[Leica] PESO: RG Lewis and Leica M frustrations

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

If E does not stand for Excellent could they simply just change the
nomenclature on the camera if that was the issue?
The issue was the camera itself by any name which was a PR issue for Leica
to not create a perception problem distancing themselves by the cult like
mindset of people who would accuse Leica of abandoning quality camera by
abandoning their vaulted CCD in favor of the hated CMOS sensor.
In other words the main strength of the Leica M240 gets perceived as its
weakness; and we pander to that.  The strength is its CMOS sensor which puts
it in the ballgame against DSLR users who feel like Superman with their
cameras.
As it seems to have turned out there were very few of these CCD fanatics
with real money in their back pockets. I wondered just how crazy and
challenged a person would have to be to go for a Leica ME when the M240 is
such a huge boost to Leica M use.  But there always are a lot of people with
tons more money than common sense. ("why would I NEED those crazy high ISO's
for they're useless!") - the ME an idiot nod to a not so great past. It took
Leica way too long to replace the M9.  All they saw as it was selling lenses
as they paid off Magnum to use them.
With the M240 it  will be the Magnum photogs paying Leica.... As well as a
lot of other serous shooters some of whom coming back to the Leica
rangefinder shooting they'd done before digital. Some starting out the first
time.

On 5/25/13 8:56 AM, "Joseph Yao" <jkfyao at gmail.com> wrote:

> I would not call Leica a 'jewellery' business.  Jewellery is something
> purchased to be treasured.  Leica is more like a gift business nowadays -
> Leica products are commonly bought as gifts to be given to business
> acquaintances, and the 'His & Hers' combo sells very well:
> 
> His: Leica M9/M9P + Noctilux 50/0.95
> Hers: Leica X1/X2
> 
> This explains the scarcity of the Noctilux 0.95 in many markets.
> 
> BTW, the Leica ME (Type 220) has been discontinued.  It sold poorly in
> China.  The 'E' of the ME is perceived to be 'Economy', thus an insult to
> the recipient of the camera.
> 
> Most of these gifts are, of course, never used.
> 
> Joseph
> 
> 
> On 25/5/13 8:43 PM, "Nathan Wajsman" <photo at frozenlight.eu> wrote:
> 
>> Right. So Leica has made a strategic shift from the photography business 
>> to
>> the jewelry business. Fair enough, the Blackstone people obviously know 
>> where
>> the money is. But then they should be up front about it so that the
>> photography dealers can switch their focus to companies that actually are
>> interested in supplying photographers.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> Nathan
>> 
>> Nathan Wajsman
>> Alicante, Spain
>> http://www.frozenlight.eu
>> http://www.greatpix.eu
>> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
>> Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/
>> 
>> YNWA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On May 25, 2013, at 2:28 PM, Joseph Yao wrote:
>> 
>>> Leica have been shipping sufficient quantities of the new M240.  They may
>>> not have been sending them to their 'traditional' markets where their 
>>> profit
>>> margins are lower.  You will see plenty of M240 in, for example, Beijing 
>>> and
>>> Shanghai, where the going rate for one is US$12,000 to US$13,000.
>>> 
>>> A handful of limited production silver chrome MM have been made for the
>>> Chinese market, and available at RMB 1,581,000 each, approx. US$258,280.
>>> 
>>> Joseph
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/