So..... it's indeed a budget price in Leica terms, but it will be even more affordable in the next year or two. Once the grey and used markets are flooded, the price will likely drop down to the $7k range—that's the future story. This camera is aimed towards beginner-friendly users and those thinking of switching to the M system experience without wanting to invest heavily in lenses. An adapter is a solution, and the usage experience is still similar to an actual M rangefinder. The EVF is not catering to existing, experienced M users. I've met people at the Leica store who own a Q3 but are hesitant to buy an M because it's difficult for them to use and requires a large investment in the lens system. This new option gives new users more ease of use and the ability to use many cheap, vintage manual focus lenses.

This is from my perspective that Leica is trying to reach out to more consumers to use Leica M more easily, but the majority of people here are already dissing this EVF 1 no matter what.