Leica M9 is not a SLR camera. Why is it so expensive?

First of all, SLR is not the most expensive.

From the imaging principle, one of the characteristics of SLR is viewfinder mode: a light path enters the fuselage from the lens, then reflects from the mirror to the pentaprism, and then reflects from the pentaprism to the viewfinder eyepiece. This is called Dan Toujing reflex. Simply put, it is similar to a periscope.

Leica's M series is not a SLR in structure, but a paraxial. Paraaxis means that when shooting, you don't take reflective framing like SLR, but open a small window to shoot. There will be parallax compared with SLR, but the shutter lag will be shorter. Which means shooting will be faster. Digital paraxial lens can be changed, so can Leica M9.

Why is Leica expensive? First of all, let's talk about the current camera production mode. Nowadays, electronic products are generally a kind of OEM mode, that is, the company gives the design drawings and then goes to some countries with cheap labor to start production, so that the cost will be reduced and the profit praised by the company will be high. Then talk about Leica. Leica M series cameras are not produced in this way. Every paraxial camera of pure Leica descent is produced in the production line of Leica headquarters in Germany, and because the German style is strict and meticulous about product quality, the production line is very strict and the production process is a one-stop process. Moreover, the materials and workmanship are also very high, and the all-metal body is by no means comparable to SLR cameras. The Leica camera you bought is not only an electronic device, but also the hard work of every staff behind this device. This is a high cost and excellent quality.

Then, Leica is the world's leading camera brand, that is to say, it stands at the top of the world. Just sticking Leica's cola label, the value of the camera is not the same. Just like the small digital D-LUX5 not produced by Leica, it is made by Panasonic, and its performance is the same as that of Panasonic LX5. Thanks to the label of Leica Cola and some system adjustments, its value immediately doubled. It can be said that if you buy a Leica, you will not only buy a camera, but also a culture and a taste. This is the second, brand value.

Then the performance of Leica M9 itself. Leica M9 uses Quan Huafu sensor. Among the digital cameras sold, Quan Huafu's flagship camera can be used, and there is no 10 model. Leica M9 is one of them. Full-frame cameras are expensive. Moreover, this is the smallest full-frame camera in the world, which truly combines image quality and portability. This is the third, fuselage performance.

We don't need to wonder why it is so expensive, because Leica's market positioning is not the pursuit of cost-effective users. Leica cameras are mainly sold to these people: Leica fans, professional photographers and rich people who like to show off.