New list prices for Leica M lenses

[tom in mpls]

New list prices for M lenses

Price increases are 0 to several hundred dollars. $500 bump for the nocti, but that's still "only" 5%.

Lens Current Price, New Price
Super-Elmar-M 18mm f/3.8 ASPH 2,895 2,995
Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH 5,995 6,495
Elmarit-M 21mm f/2.8 ASPH 4,295 4,395
Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH 5,995 6,495
Elmarit-M 24mm f/2.8 ASPH 3,795 3,995
Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 ASPH 2,395 2,395
Summicron-M 28mm f/2.0 ASPH 3,995 3,995
Summicron-M 28mm f/2.0 ASPH Silver 4,195 4,195
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH 1,795 1,995
Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH 4,195 4,495
Summicron-M 35mm f/2.0 ASPH 2,795 2,995
Summicron-M 35mm f/2.0 ASPH Silver 2,795 2,995
Summarit-M 35mm f/2.5 1,595 1,695
Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH 9,995 10,495
Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH 3,595 3,695
Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH Silver 3,595 3,695
Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0 1,995 1,995
Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5 1,295 1,395
APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 ASPH 3,295 3,395
Summarit-M 75mm f/2.5 1,595 1,695
APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2.0 ASPH 3,495 3,695
Summarit-M 90mm f/2.5 1,595 1,695
Macro-Elmar-M 90 mm f/4 set w/Macro Adapter & Angle VF 3,795 3,795
Macro-Elamr-M 90mm f/4 Silver 1,995 1,995
Wide-Angle-Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21 mm f/4.0 w/Univ. WA Finder 5,995 5,995
APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 3,195 3,295


http://www.dalephotoanddigital.com/_e/page/1017/Leica_Jan_1_2010_Price_Increase.htm

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Wow -- I can't believe the 28/2 and 35/1.4 are now 4000 dollars each! They were literally half that when I bought mine. And the noctilux is just insane...again, I was offered a used copy of the pre-asph noctilux a couple of years ago for 2000 USD. I thought it was too much at the time, but I would have made a lot of money on the deal...well, if you don't take into account the dollar/euro relationship, which is probably the largest factor in all this.

 

[Eoin]

Insane!.

 

[wjlapier]

I never really paid attention to the new prices, but looking at two lenses I bought used--35/2 ASPH, and 50/2--I got a heck of a deal ( less than half the cost of new ) :thumbs:

 

[tom in mpls]

I had read several references to "8-15% price increases" to be announced, which was scary. These increases are about half or less of this range. Maybe the bodies will get a huge bump?

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Is it me, or is 15 lenses over 3000 dollars a lot? Leaving aside the insane 6000, 6500 and 10,500 dollar lenses...but when your standard lenses are over 3000 dollars, that is cause for concern. Especially when there are some SERIOUSLY good lenses for so much less. If I was buying new today, I would give some very serious thought to Voigtlander and the current ZM lenses. Especially since on film and the M9, coding is not an issue. The CV 50/1.5 is a very good lens, and B&H sells it for 389 dollars -- that is about 1/10th the cost of the 50/1.4 ASPH (which I own, and know is brilliant, but 10 times so? No. Twice as good? Again, no. Maybe 10% better.).

I am just glad I bought all my lenses a couple years ago.

 

[KurtKamka]

It certainly is amazing isn't it? If you have a full M line-up, you have to be feeling good about now as the resale prices will rise too. If you stupidly sold off most of your M lenses about 12-18 months ago to fund another system only to return to Leica M ... well you are kicking yourself and anxiously watching the buy and sell listings.

Kurt

 

[trisberg]

Is it me, or is 15 lenses over 3000 dollars a lot? Leaving aside the insane 6000, 6500 and 10,500 dollar lenses...but when your standard lenses are over 3000 dollars, that is cause for concern. Especially when there are some SERIOUSLY good lenses for so much less. If I was buying new today, I would give some very serious thought to Voigtlander and the current ZM lenses. Especially since on film and the M9, coding is not an issue. The CV 50/1.5 is a very good lens, and B&H sells it for 389 dollars -- that is about 1/10th the cost of the 50/1.4 ASPH (which I own, and know is brilliant, but 10 times so? No. Twice as good? Again, no. Maybe 10% better.).

