Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]It's amazing Leica > survives at all considering it's never going to be profitable as > a company > that makes essentially disposable cameras in comparison. >> > > ...It might well be argued that the only reason Leica survives in the photographic realm is that it does continue to produce an anachronistic product - the M - but a product that enough customers highly value and are willing to pay a premium to obtain. I don't claim to be either a business analyst or an historian of photography, but I'd be willing to bet that the day Leica eliminates the M to concentrate on a manual R and P&S cameras marks the true beginning of its end. While the R may be a terrific camera with high quality optics, it is hardly a unique product, while the M is. Even if Leica were to go to full automation and autofocus with the R, and try to compete head-to-head with Nikon and Canon, it is probably far too late to make a real dent in that market, given the investment so many pros have in the other equipment brands, and the service they receive from the companies. And as for capitalism...it is what makes the world go round...and makes Leica produce the M....it sells...