New Leica film camera

[anyone]

Hi,
pretty exciting news for us film shooters: there is a new film Leica coming up:

Breaking: Leica will bring back to life the M6 film camera! - Leica Rumors

It seems that my initial report about a new cheaper Leica M film camera was correct – Leica will indeed announce a cheaper film rangefinder: Leica will bring back to life the M6 camera! There are still some questions I do not have answers for (yet): Leica M6 Classic or Leica M6 TTL? Price? […]

leicarumors.com

So far I haven't jumped on the Leica M system, but I'm really curious. Also how the used prices for the M6 develop afterwards....

 

[pegelli]

I think it's an excellent development that Leica keeps producing film cameras.
My M2 just got new shutter curtains and a complete CLA so is good as new (inside), so I don't "need" a new M film camera right now, but who knows, GAS might get the better of me in the future. For me a lot will depend on the price as well.

 

[anyone]

Same here, the price matters. I thought to buy a M6 when it was sold for EUR 800 - now we are at EUR 2.500. Curious to see what price they are thinking of.

 

[JoelM]

Maybe we should have a poll to guess the price. I'll guess $3995 USD.

 

[Godfrey]

I tend to prefer my film cameras to be meterless and mechanicalkdkslajf. My M4-2 was $750 or something like that when I bought it in 2012. It's still just fine, no need for another film M.

If they're trying to get to a lower price point, I'd imagine $3000-4000 for an M6 body.

G

 

[KeithDM]

Back in 2011 I bought a new M7 and it must have been an example of Leica's version of a 'Friday afternoon job' as it suffered repeated problems with the electronic side of things, so much so that it was eventually replaced with a new one. This has behaved impeccably and is a joy to use. My R5 doesn't quite fall into the same category usage-wise but is nevertheless a pleasant to use rock-solid performer. Thus there will be no temptation to add another Leica film body, whatever might emerge from Wetzlar.

 

[anyone]

I can dream a little, but if it is around EUR 2.000-2.500 I am in

 

[rmueller]

I got myself a new M-A for Christmas last year, that's really all I need from a film M. Good though that Leica keeps the analog fire burning and who knows, if the price is attractive, another Christmas is ahead of us.

 

[Paul Spinnler]

Leica is the last remaining producer of 35mm film cameras, if I remember correctly. And according to Mr. Kaufmann's speech earlier this year at the Leica Summit in Berne, the waiting list for the current fully mechanical M was almost a year. Resurgence comes from age bracket 25-40, ie not the youngest and not the oldest customers, from what I heard. It is a good sign for film, frankly.

 

[dave.gt]

This is good news if true. And we don’t have long to wait to see what Leica announces.

Although I deeply miss my M6 and M3, I see no possiblity of buying another M. But I can dream of this new M… and I can shoot film with a couple of old manual focus Nikons and a couple of AF bodies.

Still, I feel like I missed the train as it has left the station headed for the coast. It’s a long walk now.

I am however, interested to see what develops (no pun intended) since I am in my renaissance period with 135 film now, and it is wonderful, if entirely unexpected.

I now enjoy the craft of photography more than ever. And, surprisingly, developing and scanning dozens of rolls of black and white film has been great therapy for me and it fits well within my meager monthly budget of $50/month for personal photography. And, I still have dozens of rolls of color film in the freezer and 39 rolls of BW left, and I am loving every frame I shoot.

I hope others will buy the new M and enjoy the experience and joy of film that I have re-discovered.

A recent crafted image, not with a Leica M, with Acros II 100 film:


Still, I miss my my M3:


My wish: Long live the Leica M, and may Leica continue its heritage with film cameras.

 

[Hausen]

I have dusted off my M6Ti in recent weeks and have put a couple of rolls through it. I was always an urban film shooter and when I moved to Queenstown 3 years ago I was suddenly in NZ's landscape capital and I left the M6 on the shelf. It is a cool little kit in my Wotancraft Pilot 10L with M11 + M6 plus a couple of lenses. I swapped out the M6 last weekend for a Rolleicord Vb so I could shoot some double exposures. I found I really missed film and am glad I am back into it.

 

[drevil]

Rumors are its a m6 re-Issue……

 

[med]

If the rumours are true and this is an M6 reissue at a lower price point, I have to wonder how they are achieving the lower price point? The still-produced MP is basically an M6 so they obviously won't be using the same manufacturing they use for the MP/MA.

Whatever the case is, if it slows or stops the insane price hikes for used analogue Ms then it is welcome in my books.

 

[Paul Spinnler]

Could be produced in Portugal?

 

[anyone]

I am really curious. October is soon.

 

[med]

Could be produced in Portugal?

Based on this tour of the Portugal factory, it seems like the MA and MP are already mostly made in Portugal, with Wetzlar presumably just doing a few steps of final assembly and calibration/QC. Can those steps really shave thousands of Euros off the price? A similar trick with the lenses seems to only shave hundreds from the price.

I wonder if they would dare to sub contract the construction of an M to a factory in China/Thailand/Japan? Perhaps wherever the Bessa/Ikon/RD1s were made? I have no reason to believe this, I just fail to see how they could drastically reduce the cost of an M without making serious changes to manufacturing process or location.

 

[anyone]

Maybe they decide to sacrifice some of their revenue from branding in order to lure in people who buy lenses? But let’s see what ‘cheaper’ means in Leica terms. For me it would be really nice to enter the M system with a new analogue body.

 

[richardman]

I am guessing that most film Leica Ms sold in last decade+ are mostly profit. There's hardly any R&D, so just the materials cost + labor to put things together. So it should be relatively easy to lower the MSRP - if they choose

 

[anyone]

I can dream a little, but if it is around EUR 2.000-2.500 I am in

After a short call with a Leica dealer this price point seems to be unrealistic.

 

[Paul Spinnler]

Latest rumours pointed to 4800, no? Would leave a nice profit per unit if you assume each one costs a few hundred EUR to put together and would be in line more or less with the premium pricing we all know Leica for …

I think 4800 might be just “low” enough to lure in the analogue fans which want something “new” rather than used from eBay. Although 2000-3000 is the market price for an analogue M, you rarely get a factory new unit at this level and some people really are willing to pay up for this…

There is something about a beautiful piece of mechanical craftsmanship which will last 20 years easily… this is also the reason why people still buy a factory new Master Technika 3000 - it costs almost 7k direct from the factory and they make 15 per run bi annually … but still!