I would agree with this. I bought a couple of Zeiss ZM lenses for my M8 recently and I've been very happy with them. They now come with a groove in the lensmount so the Sharpie coding won't get rubbed off as easily.

I have had Leica lenses for some film Ms earlier, but this time around I did not even consider buying Leica since I knew that the lenses I would want were too expensive.

-Thomas

 

[JWW]

It's a combination of a weak dollar and strong demand. Have you tried to find a 50 lux asph lately? Good for the folks that own a good inventory of lenses already.

 

[mtomalty]

If the weak dollar is the reason then this increase must only be applicable to the
U.S. market,correct ?

I bought an M8 a little over a week ago and,with it, three new Zeiss ZM lenses.
As a former film M owner with the entire range of lenses available 3 years ago
I can assure you I have seen no optical shortcomings with the ZM line.
The semi annual price increases from Leica have to be keeping a smile on the faces
of the makers of Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses

Mark
www.marktomalty.com

 

[oc garza]

This is not only happening with Leica. I commented to Cindy Flood recently that I sold all my Canon EOS stuff to finish up my photography with rangefinders only. On the Fred Miranda site I sold two professional bodies, and L lenses: 14, 24, 35, 85, the 70-200 F2.8 IS, 24-70 zoom, 16-35, a 300 f4, and my 600 f4IS. I racked up enough funds to buy 2 M9s and a Noctilux (used of course, if I wanted one). I also sold a non-L 50 and 24.

I was truly stunned about three things when I checked by PP funds after I recovered from the sale. First, that Canon NEW L lenses have also been steadily rising in price (hence the used market on L lenses is also increasiing in value). Second, that I had spent that much money on all that glass. :bugeyes: Third, I sold the lenses for more than I purchased them.

It is not surprising that good lenses are an investment. Plus you get to use them for years before selling them and in many cases getting your investment back. (The same cannot be said of digital camera bodies of course.)

Like many others on this forum, I buy used lenses almost exclusively. The only new Leica lens I purchased is the 75mm Summart because there were none used that I could find when I was looking. Buying "used" typically returns a good portion of the funds originally used to buy the lens back to the seller. This is especially true when there are people on this forum who have experience with most of the desireable Leica lenses. Many of them - Cindy Flood comes to mind as she is my lens muse - give advice generously when they have time.

This in no way defends any price increase by Leica, Canon or other companies but I know their costs are rising too. The bottom line is good lenses are an investment and when new prices jump, desireable used lenses typically increase in value too.

Now who has a used, mint Noctilux I for sale for $1,800 :ROTFL:

 

[Mango]

My guess is that they might come out with:

(1) 28mm f1.4 Summilux Asph (missing from lineup). The 28 Summicron did not have a price increase.

(2) MATE 28-35-50 version 3 (some improvements). The M9 seems to have re-awakened interest in the MATE.

(3) A new, outrageously price 75mm f1.4 Summilux Asph. For ultimate portraiture. With the Noctilux Asph, they have the technology for this.

 

[Peter Klein]

I sometimes think that Leica's price-setting method is as follows:
1. Read my mind. Work out the highest price I would possibly pay--upset, kicking and screaming, but I would eventually conclude that it was worth it, and pay it.
2. Double it. :bugeyes:

Because of this, most of my lenses were bought used. I also have a mix of older lenses and non-Leica lenses.

Leica mythology would have us believe that we are somehow corrupting our photography if all our lenses don't have red dots. This is no longer true in many cases. For example, the CV 50/1.5 Nokton is techinically a better lens than the old pre-aspheric Summilux, sharper over the whole field (though it does have a bokeh that some don't like). The modest little CV 90/3.5 Lanthar and 28/3.5 Skopar are both stellar lenses. And the CV 35/1.2 Nokton hits a sweet spot between modern aspheric hard-edged clarity and classic smoothness and bokeh.

