Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/12/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well that 39Mp sensor ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination. It's a huge sensor and the number of good ones they get per batch is probably pretty small. It's not in the $200 or even $2000 category is my guess. But I think you're right - that limited market and development amortization make it an expensive back. Even if 5% of the total Leicas currently being USED (as opposed to in a collection where they never get out of the original sealed box) the market is really small. (Question for the group: how many Leica M cameras have been produced?) Adam On 12/8/06, Lottermoser George <imagist3@mac.com> wrote: > Given that a Phase One P45 (39 mp) back for Hasselblad V, 26 month > warranty, will run you a cool $23,990.00, and it has no moving parts; > I'd suggest that real cost rests in R&D - making the stuff work - > creating the dies, getting the software to work with the hardware, on > and on. > > Leica taking back their first M8 run for fixes will cost them a > significant amount - chalk it up to R&D. As soon as they, or any > other player get a smooth functioning system out the door - they've > got to massage the firm ware and get on to the next level. > > If you've got $25K going out the door for your P45 - keep in mind > that the P45+ will soon allow live viewing. Phase One will upgrade > your P45 if you bought it retail. But it's really about R&D for now. > They've got to hit the shows next year with competition killers and > they don't know for sure where the competition is going. > > The bleeding edge of digital photography has little to do with > "consumer" electronics getting cheaper and cheaper. The consumer > level stuff gains from the developers at the bleeding edge. But the > bleeding edge remains with all the related R&D costs. > > All the complaining about Leica not getting the M8 exactly right the > very first time does not acknowledge that they've done something no > one else has - they've produced a 10 megapixel Rangefinder camera > which cuts incredibly fine detail onto a digital image file, using > their marvelous lenses. All magenta issues aside. > > Regards, > George Lottermoser > george@imagist.com > > > > On Dec 8, 2006, at 4:36 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote: > > > With digital electronics getting cheaper and cheaper it is apparent > > that the main cost of a digital Leica is the mechanical components. > > Based on years of consulting to the optoelectronics industry, I > > estimate that the mechanical and optical components of the M8 > > account for more than 80% of the manufacturing cost. > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >