[Leica] Leica investment economics - was Financial people in Lug

[jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj)]

Nikon still has the F6 and FM10 in its catalog.
Cheers
Jayanand


On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 11:09 AM, Nathan Wajsman <photo at 
frozenlight.eu>wrote:

> Robert, Cosina/Voigtlander makes very decent film cameras, and if demand
> for film cameras really returned, the major suppliers could jump back into
> that market in a matter of weeks.
>
> Nathan
>
> Nathan Wajsman
> Alicante, Spain
> http://www.frozenlight.eu
> http://www.greatpix.eu
> http://www.nathanfoto.com
> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog
>
> YNWA
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 28, 2010, at 2:10 AM, Robert Meier wrote:
>
> > There is another factor that has intervened to break the pattern you
> describe:  the digital revolution.  Very few Leica film cameras are still
> made and no other film cameras, at least, the metal, manual, mechanical
> kind.   So there is a finite number of film Leicas and their value in the
> future will grow as the number of people desiring them grows.   It's
> impossible to predict future value, but the new circumstances might well
> mean that their value will increase more rapidly than it has in the past.
> >
> > Robert
> >
> > On Dec 27, 2010, at 6:05 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote:
> >
> >> Considering the "end of the world" social and or economic collapse
> predicted
> >> in 2012, just how good is the investment value of Leica cameras. At
> today's
> >> Leica prices there are only two reasons for buying a new Leica camera
> >> primarily as an investment, both of them irrational.
> >>
> >> First, if you are a camera collector and/or a camera speculator you will
> buy
> >> the camera and keep it unused in its original box, expecting that its
> price
> >> will increase at some future date. This is a distinct possibility. A new
> >> unsold 1954 M3 with its original carton and shipping documents which
> sold
> >> for about $250 new in a tax free airport shop would probably sell at a
> >> collector's auction for the price of a small car, an unused urLeica
> would go
> >> for the price of a new house.
> >>
> >> The price appreciation of most Leicas, however, is a bit less than the
> >> equivalent amount of money deposited in bank CDs and considerably less
> than
> >> funds invested in the stock market. That $250 cost of the Leica in 1954,
> >> invested in CDs at the average rate of return would have grown to about
> >> $3250, about the price of a late model used Leica kit. If the Leica
> purchase
> >> funds were invested in the stock market at the average annual rate of
> return
> >> since 1954, it would have grown to almost $40,000, enough to buy a new
> >> camera and a BMW to drive it around in. Buying Leicas soley for
> appreciation
> >> is simply a variation of the "Greater Fool" theory beloved of stock
> >> speculators. You may be a fool for paying so much but you hope there is
> >> always a greater fool who will buy it from you for more.
> >>
> >> Second, if you are one of those who have a "best quality" addiction you
> will
> >> buy the camera to fondle and possess, secure in the feeling that no one
> has
> >> or appreciates quality equipment better than you. For a definition of
> >> "quality" see Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
> Maintenance."
> >> Take plenty of pictures with the camera. But don't get annoyed by the
> fact
> >> that the resulting pictures are almost indistinguishable from those
> taken
> >> with lesser cameras like Nikons or Canons. If digital cameras, all will
> be
> >> obsolete in a few years anyway and their value will decline
> precipitously.
> >>
> >> So unless you are a camera speculator or a quality addict don't buy a
> Leica
> >> for appreciation. Buy a Canon or Nikon. You will get state of the art
> >> engineering and manufacturing, fine lenses, autofocus and autoexposure
> at a
> >> considerable saving over the cost of an equivalent Leica system. Invest
> the
> >> money you save to provide a real legacy for your children. Or in a
> >> collection of fine Scotch potables. Remember that if the Indians who
> sold
> >> Niew Amsterdam to the Dutch had invested their $24 properly they could
> not
> >> only buy back Manhattan but every bit of developed property from Boston
> to
> >> Washington, DC.
> >>
> >> Larry Z
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Leica Users Group.
> >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>