They were almost bankrupt not so long ago. If they keep asking
these prices they will go down again.
For that money you can get the most rugged and probably most
perfected DSLR on the market, the Nikon D2x (the top Canons are
better but at an extra cost). If you are really honest you will
have to admit that the D2x has much more possibilities than the M8.
That is a simple fact. What does the M8 have to justify its price
compared to the D2x (and for that matter to the D200 and lots of
Canon cameras as well) and I mean to justify the production cost.
For those talking about Vietnam and the other wars: when the Nikon
F entered the scene in 1959 it meant game over for Leica, which
never really recovered from Nikon, Canon and the likes.
I am a professional photographer and none of my colleagues work
with Leica. The M-series were fragile compared to the sheer
ruggedness of the professional Nikon and Canon cameras. When your
income really depends on a camera, there is simply no other option.
Mind you, I like the M-series (shutter sound - lost in the digital
M, low speed ability, etc.) a lot, though I consider them to be too
expensive also and it is not because H. Cartier-Bresson made some
of the world's most famous pictures with it, that this will change
my view on its price.
It's the same with cars, everyone says them to be of 'Deutsche
Gründlichkeit", but I must ad to that: 'Sondern nicht einwandfrei',
while every single survey proves that Japanese cars are far more
reliable than German cars.
Please do not take this as a personal attack. All I am saying is
that there is a lot of hype about Leicas. If the former Oscar
Barnack company would sell their M8 at the price of the D200 for
instance there is a chance of survival for Leitz Cameras, but to me
their future does not look very bright.
Of course, for those who can spend the money, I am sure it will not
be entirely wasted.
And when it comes to quality, pictures made with top quality gear
of the other brands will prove to be of no lesser quality than
those made with a Leica. When I was a photography student, 25 years
ago, I already fooled one of my teachers, with a studio shot,
pretending it to have been made with a Hasselblad, while actually
it was made with a very cheap twin-lens Mamiya. He replied: 'You
can tell it's from a Blad'. I knew enough then. My opinions on the
subject haven't changed since.
I promise to leave the Leica forum alone. But this was stronger
than me.
Guy FRANCOIS
Brussels - Belgium
