Leica lowers its US tariff-adjusted prices to be less astronomical

Image: Leica

Like many companies, Leica is making pricing adjustments in the US due to the ever-changing tariff situation the country. After raising the price of its D-Lux 8 to $2790 earlier this month, the company tells DPReview it’s lowering it by $875 to $1915: still $320 more than its original MSRP.

The company is also adjusting the price price of its Lux Grip for phones. After initially raising it from $329 to $625, it’s now lowering it to $395. The new prices for the US will go into effect on Monday, May 19th.

The D-Lux 8 is assembled in China, unlike many other Leica cameras that are put together in Germany. President Trump’s original tariff plan called for a 20% tax on products imported from the European Union, but the rates on Chinese goods may end up being much higher. After back-and-forth sparring between the US and China, the rate settled at 145%, though the countries have since negotiated a 90-day stay, during which the rate will be 30%.

Leica isn’t the only camera company being impacted by the US tariffs. Canon and Sigma recently announced that they would have to raise prices in the country in response, while Tamron announced that it would be shifting its lens production. Fujifilm and Nikon have warned investors that the tariffs could eat into their profits by tens of millions of dollars.

Even at its original price, the D-Lux 8’s price tag was hard to swallow – when naming the camera as his Gear of the Year, Richard Butler called it “somewhere between fanciful and absurd.” Post-tariffs, the value proposition is looking even worse, especially considering how similar it is to the now nearly seven-year-old Panasonic LX100 II, which retailed for $1000 (and currently still sells for around as much on eBay). Of course, the costs brought on by tariffs aren’t something the company has control over.

Leica is leaving the door open to the prices changing again as the tariffs evolve.
“As the tariff situation evolves, Leica Camera North America will continue to evaluate and adjust pricing accordingly,” it said in its statement to DPReview. Normally, that may be a signal to potential buyers that they should act fast before prices go up again, but both the D-Lux 8 and Lux Grip are out of stock at most retailers and have been for a while.

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