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Leica M7 Hermes Edition: Your Bank Account Can't Handle This Gorgeousness
Super Expensive, Incredibly Limited Edition Leica M7 Hermes Could See Monday Release
Hands On With Leica's M9 and X1: Fine Art, For a Price
Leica Debuts 18-Megapixel Full-Frame M9 Rangefinder, X1 Compact for "Beginners"
Is This the Full-Frame 18-Megapixel Leica M9 and Mysterious Leica X1?
Leica M9 Appears for Four Blurry Seconds in Promo Video
Leica A La Carte Cameras Offer 4000 Different Customization Options
Leica's Tank-Like S2 Costs Almost As Much As a Tank
Panasonic Lumix LX3 vs. Leica D-Lux 4, Or How to Charge $300 More for the Same Camera
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Review: A $1500 Misfit

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Homerjay is utterly alone.
11/16/09

In reply to Leica M7 Hermes Edition: Your Bank Account Can't Handle This Gorgeousness
If it had any other name on it my guess is you'd say it was fugly. #leicam7hermes
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Nathan Obbards
11/16/09

@Homerjay is utterly alone.: Leica rangefinders are always beautiful. Overpriced, but beautiful. There's something to be said for that Soviet era aesthetic. #leicam7hermes
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
11/16/09

In reply to Leica M7 Hermes Edition: Your Bank Account Can't Handle This Gorgeousness
Why does a grade 34 bureaucrat get a camera named after him?
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Edited by Jrsy Devil's Advocate® at 11/16/09 7:49 PM

RT100
11/16/09

@Jrsy Devil's Advocate®: to be fair, he was the representative for earth in Limbo in the olympics #leicam7hermes
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
11/16/09

@RT100: He's never been able to beat Barbados Slim. #leicam7hermes
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RT100
11/16/09

@Jrsy Devil's Advocate®: on the Titanic, he saved the life of the crew by going under the door and pushing the button to open the airlock. He should be a national hero! And they didn't even have to dress up like women and children to get an escape pod... #leicam7hermes
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ripfire
11/16/09

In reply to Leica M7 Hermes Edition: Your Bank Account Can't Handle This Gorgeousness
I heard it can get you laid in Amsterdam... #leicam7hermes
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Gordonium
11/16/09

@ripfire: I heard that it can only be purchased with an AmEx Centurion card... #leicam7hermes
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P3nnst8r
11/16/09

@ripfire: You can get your money stolen and not even care! #leicam7hermes
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HighOctaneX
11/16/09

@ripfire: Ummm...A box of skittles can get you laid in Amsterdam. #leicam7hermes
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ripfire
11/16/09

@HighOctaneX: I think a box of skittles will get you vandersexxx. #leicam7hermes
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The Lab
11/15/09

In reply to Super Expensive, Incredibly Limited Edition Leica M7 Hermes Could See Monday Release
... and people complain about the Apple tax. #leica
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Scaramanga
11/16/09

@The Lab:

Its a Hermès tax added in addition to the Leica tax.

There is not a tangible technical difference between this body and the plain ol' M7.

Its just a fashion accessory not a tool for photographers at this point.

For people that would rather look pretty taking pictures then taking pretty pictures. #leica
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RainyDayInterns
11/15/09

In reply to Super Expensive, Incredibly Limited Edition Leica M7 Hermes Could See Monday Release
Not everything is for everybody. Nice to, once in a while, see some stuff that is not for the mass market! #leica
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dragon:ONE
11/15/09

In reply to Super Expensive, Incredibly Limited Edition Leica M7 Hermes Could See Monday Release
Two questions - who uses film nowadays and where would you develop it? All our local photo developing joints are, well, nonexistant (the drugstore I would NORMALLY go to get prints done just switched to full-on digital only through a crappy kiosk).
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Edited by dragon:ONE at 11/15/09 10:14 AM dragon:ONE was starred dragon:ONE was unstarred

tashi
11/15/09

@dragon:ONE: If you are spending $14,000 on a camera, I bet you know a guy.
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littleredcorvet
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: 1: Lots of people.
2: most CVSs, Walmarts, Walgreens, and Targets if you want crappy prints. There are also places to send your film to be developed fairly inexpensively, such as Dwayne's Photo. #leica
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Jack Loftus promoted this comment littleredcorvet was starred littleredcorvet was unstarred

Jeff Landy
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: The black and white crowd still loves film - digital can't reproduce the tones you get from the B&W process. Also, film has made a small comeback with the art crowd, mostly in the cheap plastic camera category.

You get it developed at a local camera shop, or you mail it off to one of the developing houses around the country, or you develop it yourself in your home.

That being said, anyone purchasing one of these is doing it for collector's reasons. Film cameras are insanely cheap these days. You could get any of the best film cameras ever produced, in mint condition, for less than a few grand. Most of the higher-production cameras (e.g. Nikon as opposed to Hasselblad) don't sell for more than $200. #leica
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SagarikaLumos
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: There are some compelling reasons to use film, one of which is completely absent in this case (quality/price ratio is thrown off here). You can get an excellent 35mm camera for just a few dollars (I paid $2 for a Yashica T4 once), and not have to cry if it's damaged. Let a small child use it. The cheap digitals made for kids are barely worth pointing at something.