If you shoot wide open and like (or don't mind) the more "clinical" look of the modern Leica aspherics, you have to pay the freight. But even then, it makes sense to buy the very best lens for your most-used focal length, and get older or non-Leica lenses for your lesser-used ones. And you won't need to apologize for any used 50 Summicron in good shape.

Buy used, buy smart, and look at plenty of pictures before you buy. That's the key to Leica survival if you're not in the highest tax brackets.

--Peter

 

[jonoslack]

Well, we have only ourselves to blame

Leica tried producing some 'reasonably' priced lenses (the Summarits). Everybody agrees they are excellent quality, but even so, Leica have said that they sell more copies of the expensive 'lux' lenses. I wonder whether the shortage of the 50 'lux isn't because they have a limited capacity for making aspherical elements, and it's more profitable to put 'em in the nocti.

Then again - having been to Solms recently, and seen how the lenses are made . . using ground glass for aspherical elements (rather than moulded like everyone else), and having the edge of each element painted black by hand to stop internal reflections (because they can't make a machine do it so well), and finally having each lens calibrated by hand.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the price is reasonable - just that it's an understandable response to an over-worked production capacity in a market which really isn't very price sensitive.

 

[oc garza]

snip...Then again - having been to Solms recently, and seen how the lenses are made . . using ground glass for aspherical elements (rather than moulded like everyone else), and having the edge of each element painted black by hand to stop internal reflections (because they can't make a machine do it so well), and finally having each lens calibrated by hand.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the price is reasonable - just that it's an understandable response to an over-worked production capacity in a market which really isn't very price sensitive.

Great point. There is no doubt that the Leica process is the last of the great hand made lens companies with a "damn the price, full speed ahead" market. We know Leica lenses are "quality" but sometimes forget what they must do to produce lenses that are "argueably" better than machine made lenses. And at some point that process will have to come to an end I suspect, but people have been saying that about Leica forever. Machines keep getting better at producing and assembling outstanding lenses (glass and all) but they are getting more expensive too.

Fortunately the used Leica lens world is entirely different. I am very glad Leica is selling the $12K nocti and other lenses because at some point, they will come on the market as "used". Then I'll pounce ... if I have any funds left.

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Good point Jono. I agree to some extent -- I am not saying Leica shouldn't charge what they do, just that I am surprised at how much the prices have increased in a few years. The lenses were made the same way by the same people in 2004-6 when I bought most of my lenses, but now they cost nearly double. I remember I bought my MP when it came out from Adorama -- 2250 USD. I thought it a lot. Now it costs 4395 from Adorama. Then again, that was 5 and a half years ago now, which makes me feel old (which I am not). Time flies.

 

[thrice]

Thank god my lens collection is complete

 

[JWW]

One must remember that price and cost are totally different subjects. Price is determined by what the market will bear (and they must be currently be bearing these prices) no matter what the cost (whether higher or lower than price) to produce.

I imagine that having a reasonable (?) price for the M9 created a huge market for the limited number of lenses the factory is geared up to produce.

 

[retow]

Lazy pays!
I had plant to sell my cron 75 and tri-elmar 28-35-50, since I don't use them on the M8, but was to busy with other things. The way Leica lens prices are going, the "never sell a Leica", saying becomes a new meaning. Unless you really need the cash, keep them and sell other assets first.

 

[glenerrolrd]

My guess is that they might come out with:

(1) 28mm f1.4 Summilux Asph (missing from lineup). The 28 Summicron did not have a price increase.

(2) MATE 28-35-50 version 3 (some improvements). The M9 seems to have re-awakened interest in the MATE.

(3) A new, outrageously price 75mm f1.4 Summilux Asph. For ultimate portraiture. With the Noctilux Asph, they have the technology for this.

My guess is a new 35mm 1.4 asph as I understood that you really can t order a new one from the factory....the rumor was end of Feb(of course that means next summer). LOL