[Leica] Were Leicas always so expensive?

[Mark Walberg <Walberg@simmons.swmed.edu>]

The Leica pricing discussion has me wondering.

So, has Leica always been as expensive as it is now, or is the high price
relative to other widely used cameras new over the last few decades or so?

How expensive were Leica cameras and lenses relative to other widely used
cameras in 1950?  How about 1940?  How about 1930?

I guess I'm wondering whether Leicas were so relatively expensive during
the time that they established their big market and made their name a
standard in the camera industry.

I think it would be pretty tough to start a business today making cameras
and lenses of today's Leica quality and sell them at today's Leica prices.
Look at the ridicule Mr. Yasuhara's camera has gotten here even before any
LUGger has ever even seen one.

Lets take a poll:
Would LUGgers me ______more interested, or _________less interested if Mr.
Yasuhara was asking $1900 for his new camera instead of somewhere around
$400?
      (check one)

I'm not really trying to make a particular point.  I'm just interested in
the history of Leica relative pricing and in what LUGers think about it.
- -Mark Walberg