[Leica] M8 and the Future

[bd at bdcolenphoto.com (B. D. Colen)]

The issue isn't just how many M8 bodies Leica will sell - and I'm going to
guess 2500-3000 the first year, and less in the second - but rather what the
release of the M8 will do to film camera sales. As we know, Leica is barely
afloat; the R8-9 has been a loss leader for some time, and the M6 and M7
were steady, if modest, sellers. But with the introduction of the M8, one
has to wonder if the sales of new M7s will dwindle to next to nothing,
because people are unloading their film Ms at bargain prices to purchase
M8s, making used cameras much more inviting than new ones. So it's unlikely
the M8 will really add to the Leica bottom line, as, 10 years ago, an
entry-level M film body might have, but rather will drain film sales. Of
course it may turn out that the company will succeed in developing a new,
digital, business model which will revive it and keep it going. It's going
to be interesting to watch.


On 10/25/06 5:47 PM, "Matt Powell" <wooderson@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 10/25/06, Steve Unsworth <lug@steveunsworth.co.uk> wrote:
>> When I bought my M6 I could have bought a Canon SLR with lens for
>> about a third of the price - probably less. The Canon usd exactly the
>> same film as the Leica. So why did I spend all that money on a
>> rangefinder rather than an SLR. Well, the main reason was because it
>> was a rangefinder rather than an SLR. That was the case in film days
>> and it's the same in the digital age.
>> 
>> Steve
> 
> I'm not saying that the M8 will flop, that no one will buy it, or that
> it's even a camera I wouldn't like to own. I'm saying that it won't
> change Leica's stars.
> 
> Even in the M6 days, you were party of a tiny minority, right? 1 Leica
> sold for every 100 good Canon bodies. That's no different today - a
> Leica M8 is simply too expensive to ignite any kind of renaissance for
> the company. There just aren't that many people who can afford to pay
> $4800+tax for a single body.
> 
> Those few with the disposable income and need or desire to buy one
> will, and everyone else will buy a Canon/Nikon dSLR or wait for the
> next Cosina digital rangefinder at a price competitive with dSLRs.