Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/04/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]When Hasselblad stopped production of the 500 series cameras, it was said that they had enough inventory of bodies and most lenses to last a while. When they cut the workforce to about 75 people, you can imagine they were producing nothing...... working down inventory. That was more than 10 years ago, and they still have some V series lenses and some bodies available for sale, new, at the factory. I think Leica would not want to be stuck with old film camera inventory .... thus the comment that they are selling more units than they are making sounds reasonable. The other item to note: Leica counts sales only to their dealer network.... consumer sales mean nothing..... So if the dealers have accumulated inventory which they are selling without a reorder from Solms, that also adds to the misconception that no one is buying Leica film cameras. As I said previously, the number of film Leica cameras of the M3-M6 vintage that sell used on Ebay is truly impressive..... Someone is buying these cameras.... and that is definitely eating into new camera sales..... ( Especially at cost savings of 1/2 to 2/3 the price of a new M7) Frank Filippone red735i at earthlink.net USA President is estimating that they are 6 to 7 months backlogged currently. Stefan Daniel aready said that they can actually sell more film M's than they are making right now......