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Fun with the Leica T

rich_

Member
I tried one of these out today with my 50mm Sonnar attached via their Leica M adaptor. It focuses nicely. I expected more of the rear screen to be lit, the bezel seemed large although perhaps there was a setting I missed.

I asked if it was popular and the shop was rather sheepish with the negativity of their response. They suggested that the poor uptake may be to do with how they were selling the camera as part of a zoom kit.

It will please a fair few, I didnt try it with the AF but i'm sure its a damn sight easier then squinting through an M viewfinder! ;-)
 

Terry

New member
I asked if it was popular and the shop was rather sheepish with the negativity of their response. They suggested that the poor uptake may be to do with how they were selling the camera as part of a zoom kit.
Not sure what your dealer is doing because there is no kit. You buy body and lens separate.
 

JohnBrew

Active member
I was in Siena* May 28 and stopped in the camera store there where I was allowed to fondle the T and the new viewfinder. The owner said he wasn't allowed to sell it until June 2 or I might have purchased it on a whim. It had the zoom mounted and they had a body shell posing with the solid block of aluminum. Anyway it seemed larger in my hands than pictures had indicated and seemed to handle well. I predict they will sell well.
If you're ever in Siena the camera shop downtown is a marvelous place, almost museum like with all the old 35mm and medium format cameras upstairs and most are in perfect condition. I would call it a small B&H.

*I took my M8.2 and three lenses. After two weeks of covering Italy and Corsica I never saw another Leica. And even stranger - no one ever asked about mine which usually happens every time I go out here at home.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
My store told me that there are currently already 20k orders for Leica T in Europe alone.

If this is true then I wonder how Leica will be able to fulfill demand anytime in the next years?
 

barjohn

New member
I spoke with Leica NJ today and they told me they had not seen any T shipments for two weeks even though they have hundreds of orders. Further Leica doesn't tell them why or when they will receive any shipments. They were hoping for a shipment tomorrow so they could ship out to stores for Friday & Saturday deliveries. I was looking for accessories and they had no idea on accessories either.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I spoke with Leica NJ today and they told me they had not seen any T shipments for two weeks even though they have hundreds of orders. Further Leica doesn't tell them why or when they will receive any shipments. They were hoping for a shipment tomorrow so they could ship out to stores for Friday & Saturday deliveries. I was looking for accessories and they had no idea on accessories either.
I do like Leica and I do like most of their products but I do not like their ignorant and arrogant behavior regarding delivery timing and notification.
I have been interested in a 50 APO for long time and just don't get one.

They present a new product like the T, present a date when they will start shipping but you actually cant buy it.(OK, I am not in any hurry regarding the T but this happens with many of their products - I had to constantly ask and call to finally get an M body last year)
Their production planning seems to lag far behind the product development.
Or would they do it on purpose to make the product more exclusive and interesting and to keep prices high?
 

barjohn

New member
I do think it is part of their marketing strategy to artificially constrain production and keep supplies below demand and thus hold up prices. Of course, at some point one has satisfied the more immediate demand from early buyers and the company needs to sustain income to meet overhead so supply is eased to bring on the center portion of the bell curve of buyers. The last quartile of buyers will wait for demand to drop to the point that pricing reductions are needed to move inventory and at this point the product is in the cash-cow phase of life. In the computer business, that is when we would introduce some easy to add features to extend the product life and give it a supplemental name (M8.2?)
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
I ordered my T back in early May. So I was really one of the first buyers. Leica told my dealer then the black T with zoom, EVF and M adapter would ship week 26 (23-27 June 2014).

We called last week in order to find out that this date has shifted to somewhere mid July to mid August. Because they had overwhelming demand (more than 20k orders just for Europe). Which makes me wonder

1) if I will wait as long - since I wanted this camera for this summer and not autumn

2) how will they do if they really need to produce a few 10000's cameras worldwide over the next few months - they will never succeed.

I find it stupid that they do not ride the initial wave of excitement for this product and just prepare alternatives to manufacture just in case demand really gets that high. Nice to have hand made and hand polished cameras, but I guess a good to excellent machined process would be hardly distinguishable from the hand-made but allow much higher production volumes.

I also fear that they will have the same issues with the lenses they bring over time for the T system. For me this system really appeals because it are Leica lenses with hopefully Leica drawing capabilities, but also and this is very important - the lenses look and effectively are very compact to their pendents from Fuji etc. Which makes this system really appealing - at least for me.

Hope they can fulfill their promises otherwise I may end up with Fuji XT1 and system instead.
 

Terry

New member
I ended up canceling my order this week. I decided that there were enough changes in the works with Apple products and Photokina around the corner that I could just play a little bit of a wait and see. It didn't help that there was no way of knowing if I was going to get the all the stuff I wanted and I didn't want to get it piecemeal (like camera with no EVF or worse camera no lens, etc. B&H was expecting cameras but had no info on getting Visoflex or or other accessories.
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
20K orders is 30,000 hours of milling and polishing. How many polishers do you suppose they have in Portugal (in Wetzlar?)? If the milling and polishing crew is, say, a dozen people, can they process 100 bodies per day? At that rate, the T backlog will last past Christmas 2014...

scott
 

D&A

Well-known member
Something tells me they stockpiled milled and polished bodies long before they officially announced the camera. If so there still will be a wait list but maybe not as long if one calculates the number of bodies x supposed workers polishing them.

Dave (D&A)
 

Paratom

Well-known member
i cant believe this numbers of orders. maybe some people ordered it at several places to increase the chance to get one.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I do like Leica and I do like most of their products but I do not like their ignorant and arrogant behavior regarding delivery timing and notification.
I have been interested in a 50 APO for long time and just don't get one.

They present a new product like the T, present a date when they will start shipping but you actually cant buy it.(OK, I am not in any hurry regarding the T but this happens with many of their products - I had to constantly ask and call to finally get an M body last year)
Their production planning seems to lag far behind the product development.
Or would they do it on purpose to make the product more exclusive and interesting and to keep prices high?
Dont give up...just one week after I wrote the complain here I get the notice to receive my lens very soon.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi There
Perhaps we can wake this thread up a bit - anyone got a T?

Here are a couple from yesterday


buzz buzz
With the macro Elmar 90 f4 and the Macro Adapter M


summer lunchtime (trout, samphire, zucchini and a chilled Langedoc)
with the 18-55 zoom
 

jonoslack

Active member
Some guy in Germany is still polishing mine.

- Marc
:). Actually Marc, some guy in Germany is still polishing mine as well, but I've kidnapped the prototype until he's finished!

Have you ordered one? or was that just a good excuse for a snappy rejoinder?
 

fotografz

Well-known member
:). Actually Marc, some guy in Germany is still polishing mine as well, but I've kidnapped the prototype until he's finished!

Have you ordered one? or was that just a good excuse for a snappy rejoinder?
Leica already has all my camera budget for the next few years Jono … as you know, I'm a S addict, and there is a S-100/2 coming. Probably a new camera also.

Besides, I just bought another home in Florida because I cannot hack another winter like the last one. My wife is fast depleting any cash source to decorate the place, and she is eyeing my camera gear asking questions whether I need yet another lens. Oh oh.:eek:

I'm thinking of opening my home to transient boarders, chloroforming them then harvesting their organs for cash. It is safer than Guy's method of robbing banks in a homemade ski mask.:ROTFL:

- Marc
 
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