That's Fine

There is plenty of "affordable" camera equipment on the market spanning every budget. If manufacturing and marketing Velben goods is working for Leica -- and apparently it is -- then more power to them. It does not affect, or even impact, photography one iota.

Fine. No problem,

we don't wait any longer and buy different stuff then.
Leica will kill itself in the end.

Below £1000? Huh?

I don't remember anyone on any internet forum talking about such a low price. Yet there's plenty of talk about a $2000-3000 camera body with modern features. Why not address that?

Maybe they figure that the demand for a poor man's Leica has been met by Fuji. I'm still unsure of whether Fuji will ever get the hang of good user interfaces and industrial design, so I hope Leica doesn't abandon the APS-C mirrorless system.

What many people want...

... is a cheapo Leica, probably their No.1 requirement is to have a REALLY big red dot on it just like those loosers that wear ralph loren shirts with supersized logos or something written across the collar so they leave it sticking up for everyone else on the bus to see; or perhaps those cheap mass-produced Fendi bag carriers with interlocked F's all over them.

Good for Leica they're not taking a quick buck and doing long term damage to their brand. They make camera's for serious photographers not fashion accessories. If a Leica is important to you, you'll pay the price.

Cheap(er) Leica

There are plenty of Leica camera deals out there. Look at the second hand market.

You can pick an M3 or an M8 up easily and they are both fine, fine cameras.

With a lot of expensive goods, sometimes your first one is not a new one.

V-Lux range

But Leica already does a very nice line of compact digitals in the form of the V-Lux range..and the are sub $1000!

uh?

Good for Leica they're not taking a quick buck and doing long term damage to their brand. They make camera's for serious photographers not fashion accessories. If a Leica is important to you, you'll pay the price.

http://www.luxury-insider.com/uploads/news/2012/05/object-of-lust-hermes-leica-m9-p-edition.jpg?width=600

my first m

My first digital m was and still is a m8u. Bought it used for ca 1500£. In two weeks from now you can probably buy a trad m8 body for under 1000£. My M8u is build like a tank, and would probably work for several years. Raw files are good and the lenses are of course fantastic. The minus is ISO. For that you need the new M. If your a pro its no problem, but for a young amateur who wants a Leica M, buy used!!!

LEICA

I WAS FOR MANY YEARS A LEICA CAMERA AND LENS USER, BUT CONSIDERING THEIR BOASTS OF FANTASTIC QUALITY, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN DISSATISFIED. ALL OF THE CAMERAS I EVER PURCHASED HAD MANUFACTURING FAULTS, i.e. LEICA R CAMERA BODIES - THE LEATHERETTE WOULD LIFT OFF, THE STOP DOWN LEVERS WOULD SNAP OFF. TAKE FOR INSTANCE M6 - 7 BODIES RETURNED UNTIL ONE WAS SATISFACTORY. TWO M7'S BOTH HAD CRAZY ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS. ALSO, VARIOUS BUILD QUALITY ISSUES.

MP BODY - SHUTTER CURTAIN PROBLEMS, INTERMITTENT SHUTTER RELEASE JAMMED UP. FINALLY, THE PENNY DROPPED AFTER SPENDING OVER THE YEARS SOMETHING LIKE £30,000, I GAVE UP AND SOLD ALL LEICA EQUIPMENT AND HAVE USED JAPANESE DIGITAL CAMERAS. GUESS WHAT? NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER. YES, LEICA LENSES ARE FANTASTIC, BUT THEY ARE JUST NOT WORTH ALL THE BOTHER.

WHEN I LAST CONTACTED LEICA UK I WAS SENT A LETTER BY THE UK DIRECTOR, VIRTUALLY TELLING ME AFTER ALL THE TROUBLE I HAD HAD TO GET LOST AND BUY A NIKON OR A CANON. UNBELIEVABLE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO 2 OF THE MOST REPUTABLE LEICA LONDON DEALERS AND THEY FULLY AGREE WITH ME. 10 YEARS AGO I WAS A DESIGNER AND MANUFACTURE OF SOME OF THE WORLDS FINEST AWARD WINNING SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS SO I KNOW FIRST HAND HOW TO MAKE A RELIABLE PRODUCT I THINK THERE QULITY CLAIM'S ARE A MYTH CAMERAS DON'T TAKE PICTURES PHOTOGRAPHERS DO!
The world is not a logical place. It is insane to spend £10,000 on a camera and lens -- it makes no sense at all when that expenditure does not produce £10,000 worth of value. Yet people buy Leicas because they think others will think better of them because of it, and of course, they wont. The same people who spend £60,000 on a Mercedes that is always needing fixing, buy Leicas. They buy Rolex watches that are ugly and cost £30,000. They buy houses that they don't live in, and art they don't understand. They are usually very insecure people, and they think that flamboyant evidence of their wealth will somehow make them happier. But in the end, their miserable Leicas are rarely used, and if used, they are used to make snapshots as void of meaning as their empty lives. Leica knows all of this, and has been profiting for years on such needy wealthy. They have made a cult out of the name Leica, and raised up Oscar Barnak as their patron saint. Eventually, Leica will run out of such customers, and their game will be up. They will probably sell the rights to the Brand, and some Japanese company will simply rebrand their premium cameras with the name Leica,

Very best
R . Julian-huxley

Yes

Damn right!

The quality will remain.

The quality will remain when the price is forgotten, said Frederick Henry Royce, when questioned by a journalist around 1930 about the price of Rolls Royce motor cars. So it is with Leica cameras. I bought my first one in 1985, a 1933 model 111. I still use it regularly as it slides into my trouser pocket with a collapsible summarit. I do not use the M7 electronic model or any kind of digital camera. Thus I am unable to cooment on gremlins in this area. Those who decry the price of these cameras should realise, like Rolex watches, that they last and last and last. Unlike those who have commented on here, I do not display a red dot, do not wear a shirt with the collar turned up to display a name (only ne'er-do-well, sink-estate chavs do that! I do not walk about in cities with my Rolex Submariner on show: I keep it under a shirt or pullover cuff. I know that I will be able to leave my camera and watch to my neighbour's son when I depart circa 2042-50 or so. Not bad for a camera bought in 1985 for £300 including lens, case abd strap and a watch costing £2350 in 2005. Keep using film, you can easily have the negs scanned to disc - I do!

Sorry for you Julian

Julian Huxley
Very sorry for you
I use a Leica M9 and Nex 5N. Formerly Nikon D800E.
Whilst the Nikon D800E has the best current sensor, the DSLR body feels so antiquated.
Unplanned by Leica, they are at the luxury head of a downsizing of cameras.
The M series is the only one with a FF sensor, if fabulous quality. The lenses are simply the best.
Having the best (and lovely build) costs I'm afraid.
As quality increases you have the law of diminishing returns regarding price.
Sorry if it doesn't float your boat, but the Leica M digital series is simply the best travel camera.
Rgds

Affordable M

Their is already an affordable M camera - it is called the OMD and when I put my old Leica M lenses on it, it is truly wonderful.
It's pretty good with the Olympus and Panasonic lenses as well.