Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Yashica T4 Super
From: Andre Jean Quintal <megamax@abacom.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1999 18:55:17 -0400

At 18:12 +0200 14/08/99, Max wrote:
. . .
>So I took all my pictures with my T5 with tri-X. Everything became simple,
>no problem with the rain, no stress with the T5 remained in the car and I
>used very often the built-in flashlight.
>
>Back home I just developped my films, the pictures are very good. I won't
>say to other people wich camera I used.
. . .
>Max

	--> there's a LOT of good times to be had with
	a well chosen point & shoot. It is very important
	no to cave in to snobbery.

	--> it seems to me a Leica M is all what it is claimed
	to be, then some, and well worth the premium price.
	BUT, when a camera such as the Yashica T4/T5
	is equipped with a smaller aperture Tessar,
	for two weeks worth of groceries, things suddenly
	go pretty wild where value-related notions
	are concerned.

	My point is: why wouldn't Leica try it's hand at
	producing such a mass market point & shoot camera with
	older formulations of Summicron or Elmarit at f/4 or f/5.6,
	making sure it's weather resistant and / or ruggedized
	and /or submersible to 33 feet like the Minolta APS
	Weathermatic, but in 35mm / 135 format ?
	One marketing viewpoint would have it to be made
	available in various "styles" and target the resulting camera
	at the Walkman / Discman crowd: millions of potential customers.
	Yashica sold   _ _ _  millions of the one model Yashica T4/T5.
	Just imagine: that's a lot of research monies
	both for photography and new technologies related
	emerging markets.

	Further: when I managed audio stores, I made a point
	of making double sure our products were competitive 'up front'
	without price reductions both on their performance, features
	and looks. Nothing got in because it "sold" so many a month
	in metropolitan areas: everything we sold got in because it
	was worth the price to a very well informed customer.
	[ Though I can understand the evolution of the Nineties'
	markets and aggressive shoppers' mentality. ]

	Same with photography but I have this kick with any
	Leica, the older Zeiss Contarex (though their Contax T2
	all titanium gets me), Hasselblad . It's not that I need
	any of such, truly not, but God knows how aware I can
	be of what these toys bring in the way of satisfaction
	and of their inbred excellence.
	And, no one will get me to reneg on a Mercedes-Benz
	CLK320 cabrio or Porsche 'Boxster' fantasy just because
	a Toyota Celica convertible also happens to be a convertible... !
	OK, ok: make it a Mercedes SL500.
	Actually, it's the Ferrari 350 GTS gialle modeno
	that gobbles up a lot of fantasy space inside.

	A Leica IS a Leica !

	Andre Jean Quintal