Are Leica Cameras Worth The Money

Why Leica Cameras Are Worth The Cost

It'south no hush-hush that Leica cameras tend to appear in the 'sort by price high to low' filter on our site, and it's probably no surprise that a Leica holds the record for the most expensive camera e'er sold.

To some, the cost of a Leica is unjustifiable, but to others the price is just part of a bigger movie that tells us why Leica cameras are so prized and sought afterward.

In this commodity I'm going to talk about why a Leica camera is considered to be expensive, merely why that characterization doesn't tell the full story.

Leica Cameras Aren't Actually Expensive

A controversial statement, I know. Bear with me.

Leica cameras are premium products that represent fantabulous value for money, which means that when you purchase one you're making an investment.

I'll discuss the benefits of the bodily product later, but for now just consider what you go when y'all buy a Leica. Dissimilar other cameras, Leica's retain their value surprisingly well, which means that if you should ever want to resell your camera a few years downward the line, you lot'll get back much of what you paid for information technology.

At that place are actually some cases where you'll get back more than you paid for it. For case, in the second-mitt Leica market, a Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1 lens was around £1800-2000 a few years ago. At present even so, those lenses regularly go for over £v,000.

OK, so that'southward an extreme example, simply such is the need for second-manus Leicas that if you had spent £4,000 on a Leica M (Typ 240) a few years ago, it would command between £2,000 to £3,000 today depending on the condition. That's less than l% depreciation, far less than many other digital cameras.

Considering the resale value and that many Leica cameras concluding for decades, the actual toll of ownership can be very low.

Many Leica Cameras Are Handmade

This is a big one, and a leading reason as to why Leicas are so sought subsequently and why they're considered to be such a premium product.

Many Leica cameras, most notably the M10, are handmade in Germany equally Leica's have been for more than 100 years, where labour costs are much higher than many where many other digital cameras are manufactured.

The Leica manufacturing plant is a clean, sterile environment where each camera is hand assembled by skilled craftsmen and women who use techniques that have been learned through the company's rich history. The people who make Leica's are highly skilled at what they exercise and are paid well for it.

These two videos do a expert job of showing what goes in to making a Leica camera.

This video is from 2012 and shows a limited edition Leica M9-P being assembled into its packaging.

Information technology'southward worth noting that not all Leica products are handmade in Frg, many are made in other countries around the world, but they are all made to the same high standards.

The Leica Look

It'south a hard thing to describe 'the Leica look' - that unmistakable buttery glow that images shot with Leica glass have, but if y'all've e'er shot with a Leica lens, you'll know exactly what it means.

There are many lenses by many manufacturers that are pin sharp, many that edge-to-edge sharpness, many that have a nicely rounded diaphragm for nice bokeh, and many that take first-class contrast - but none that do all those things quite like a Leica lens does.

There's an fantabulous article over on Art Photograph Academy from Irakly Shanidze that explains what the Leica expect is in more detail.

Leica Lenses Are Adaptable

The rise of mirrorless cameras has led to a like rise in the popularity of lens adaptors, and Leica lenses haven't been left out of this trend.

Although part of the distinctive advent of Leica images is down to the quality of the imaging sensor and the rest of the photographic camera itself, the driving force being the 'Leica look' is the lens.

Ane of the key advantages of Leica lenses it that their utilize isn't restricted to Leica cameras. With a simple adaptor, you tin can use a Leica lens on a broad range of other cameras, including the Sony E-mount and Olympus & Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras.

And then if you're not in a position to add a Leica photographic camera to your collection, you tin even so benefit from a Leica lens with a third-party camera.

Leica'due south Are Worth The Premium

With every camera or lens they make, Leica take an uncompromising dedication to the quality of the product. They say that good things always take time, only absolute perfection take a little longer.

When you consider the resale value of Leica cameras and lenses, the longevity of their products - they are known to last a lifetime, the fact that many are handmade past highly skilled experts in their Wetzlar factory, and the unique look and experience that only images made with a Leica have, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to meet why they are a premium production that commands a higher toll tag than their competitors and offer value for coin at the same fourth dimension.

Check out our full range of Leica cameras and Leica lenses over on the website or visit our knowledgeable staff in store to hash out Leica in more particular.

By Park Cameras on 02/11/2017

Source: https://www.parkcameras.com/blog/features/why-leica-cameras-are-worth-the-cost_leica-02-11-2017-1

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