There are still 3 different places in my small town to get 1 hour film developing, and a half dozen others who offer 2 day service. I still shoot loads of film despite having excellent digital cameras. Scanning takes extra time, but I can still get better results from 35mm than digital, though I admit that there's better equipment out there than mine.

While color has gone very digital, you won't find that nearly as many B&W fans use digital. For some reason, B&W photographers still strongly prefer film. I love B&W film, and I develop it myself in my bathroom using about $30 worth of equipment. #leica
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SagarikaLumos
11/15/09

@SagarikaLumos: I took this picture just a couple of weeks ago with a camera I paid less than $10 for and a roll of free expired film.

Long live film! #leica
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DPYu
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: Film is probably dead among the masses, but there are still a strong group of photography enthusiasts that use film. I actually just placed an order for a 35mm rangefinder, since I'm finding that I enjoy film photos alot more than digital ones. In looking around, it seems like Meijer, Costco, Sam's Club, and Wolf Cameras all still process 35mm film. #leica
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pauloborja
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: If you buy this kind of camera I think you would have a personal dev lab. Is part of the fun. #leica
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macmartini
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: people who buy $14,000 camera don't go to drugstores to get the film developed :) it's more of a collectors camera...probably will end up in a showcase in a million dollar home as a conversation piece #leica
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Sebastian Toth
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE:
For example, i am a leica photographer too. Shooting even commissioned and payed stuff on film .. Developing was never and will never be a problem, since i do it myself ..

And if you ask my why im shooting on film, i can give you a simple answer: Because my clients want me to .. #leica
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Misha Kaplan
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: I use film for my photography... especially color because its impossible to get to the same quality in digital and I'm assuming if you're willing to pay $14,000 on a Leica then you either have access to a dark room or are willing to send your film out to be developed #leica
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zanars
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE:

If you're buying a $14,000 camera - I'm assuming you already have your own darkroom.

And if not, you wouldn't be getting your film developed at the drugstore - you'd be going to specialty camera shops and telling them how you want it done. #leica
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TheCrudMan
11/15/09

@SagarikaLumos:

Nice! #leica
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SagarikaLumos
11/15/09

@TheCrudMan: That shot alone can be used as a great pro-film example. The depth of field control of 35mm film is far more versatile than prosumer digital SLRs with their APS-C size sensors. A digital camera would have far more in focus, which has its place, but it's pretty hard to get this kind of isolation with digital. Non-SLR digitals have tiny sensors and would have far more depth of field. #leica
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Pessimippopotamus
11/15/09

@dragon: ONE: I definitely would if I my own darkroom. I love developing photos.

Sadly I'm also too poor to even consider owning a Leica. #leica
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szrimaging
11/16/09

@SagarikaLumos: You skirt the issue there. The issue for depth of field isn't what is recording the light, but the size of the sensor. 16mm film would get about the same dof as APS-C. FF35 sensors get about the same as 35mm. So on and so forth. If you are going to compare the two, compare them for like sized sensors. Besides, digital capture can be done in 4x5, so just think of the dof you could get there. #leica
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SagarikaLumos
11/16/09

@szrimaging: That far outstrips the depth of money that it takes with film. As I said in my initial post, film's advantage right now is in the price/performance ratio, which is bent out of shape by the fact that the Leica in question is $18,000.

I could compare like sized sensors, but it makes more sense to compare like sized money. FF35 sensor cameras are far above what most people will pay, never mind digital MF. #leica
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szrimaging
11/16/09

@SagarikaLumos: Well, if you shoot a LOT of film, like 5 plus rolls of film per week, and process at a place like A&I, then your price difference is made up in a year or two. Not to mention the cost of scanning the film. In the sort term film is cheaper, in the long term, digital is cheapest.

Digital MF is really the realm of pros, where you save money, not to mention time, by running the digital.

And to get the resolution out of film, you would need to drum scan, or other similar scanners. A drum scanner is over 10k last I looked, and pretty sure a company like NancyScans charges a pretty high amount per slide that they scan. Really, cost to performance wise, digital is a bigger bargain now than ever before. #leica
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knyghtryda
09/09/09

In reply to Hands On With Leica's M9 and X1: Fine Art, For a Price
If I had 8k (or 2k for that matter) and wanted a camera, these two would be pretty much at the bottom of my list. Lets see... for just over 2k I could get a 5D mkII, or for 8k I could get a 1Ds mk whatever and still have enough left over for a couple L series lenses. Both are full frame cameras, both are excellent and built like tanks, and both will probably see more use than any Leica ever will.
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loslosbaby
09/09/09

@knyghtryda: Its more like "if I had 25k" because you'll need some more Leica goodness to get anything done with that 8k$ camera. Oh, and if you're a pro, then add another body and a couple more lenses...
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MosesMonster
09/09/09

In reply to Hands On With Leica's M9 and X1: Fine Art, For a Price
That Seal photo came out of no where. I felt kissed by a rose...
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williamn
09/09/09

