Re: [Leica] Leica's position at the end of the millenium

[D Khong <dkhong@pacific.net.sg>]

Erwin Puts wrote:

snip 
>People leaving Leica for the G might be persons who bought their 
>Leica long ago or second hand. What may be happening is that some 
>people from Leicas userbase leave and that new buyers  add to the 
>base. 

I wonder if people who have used Leicas and then bought the Contax G2
actually leave Leica completely?  I think not. I was a Leica user for years
before I acquired my G2 in 1998.  Frankly, I like using the G2 with all the
bells and whistles and it's superb and affordable Carl Zeiss lenses. It's
one camera I'd grab and go on holidays but I still like to use my M6 the
most followed by the M3. The two systems are complementary.  IMHO, the G2
should not be seen as a replacement for an M6.


>The strength of Leica has always been their independent and 
>unique view  on photographic instruments and their ability to design 
>very effective tools for taking pictures. Just adding features in a 
>well designed body will not convince the market.

How true! The greatest strength of the Leica (the M system I'm referring
to) is its simplicity of useage and the ability of current models to
accomodate lenses made way back in 1954. That means that I can buy an
affordable M3 and use the latest 90 ASPH-APO and also the latest M6 HM blah
blah with the first generation 50 summicron lens.  Very very few brand
names can boast of this capability.  That means you can collect and use at
the same time.

Secondly, I am aware that many Mamiya, Bronica MF users start out by buying
the more affordable Ms and Bs and secretly lust for the day that they can
upgrade to a Hasselblad (or Rollei).   Similarly, I suspect that many Ns,
Ms, Cs and XYZ brand users would give an arm and a leg to own and use an
M6.  It's the green eyed monster which says, "Nah!"

>Leica should build on its own strengths and not copy others. Since a 
>few years from the moment there was a rumor of a new Leica, 
>conventional wisdom had it that the new Leica should be a Leica M 
>with G2 features.

I will have no objections if Leica came out with a new camera which has
more bells and whistles as long as it will make photography more
pleasurable and enjoyable.  Whether it will have to bow to the pressures of
consumerism, market expectations or the demands of share-holders would be
another matter.

Dan K.


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