[Leica] Re: Produced Leicas

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Dec 8, 2006, at 6:54 PM, lug-request@leica-users.org wrote:

> (Question for the group: how many Leica M cameras have been produced?)
>
> Adam


According to the figures on the Cameraquest web site, 691,713 M  
series Leicas were produced. This total does not include the M7  
series or the Leica wannabes from Zeiss, Voitlander, Rollei or other  
cameras that take the M mount lenses. That's a lotta Leicas. Probably  
most are still in existence although I suspect that quite a few are  
gathering dust in closets. Assuming 2 lenses per camera and adding in  
those LTM lenses fitted with adapters, we are talking about perhaps  
two million Leica lenses which could be used on a digital Leica.

So the conclusion is that there is a viable market for a retrofit  
Leica back if one can be produced at a reasonable (i.e., less than  
$1000) price.

I own 2 M3s, a CL, 4 LTMs, and about a dozen lenses. I also own one  
of the first Leica digitals, the Digilux Zoom.

Larry Z