Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/07/07

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To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: Leica and APS
From: bsharp@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 1996 09:16:13 -0600 (MDT)


I am an amateur photographer and new to the the Leica discussion group.
I would like to know how Leica has been able to stay in business 
manufacturing cameras that are old technology and market them at prices
far greater than the japanese camera makers who are using state of the art
technology.  The M6, for example, is probably the only rangefinder of its
type made today.  Several companies made rangefinder cameras approx. thirty
years ago but abandoned them in search of newer technology.  All of the 
major camera companies have been making autofocus SLR's for years.  Manual
SLR's are getting hard to come by.  Leice, to my knowledge, has still not
made and autofucus SLR camera.

My understanding is that Leica puts the emphasis on the qualilty of their
lenses and the sturdiness of their cameras.  Is a Leica camera really that
much better than a Nikon or is it just that they have a small following
of traditional camera lovers?  What will Leica do if APS is to become 
popular and basically eliminate the 35 MM camera.  Are they planning to
get into this market or will they stay with their traditional cameras??




Bill