Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/20

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Subject: RE: [Leica] 12575
From: Peterson Arthur G NSSC <PetersonAG@NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL>
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 15:36:10 -0500

B.D., there's probably also a "law of diminishing returns" involved with
much of this high end equipment.  That is, there's a point at which it costs
a lot more to get only relatively small improvements.  Being better and
costing three times as much may well not mean (and should not be expected to
mean) "3x as good."

But I'm only offering a general observation for consideration, not arguing
specifically that a particular Leica hood or diopter is better than some
Nikon hood or diopter.

Art Peterson


		-----Original Message-----
		From:	B. D. Colen [mailto:bdcolen@earthlink.net]
		Sent:	Monday, March 20, 2000 10:00 AM
		To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
		Subject:	RE: [Leica] 12575

		Kip - The only problem with this philosophy is that it is
equivalent to
		saying, "What ever they charge, I will pay." Certainly Leica
needs to
		maintain a certain profit margin to continue to exist. But
that existence
		becomes less likely when they sell minor accessories at
ridiculously high
		prices:
		It's one thing to charge $1995 for an M body; it's entirely
another to
		charge $80 for a viewfinder diopter - especially when Nikon,
which also
		charges plain silly prices for some of its add-ons, sells
diopters for about
		$18. Is the Leica diopter 3x as good? I really doubt it.

		B. D.

		-----Original Message-----
		From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
		[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of
Kip
		Babington
		Sent: Monday, March 20, 2000 7:46 PM
		To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
		Subject: Re: [Leica] 12575


		Sadly, most of us (including me, most of the time) forget
our basic
		economics -
		for a company in business to make a profit, the appropriate
price point for
		an
		item is that which the traffic will bear.  (Real economists
can tell us the
		more technical term for it, no doubt.)  Personally, I've
been just as
		surprised
		at what N**** wants for a molded plastic bayonet hood for
one of their
		consumer
		zooms (or a branded lens cap, for that matter) - but they
seem to sell
		enough
		at the prices they charge to make it worth their while.

		If we want Leica to be around for long into the future, we
should all hope
		they
		continue to do a good job of pricing their products at what
the traffic will
		bear.

		Cheers,
		Kip

		Frank Filippone wrote, in part:

		> ........When I asked the price, I had a stroke........
		>
		> Was it comparable to  the $5555 Nikon Lenshood, or just
plain way outta
		> line?    I think Leica has done a good job of pricing its
equipment at
		what
		> the market will bear sort of price.