If Leica was contemplating a return of the M3, as a previous thread suggests, even an M3 in modified form, they would call it an M3 and take advantage of the enourmous collectabability that the name alone would create, thus adding an unfathomable amount to the retail price, and to Leica's profit ratio.

I could see an M3.1 or similar not even having the same collectable appeal as the plain old M3 model name.

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), June 01, 2002

Answers

You are right; with their lack of creativity with naming, it will be called the M3-2 or the M3-P. That will drive the price of old M3s through the roof as people begin bitching about the VF flare in the "cheapened" M3-2 and M3-P. Sheez, deja vu all over again.

-- Dante Stella (dante@dantestella.com), June 01, 2002.

Leica isn't completely stupid... well they've got us talking about them all day.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), June 01, 2002.

If Leica were to build a new M3 to the original standards of workmanship and materials, it would truly be a collector's item. Very few Leica *users* would be able to afford one.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), June 01, 2002.

Well I dont think it will suffer flare in the RF. They'd be doin' well to make up some more M3 VF/RF parts, for current reproduction, and the rest to go for keeping the older M3's working.

I think they'd do well to redo the M3. Its "almost" been done anyway. It would be a runaway seller, fetching more premium than even Leica could comprehend.

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), June 01, 2002.

John over at Focal Point (who does the element re-coating) does a lot of overhauls on classic high end cameras, like the Contax IIa and Leics M3. He told me if they ever tried to build a camera JUST LIKE these today the price would have to be at least $5000 for the body alone due to the enormous super skilled hand assembly and calibration required at today's labor rates.

I tend to doubt a release of a new M3 style camera or even one with M3 style .91 mag finder,(too many 35mm lens users) unless it was along the lines of some "Year of the Dragon" type of collector market only release.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), June 01, 2002.

It doesn't have to be just like the M3 inside, only feature wise and appearance wise, and name wise.

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), June 01, 2002.

What about a M3 body with Digital Guts inside?

Lenses would be somehow a bit different from the actual M mount, the 'Cron would become the 'Tron like in Summitronic ASPH 7.63 mm

It would sell like hot cakes.... FWIW. X.

-- Xavier d'Alfort (hot_billexf@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

You guys want digital, go to the Japanese. There is no way Leica will ever be anything but a bit player (and not a very good, or important player) in this segment of the market.

-- Glenn Travis (leicaddict@hotmail.com), June 02, 2002.

Andrew,

Why not a VARIABLE magnification finder ? It will be much better (and economical) than to have three different versions of the a body like today, don't you think so ? (0.6, 0.8, 1 for example).

François P. WEILL

-- François P. WEILL (frpawe@wanadoo.fr), June 04, 2002.

they already did build a new m3, the m6 millenium. all they'd have to do is strip out the electronics and pop in a .85 VF (close 'nuff to .91). everything else (save the slite add'l height) is the same.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), June 04, 2002.