erwitt was. I have other cameras too, lots of them.

If you don't like Leicas or don't like the price, don't buy them. End of story. There are plenty of other cameras available for you.

Go to the store and try to trade an once of gold for a loaf of bread or gallon of milk. If the economy gets really bad do you think anyone will trade you food for gold? We can debate gold all day long but IMO it's hype. It has little real value except for electronics and bling.

I'm glad you like your toys. Keep buying them and driving the price up. I sold my 35 Summicron V4 for 4 times what I paid, my V1 for almost 10 times and doubled my money on my 50 ASP Summilux. I still have a few lenses I want to sell so keep the prices up. Mean while I'm happy that I doubled my money on silver and made a tidy sum on gold not to mention my Leica gear. Now that I sold these highly prized lenses and bought boring old Zeiss, I guess the only thing I can do now is make great images. Too bad for me, no bragging rights with Zeiss.

[Jonnyfez]

Originally Posted by BobYIL

The point is not to enter into their radar but into the radar of Leica..

In its heydays, we were buying Leicas by noting of what was used by "the great masters of photography" like HCB, Ernst Haas, Alfred Eisenstaedt, W. Eugene Smith, Sebastiao Salgado, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank, Joseph Koudelka, Horst Haas, ....... They were Leica's pride list.

Today Leica's pride list: Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar, Dmyitry Medvedev, Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan of Brunei, Seal, Paris Hilton, Chow Yun Fat, Victoria Beckham, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, .....

That's pretty funny, and also very accurate!

[micromontenegro]

Originally Posted by BobYIL

In its heydays, we were buying Leicas by noting of what was used by "the great masters of photography" like HCB, Ernst Haas, Alfred Eisenstaedt, W. Eugene Smith, Sebastiao Salgado, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank, Joseph Koudelka, Horst Haas, ....... They were Leica's pride list.

Today Leica's pride list: Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar, Dmyitry Medvedev, Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan of Brunei, Seal, Paris Hilton, Chow Yun Fat, Victoria Beckham, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, .....

That's brilliant. Nothing like a good example to drive a point home.

[mdarnton]

Originally Posted by Steve M.

I guess things have changed since '64. If you're a commercial photographer you need a fast, auto focus camera these days for any sort of action.

I used to be a news photographer, and used Leicas. Last week I went over to the NATO demonstrations here in Chicago with one film Nikon with a 24mm, and one with a 200mm. I doubt even the camera geeks noticed me, except in disinterest at the old guy with the crappy old cameras. I wasn't intent on shooting like I used to, but I easily could have, with those two cameras, easily, and not missed anything important.

[heyyoukidsgetoffmylawnrant]
What I saw there was about 100 people, some press, some not, with Canons with cannons on them (what is that two foot long white lens they all felt they needed, anyway?), sticking out like sore thumbs. One guy with press credentials looked like a joke from a cheap sci-fi film--he was a major distraction, himself, with all the trash he had hanging off himself, including a helmet and kneepads. I bet their collective hit ratio was about .01%, if that. When I used to go to an event, even my editor wouldn't see me; now the press IS the event. I don't think this is progress.
[/heyyoukidsgetoffmylawnrant]

[anu L ogy]

People are going to be attracted to leicas for different reasons. I hate the idea that my equipment can't easily be fixed by me, which is why I don't shoot a digital canon, leica, nikon, etc. The last two issues I had with my M6 I fixed myself with a screwdriver. As I understand it, Leica techs earn a living wage. I find it hard to imagine this is the case in canon or nikon's facilities. Maybe I'm wrong.

[goamules]

Originally Posted by I Love Film

...The "idolatry" is mostly in your head, the people who can't afford this stuff mean nothing to the people who can. You don't even enter into their radar.

...said the man who a few posts later admits he owns an M9 Leica. Do you have more than one Leica? Can you not "see yourself" with any other camera?

[I Love Film]

Actually, I have hundreds of cameras. I mainly shoot with a Kodak SLR/n.

Originally Posted by goamules

...said the man who a few posts later admits he owns an M9 Leica. Do you have more than one Leica? Can you not "see yourself" with any other camera?