They’re a finite resource, making them inherently collectible. They’re uncommonly well-made objects which have survived their original intended lifespan. Especially in the cases of mechanical cameras, which most Leica Ms are, these cameras are (still) useful tools. Prices are rising for specific and valid reasons. Think about it from a distance and through the prism of other “unnecessary things on which people spend money.” If we consider the trend objectively, it’s only natural that prices of film cameras should rise. I don’t see the rise in price as a bad thing (and not because I sell cameras for a living). Twenty years ago, the Leica M6 was thought of as “the cheap Leica” and today it costs twice the price of an original M3 (a camera which is, according to the written gospel found in ancient Rockwellian tomes, “the world’s greatest 35mm camera”). Even the once-considered-lowly Leica M4-P and M4-2 each now cost over $1,000 on average (I used to buy these for $399).

People want cheap Leicas, even though Leica M film cameras cost more today than they have at any time since the “death of film.” Going back to as recently as 2014, when I launched Casual Photophile and opened my camera shop, prices for some Leica M models have tripled. I wasn’t surprised to read this email (I receive similar messages weekly). From the hospital bed where he spent his concussed convalescence, he wrote me an email which echoed a common question – “ Why are Leicas so expensive now, and where can I get one cheap?” When he saw the high prices that these cameras now command, he passed out and hit his head on his walnut desktop. After being away from the film game for a few years, a friend of mine decided to buy himself a Leica M series film camera.

Leica film camera