@MosesMonster: Seal is actually a big Leica fan...
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MosesMonster
09/09/09

@williamn: I learn something every day.
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TunaCan
09/09/09

In reply to Hands On With Leica's M9 and X1: Fine Art, For a Price
If I was married to Giselle, I'd have some sweet Leicas too.
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Geraldo
09/09/09

@TunaCan: Tom Brady looks way more tan without a helmet on ;-)
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Pope John Peeps II
09/09/09

@Geraldo: SNNNNNNNAP
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Noobs-R-Us
09/09/09

In reply to Leica Debuts 18-Megapixel Full-Frame M9 Rangefinder, X1 Compact for "Beginners"
You people failed to understand Leica. They don't care about growth. They only care about the status quo. They want to generate enough returns so that they have steady jobs and income. They don't want to grow into a large company.

Everything they do says that.
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Adam Spano
09/09/09

@Noobs-R-Us:

I've got no problems with what they do, what I fail to understand is the person who has seven thousand dollars to dump on something... so... unimpressive.

And for seven thousand dollars, this little peice of equipment would have to get used more than anything else in my camera bag (not that I have a whole lot of equipment) but to justify a price tag like that, it had better get tons of use. Which, surely, it would not. It's a decoration. It's something you have to say you have, use a few times, and put back on the shelf.

You really have to be rolling in money, the kind of guy that buys a 20,000 dollar watch to go with that new suit and wear twice a year. The guy that buys serious art. several million dollar plus home, kind of guy. It's a ton of money for a toy or a status symbol.
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cmdrfire
09/09/09

@Adam Spano: The M8 is used by photojournalists making a living the world over. The M9 basically answers calls from the users of the M8 for FF, ISO-set button, and a few other features. The M9 gives you FF digital access to the Leica M-lenses - which are some of the finest lenses in the world, bar none.
Insofar as purchasing it, tt's similar to buying a 1Ds, really - sometimes that's the tool you need for the job.
The IQ means that it's neither a toy nor a status symbol (though of course it can be used as both).
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battra92 promoted this comment cmdrfire was starred cmdrfire was unstarred

battra92
09/09/09

@cmdrfire: Honestly, most photojournalists seem to have the same Canons and Nikons and Panasonics that everyone else does.

I have no interest in the M9 personally (for my snapshooting I can use a pocket digital if I really want to.) One can buy a Voigtlander Bessa R series for around $600 so you can save $1,400 and shoot film. ;-)
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LessthanZach
09/10/09

@Noobs-R-Us: I think I'll stick to my Canon XSi for now... until I can afford to get the 5d MkII. Leica makes good looking cameras, but I just can't take them seriously. My wife and I are trying to earn some money on the side with photography, and I just don't think I could imagine a "Professional" photographer snapping up my thousand dollar portraits with something that looks like a mid range camera from the sixties. Of course, this is all just my opinion, not meant to offend anyone else.
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Pope John Peeps II
09/09/09

In reply to Hands On With Leica's M9 and X1: Fine Art, For a Price
Well we're never going to survive, unless we get a little... camera?
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jibbly
09/09/09

@Pope John Peeps II: Holy shit, this is exactly what was going through my head as I scrolled down to post a comment. That was a little creepy, pope-ster.
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Pope John Peeps II
09/09/09

@jibbly: I'm in your mind. Don't eat that danish. It looks delicious, but it's dryyyyy.
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jibbly
09/09/09

@Pope John Peeps II: *cough, sputter

Fucking danish.
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uptonogood
09/09/09

In reply to Leica Debuts 18-Megapixel Full-Frame M9 Rangefinder, X1 Compact for "Beginners"
it's like i just hit puberty again and discovered porn. drooooool
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FrankenPC
09/09/09

@uptonogood: Nice try. Life will never be that good again.
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The Lab
09/09/09

@FrankenPC: OMG, that's what a vagina looks like!?! Nooo!!! (the memory is still fresh, about a week ago)
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cobra_commander
09/09/09

In reply to Leica Debuts 18-Megapixel Full-Frame M9 Rangefinder, X1 Compact for "Beginners"
waiting for the comment

"ITS CRAP BECAUSE:
-doesn't have HD video
-doesn't have live view
-doesn't have autofocus
-doesn't have image stabilizer"
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The Lab
09/09/09

@cobra_commander: Actually it is crap because it costs more than cameras that do have all of those things.
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szrimaging
09/09/09

In reply to Leica Debuts 18-Megapixel Full-Frame M9 Rangefinder, X1 Compact for "Beginners"
the x1 would almost be worth it, if it wasn't a fixed lens. Now if it had interchangeable lenses, running the same system as the M, well, then we could talk.
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awwwsnap
09/09/09

In reply to Leica Debuts 18-Megapixel Full-Frame M9 Rangefinder, X1 Compact for "Beginners"
Leica: parting fools from their money since 1913
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battra92
09/09/09

@awwwsnap: I get the joke but honestly it wasn't until after WW2 that they started getting their prestige. Sure they invented the 35mm camera (using available movie film stock) it was Contax that really reigned supreme with the Contax II and III.

Still, in those days most in America who bought 135 bought Arguses.
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