Leica M7 Hermes unboxed, photographed, then promptly re-boxed
By Ross Miller 
posted February 4th 2010 5:04PM
posted February 4th 2010 5:04PM
posted February 4th 2010 5:04PM
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@ipxnsv
Same people who buy Vertu phones?
@Critic2029 I'm thinking food fight action shots....
@Critic2029
At least the people who buy vertu phones generally use the damn thing.
It's super lame for rich people to buy toys and never use them because they consider them to be "investments". But I'm just jealous.
@crawdad689
The same people who will spend five or six figures on an Hermes bag?
I'd want to use it for combat photography, just to piss off the Leica collectors.
@DustinM
You do know that one less of a limited number of something only makes the remaining ones more valuable? Somehow I doubt the other Leica owners would be too unhappy..
Vlad is a cool guy. He even let me swim in his money vault a couple of times.
@M1lt
Was life like a hurricane, there in Duckburg?
@Saad the other one
I've seen it, too. Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes -- it's a duck-blur.
@Saad the other one
...might solve a mystery...
Oh my god. I want this and I certainly cannot afford it. They need to crank on a "budget" version of this... maybe in the $1500 range? C'mon Leica. Hell, you can leave off the Hermes label.
@Joshua Topolsky
True that J-money...
@Joshua Topolsky You'd have to leave of the Leica label as well to get it down to that pricepoint.
@Joshua Topolsky They should then name the budget version "Herpes"
@Joshua Topolsky You can build an MP without any labels, but it will still cost around $4,000!
There are many great film rangefinders that are much cheaper. I just bought a little Minolta that shoots great pictures, and it was $38! http://www.flickr.com/photos/tysoncall/4310603958/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tysoncall/4310590080/in/photostream/
@Clancycoop Yeah, but does it look this good?
@Joshua Topolsky The budget rangefinder is known as Voigtlander. Not as sexy as Leica, but very usable.
@Joshua Topolsky I totally agree with you it is one beautiful camera for sure. I would love to own one but for that price and limited number it will never happen.
@Joshua Topolsky No doubt Leica is the epitome of style and function combined, but I think the one I got looks alright. One of my previous links is the camera itself.
@Joshua Topolsky but why do you want it? 1500 dollars cameras outperform this anyway
@cswright True. I just bought a GF1 and I'm loving it. I don't know how it stacks up against this, but I think it takes beautiful pictures. And it didn't cost $13k
@Joshua Topolsky
They make a budget version, it'll even perform just like this version and look as sexy. It's called a used Leica M6, and it fits within your budget! I have one I may be willing to sell if you were shopping for one?
@cswright
I take it you're an expert then?
I'll load orthopan 25 into my M6 and shoot a cityscape with a Leica lens, and you shoot a similar scene with whatever $1500 digital you're using, which ever produces the sharpest most detailed image, that photographer gets a Hermes M7 bought for them by the other one :)
My point is a mechanical *film* rangefinder is a thing of beauty and blanket statements like yours serve nothing but to draw attention to your ignorance.
@primetime4 I knew a photographer once, a TA actually, who scrapped the label off his Leicia... he wanted the mechanics and the lenses, apparently, but not the label.
@Joshua Topolsky If you're looking for the best thing going in film rangefinders, grab a Contax G2 kit. It's one of the most satisfying pieces of technology, computer or otherwise, that I've ever purchased.
@Joshua Topolsky You can score a very mint M7 on the aftermarket for around $2k plus change. The lenses is where it gets mighty pricey. A great pre-ASPH 50mm f2 Summicron will run you another ~$800.
@Joshua Topolsky
Get yourself a use chrome M6, strip down the vulcanite and put on some custom leatherette. There you have your fake Hermes. Can look very pretty too and you are ways under 1500 bucks.
@YpoCaramel
I got my M6's red dot and engravings with black tape .. Not because im a rebel who is anti brand or something, but because i dont want people to recognize the camera so easily. It pisses me off to get stopped in the middle of my street photography from tourists/nerd photographers who come to you and ask "oooooh is that a leica, how many megapixels ?"
@Yuphorix
I find those Voigtlanders to be better-looking than the Leicas, which I've got really bored of, especially having seen a Contax G1 in the metal.
@SWGooner LOL, I have a Voigtlander and I find both Leica's and the Zeiss Ikon's to be better looking than my Bessa. I guess it's really just what you don't have is more attractive than what you already have.
@Joshua Topolsky I'm also looking at the GF1. Which kit-lens did you take? The 14-45mm or the 20mm?
Aw crap my comment went away :*(
@ipxnsv but the replies to your comment remain as slightly-indented monuments to what once was ...
@cuby LOL. thanks.
@ipxnsv you must have said something terrible
A 13,000 display, wow that have to be something. This prove my case that we are not in a recession.
How much for just the box?
@shyamster $13,000.
so what makes these companies product so expensive? Also is this digital or film based?
@danhawk911 Film
@danhawk911 Hermes.
that is a gorgeous camera.
Camera Perfection! Keep an eye out for this in 25 years in an auction going for $250,000.00 plus!
Someone might want to mention to him that a digital camera no matter how few of them are made isn't going to increase in value over the long term. If he wants to sell it, now would be a good time before the next model comes out in just as small run and has better features.
@beheybirder Maybe I misunderstood your comment, but you do realize the Leica M7 is a film camera.
@Yuphorix
Film? Isn't that what they used in the 20th century?
@(Unverified) It is! When they had terrible photos like http://blog.richardslowry.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/afghan-girl.jpg No wonder they couldn't take photos, it was only ISO 64, and everyone knows you at least ISO 6400 to take a decent picture nowadays.
@(Unverified) People used gasoline in the 20th Century as well... things haven't changed much since then, now have they?
@beheybirder
Hermes leather goods are known to appreciate in value.
@jin and guice Hermes "leather" goods are known to increase in value over the years because of price increases. In otherwords, if you bought an Hermes leather handbag in 1999 for $4500. that same bag would now cost around $9000. at Hermes. So, if you took care of the bag you bought in 1999 you could most likely sell it for $4500 or a bit more, as there are people who don't mind paying 4500 for a bag that is "gently used" rather than paying 9000. for a new one. There are also some people who prefer it have a patina on it which suggests that they've owned the bag for a long time (aka, they are not "nouveau riche"). Anyhow, Hermes wrist-watches have not done well over the long haul as they are considered (by watch collectors) to be "fashion watches", unlike, say Patek Phillipe or Audemars Piguet. I believe that this is/will be the case with this camera. Camera collectors (and photographers) do not tend to be interested in fashion names being attached to a camera (history has proven this). To a true collector, taking a camera which is worth several thousands of dollars and slapping on some Hermes leather, does not increase the value of the camera three-fold. Unfortunately, in this case, I have to say that this is not what should be considered an investment piece. It should be used and enjoyed by the purchaser as it will surely decrease in value over time.