This is the new US price list for Leica M lenses that will take effect on Jaunary 1st, 2012 (you can click on each of the lenses to see the current price):
| 11649 | 18mm f3.8 ASPH. | $3,195.00 | ||
| 11647 | 21mm f1.4 ASPH. (S8) | $6,995.00 | ||
| 11145 | 21mm f3.4 ASPH (E46) | $2,995.00 | ||
| 11601 | 24mm f1.4 ASPH. (S7) | $6,995.00 | ||
| 11648 | 24mm f3.8 ASPH. (E46) | $2,595.00 | ||
| 11604 | 28mm f2.0 ASPH (E46) | $4,295.00 | ||
| 11606 | 28mm f2.8 ASPH. M-Elmarit (E39) | $2,195.00 | ||
| 11663 | 35mm f1.4 ASPH. (E46) | $4,995.00 | ||
| 11879 | 35mm f2.0 ASPH. (E39) | $3,195.00 | ||
| 11882 | 35mm f2.0 ASPH. Silver (E39) | $3,195.00 | ||
| 11643 | 35mm f2.5 Black (E39) | $1,895.00 | ||
| 11602 | 50mm f0.95 ASPH. (E60) | $10,995.00 | ||
| 11891 | 50mm f1.4 ASPH. Black (E46) | $3,995.00 | ||
| 11892 | 50mm f1.4 ASPH. Silver (E46) | $3,995.00 | ||
| 11826 | 50mm f2.0 (E39) | $2,295.00 | ||
| 11644 | 50mm f2.5 Black (E39) | $1,495.00 | ||
| 11637 | 75mm f2 ASPH. (E49) | $3,795.00 | ||
| 11645 | 75mm f2.5 Black (E46) | $1,895.00 | ||
| 11884 | 90mm f2.0 APO ASPH. (E55) | $3,995.00 | ||
| 11646 | 90mm f2.5 Black (E46) | $1,895.00 | ||
| 11629 | 90mm f4 Macro-Elmar set | $3,995.00 | ||
| 11642 | 16-18-21mm f4.0 M-Tri-Elmar+finder | $6,295.00 | ||
| 11889 | 135mm f3.4 APO (E49) | $3,495.00 |
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24 Comments
LAME
Kinda a “virtual” price increase as you cannot get the lenses anywhere anyway
I was considering the 21 f3.4 which gladly will not get more expensive….
This prices are so absurd it’s vulgar.
I’ve had about enough of this… I’m an owner of a Leica M8 and Leica CL and after these price increases I’m tempted to never support Leica again. Ridiculous especially with a global recession.
Then again… when you take an M lens in your hand you will wonder how can it be so cheap when it feels like jewellery. And when you sell the lens you probably get back what you paid for it, if not more in some cases.
Buying Leica is better than buying stock, bank pays less than %2 for your CD, Leica is about 8 to 15 percent
I love your comment.
I made $500 more on a 50-Lux ASPH than what I paid for several years ago!
H,
With inflation, you probably lose out quite a bit, particularly if it has been “several years”. But overall, it is still a very good deal: you get all the enjoyment from the usage of the lens by just paying the inflation rate.
It’s very discouraging to look at the price of camera equipment nowadays.
Leica was never cheap. It will never be able to match labor costs of China or Vietnam. They don’t compete on price. Hence they are priced accordingly. And if you don’t want to buy them – then don’t. Nobody is holding a gun to your head.
That’s right! You tell em.
Leica gear is what’s known as a Veblen good — they are objects of desire precisely because they are expensive. It’s a luxury brand, like a Patek Phillipe.
The only consolation is that Leica, like Patek, protects the resale value of its product by keeping prices high and inventory low. So however much you pay, you will be able to sell it for double in 15 years time.
If you don’t like that system, the plastic Nikon 50 1.8 is every bit as sharp for a little over $100.
If only we could find one in stock with no mark ups before the end of the year. Hell as a retailer I would not listed as in stock until next year…
This is the best way to keep people shooting Leica. If the prices are not going up every year, I wouldn’t own so many of these lenses.
Have Clicked on Several and none are available. Old price or new it IS Vulgar. Back to my Nikon crop sensor camera and lenses.
$83495 for all the black versions! No thanks, Leica!
I have one 11663 and that’s enough.
Only the most insane/rich/compulsive buyer would build an exhaustive kit made of all Leica lenses.
Leica Ms are best used with a few selected lenses.
Note: I’ve had up to 14 Leica M or screw mount lenses (most non-Leica) but I started to cure myself. I’m down to 10 only
Ideally, I should get down to 3 (28, 50 and 90).
“Only the most insane/rich/compulsive buyer would build an exhaustive kit made of all Leica lenses.”
Don’t insult buyers of Leica lenses. People who shoot Leica lenses essentially get to use the best gears and make money at the same time. People who think Leica gears are too expensive are totally blind to the big picture.
For me, 21mm 35mm and 75mm.
28, 50 and 90 are also my Leica lenses. The 90mm is a hard to focus lens on a rangefinder. I am thinking to replace it with a WA lens, maybe the new 21mm f/3.4 which is not impacted by this price increase.
Sad thing is, I have been trying to buy a three lens kit at retail and have no luck…now they want more..at least lock preorders in.
So glad i bought the 50 lux asph b4 price increment.. i want to buy a noctilux though.. seems like this is getting harder and harder to achieve.. stock’s low too, zzz.
Those are some pretty steep increases. I was able to pick up the 75mm Summicron and a 28mm Elmarit from my dealer last month and so that’s a $600 ‘savings’ for me. If you have an additional equipment insurance policy (I have one with zero deductible based on original purchase price plus tax), be sure to update the replacement value on your Leica gear.
And yes, nobody is holding a gun to our heads, but I’ve been using Leica for over twenty five years (I also have two M6s and one M3 in addition to the M9) and have watched as prices have increased over those years with a new kind of marketing strategy primarily under the earlier Hermes recapitalization of the company and their previous 31% ownership. Up until the late 1980s it was still Leitz and not Leica (and was in Wetzlar and not in nearby Solms), and it was a different company then it is today. And at the time a Leica with Leitz lenses was all there was available as a high quality and ergonomic rangefinder system.
Leica Camera AG is currently very profitable and they know it and understand the demand (and will keep supply low on purpose.) This price increase will only add to their bottom line. It’s no wonder that Blackstone tapped it as an investment to pillage and why shareholders outside of Blackstone and Dr. Kaufmann are limited in number (existing public shares are being bought up by both Kaufmann and Blackstone and the Lisa AG holding company.) I think both Oskar Barnack and Ernst Leitz would be kind of disappointed in the direction the company has gone. It used to be a camera and optics company and now it seems more like an investment vehicle for private equity and growth capital.
You may recall, there once was a time when a Leica was a wonderful WORKING camera that made it’s way in the world as a more-than-legitimate WORKING tool for the real photojournalist. Alas, it’s been reduced to merely a sad shell, like a faded movie star, too locked in the past to gracefully embrace … Oh, hell, there I go Waxing & Pontificating like an over the hill gas bag movie reviewer.
The truth is, Leica priced themselves out of the photojournalist market years ago. What made them great is long gone, and the actual product is so expensive you don’t dare take it out of the house, much less someplace it might be in danger. (Dear Lecia, rule of thumb: Don’t make a product that’s more valuable than the user…it’s not going to work out for you in the long run.) love, David