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Leica Lens Price Increases

monza

Active member
Effective immediately




Please find attached the January 1, 2012 Leica Authorized Dealer Price List which is effective immediately. We regret the need for this round of increases and have taken all prudent steps to mitigate and even avoid it.

However, due to a significant rise in the cost of certain materials used to manufacture Leica lenses, Leica has been forced to increase its lens prices accordingly. The increase in costs relates in particular to certain types of speciality glass containing rare-earth materials. Rare-earth materials are also used to polish optics in the production of lens elements. Further significant increases in costs have resulted from the rise in noble metals base prices, and the cost of labor.

Leica’s focus remains first and foremost on providing a premium customer experience and products of outstanding build and performance quality. The level of price increase will depend on each lens design and its production requirements.
 

retow

Member
I always thought Leica lenses where too expensive when I bought one. However, with hindsight, all my purchase decisions turned out to be excellent "investments". I'm glad I bought all the m-lenses I'll ever need a couple of years ago, the last ones in 2008 in the UK when the Lstg hit rock bottom relative to the USD and Leica offered a special rebate on top (new Summicron 28 for USD 1800). Compared to the excellent ZM offerings, Leica glass has reached fetish level, in my opinion.
 

PeterA

Well-known member
Terry - I think I made a comment on rare earth / mineral sands prices a few months back in some thread and yes I suspect that the US dollar purchasing power continues to decline relative to the cost f material inputs.

I might sell all my Leica M lenses and buy a boat:ROTFL:
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
If I were a betting man I'd say that lens availability is going to increase vastly in the immediate future... I knew I should've bought that 24 Elmar the other day...
 

wattsy

Well-known member
Maybe Blackstone forces them to take advantage of the higher demand than what they can deliver?
Possibly but, if that's the case, you'd think that they would have taken advantage of the demand for the 35 Summilux and raised the price $500 or so.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
And there I was yesterday with someone telling me he thought a $900 lens was excessively pricey ...

If you buy two or three lenses and use them for a life time, the prices don't seem more than just "rather pricey." ;-)
 

jonoslack

Active member
Don't they do this every year?
I thought so.

Interestingly, on the one hand you can watch the price of (say) the Fuji X100 going down about $50 per month, whilst Leica prices either stay the same (cameras) or go up (lenses).

I have mixed feelings about this - cost of ownership may be a different thing from cost of purchase, and at least it means that if you splash out on Leica gear then you'll likely get most of it back again later.

Whatever - as far as I'm concerned it's nice to see that Leica are making a bit of money these days - 3 or 4 years ago it looked they might not survive.
 

weinschela

Subscriber Member
Now that the Euro is cheaper vs the dollar there are fewer Euros per dollar. So if you start off with a euro based price list, you would need to increase $ prices to end up with the same number of Euros. So my question is whether the prices in Euros are up also or if this is exchange rate adjustment? Or am i missing something?
 

Peter Klein

New member
For comparison, my first Leica, a used M2 with DR Summicron cost $250.00 in 1970. That's about $1,400 in today's dollars, by the Consumer Price Index. Both camera and lens were the "previous model."

Today, on eBay's "completed listings," a used 50 Summicron goes for $900 for a v.3 to $1600 for the current formula (sometimes even a "tabbed" one from the 80s!). A used M6 goes for $1,100 to $1700. Take the average of both, you get $2,560 for a film M and a standard lens. Even with the decline in film, a similar package now costs 1.9x today what it did in 1970.

Put a used M8.2 into the equation, and the camera cost goes up to between $3,000-3,350, average $3,175, total for camera and lens, $4,425. That's an increase of 3.2x.

The price of that red dot is going up faster than a lot of other things, methinks.

--Peter
 

sirimiri

Member
My February 1978 Leica system catalog price list has the following:

55E circular polarizer $177

Leicaflex motor $1,650

Noctilux f/1 $960

and lastly, an

M4-2 $993
 

Paratom

Well-known member
Whatever - as far as I'm concerned it's nice to see that Leica are making a bit of money these days - 3 or 4 years ago it looked they might not survive.
I agree here and I totally wish Leica continues to keep that high quality approach, even if the prices are high.
 

Photojazz

Member
I was assured by someone pretty high up the Leica food chain that availability would get better, but he also assured me that it would be quite some time before that happened. Why did I talk to him? I called Leica USA to vent my frustrations about lens availability, and I got to speak to someone pretty high up I will say. I wanted to complain about international scalping going on on ebay for 2K higher than retail, I wanted to complain about empty stock at BH, Adorama, and the rest. In the end,he was empathetic, but essentially said it would be quite some time before things really can improve. the new plant is crucial, and I do not believe it is close to production, at least not the impression I got. I get the feeling that even when plant opens, it will be quite a while before full production can happen. So, this shortage continues into the forseeable future.
 

just4fun

Member
i don't know about you but i have to admit that shortage is part of the fun :) if everybody can buy them too easy then there are no more fun :D
 

wattsy

Well-known member
the new plant is crucial, and I do not believe it is close to production, at least not the impression I got.
The new plant is still a scruffy looking field. My understanding is that Leica have introduced extra shifts to increase production but the real increase will only come with the new plant which is, realistically, going to be 2013 at the earliest.
 
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