Yeah, I know that's what they've been going for. It's a huge bummer too. I might describe a 5k iMac as a 'luxury' desktop computer, and an iPhone as a 'luxury' smart phone in some ways, but they're at least affordable for a middle class person who stretches their budget. Leica stuff is just outta the sphere of rational thought. The Q is expensive but used I could justify it, and with the recent $8k price drop on the S, and the perpetual discounts on M lenses, I am HOPING they want to dip the tinyest of toes into the "99%" market. :banghead: I'm getting tired of wating for Fuji to make a FF X100. They seem happy to live in perpetual mediocracy.
"Rational Thought" is a relative term. How one perceives the value of any product is directly related to our needs/desires and to one's ability to pay for it. Either you can afford your "wants and gimmes", or you can't … OR, you place a priority on it and forego other items you may want or need. I was once in the former group and worked with two Leica M9s and two Hasselblad H cameras and most all of the lenses. After retiring, I slid into the latter group … so if I want the new S I'll have to forego other desires.
I think there are too many relatively reasonably priced high-performance cameras like the D810, Canon 5D-III, and Sony A7R-II with new lenses coming to the forefront for Leica to compete with on price … or if they do try, it'll only be because of a more affordable red dot prestige rather than any real world performance advantage that would last longer than 6 months.
I honestly do not think Leica is for those addicted to relentless techno-change. Personally, I evaluate each equipment choice as it relates to my day-to-day needs and ways of making photographs … not everyone else's, or some new laundry list of tech stuff that I don't actually need. If it fits me, it probably will fit me for a good while. I prefer a rangefinder for most "of the moment work" which is primarily B&W … and my MM fits that today as well as it did when I got it some years ago. Same for the S system which replaced the Hasselblads after I stopped doing so much commercial work tethered to a computer. These days, I do not need a new S(007), but may
want it because my shooting has migrated to other interests where the (007) may fit better. However, the driving reason for having the S at all remains the same as the day I first got an S2P years ago … superb, fast aperture MF lenses with central shutters … and a dual card, dual shutter DSLR type camera. To this day, it stands alone in fitting my needs. Nothing else is even a consideration.
- Marc