This question has been asked many, many times, and long before the first
digital camera was produced. Leica builds a premium quality camera for a
small but dedicated group of shooters. The materials used and quality of
construction is absolutely unmatched. Simply put, Leicas aren't for
everyone. In the end, the decision is simple: it's up to you whether or not
it's worth the money. Best lenses on the planet, too.

FWIW, I did own a Leica a long time ago, and they are amazing cameras...

"nathantw" wrote in message
oups.com...
Apparently there's a new Leica M8 that was just announced.
http://www.electronista.com/articles...leica.cameras/

What the heck? Why in the world would a rangefinder camera cost as much
Nikon's flagship digital SLR and almost as much as Canon's top of the
line camera? The only thing I can think of is that it must be the lens
mount. It's almost like Leica took the price of their regular M7 and
added on top of that instead of starting from scratch. Granted their
cameras are probably hand made (not always equating to better) and
you're basically paying for one worker's monthly salary when you buy a
camera, but damn, $5647US is a LOT of money for a rangefinder. Then
again, to put things in perspective a Patek Phillipe men's watch STARTS
at $12000, but a Leica isn't made of gold.