Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/07/31

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 35mm Summilux-M
From: SthRosner@aol.com
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 09:42:23 EDT

In a message dated 7/31/02 4:34:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time, DFangon@aol.com 
writes:

> There is a price differential to pay for every 
>  improvement that comes along, Leica products included.  If we are to 
reject 
>  an improved product because it is more expensive than the item it 
replaces, 
>  where will Leica or any other company end up in the long run?
>  
Hello Dante! 

There are improvements and there are improvements. Unquestionably today Leica 
is striving to introduce cameras and lenses that perform better than the 
Leica products they replace. It must also be said that manufacturers will 
sometimes introduce successor products because there is a changed perception 
of what performance the market demands or because they are cheaper to 
manufacture and offer equivalent or almost equivalent performance. 

Over 20 years ago I wrote to Leitz inquiring about the comparative 
performance of the DR Summicron and the successor lens. Here is a verbatim 
quote from the answering letter of Mr. Kurt Otto, dated 24 January 1980:

"Comparison of different lenses is always difficult. New lenses are in fact 
always 
'improvements' over older predecessors, but this will affect not only the 
image quality but in some cases mechanical properties (e.g. weight, size, 
number of air-glass surfaces etc.).So it is not surprising to hear that some 
users will prefer older designs (with respect to image quality) and declare 
the new type 'not (significantly) improved' compared to the older version." 

Delicate and tactful and delightfully forthright.

Your last sentence above gives me pause. We do not "reject" a new product by 
deciding to buy an old one, whether the reason for the decision is price or 
because we prefer the optical rendition of the older lens or the impression 
of its build quality. And while many will of course buy the new product for 
their own reasons regardless of price, it strikes me as odd to imply that we 
have an obligation to keep Leica in business by spurning the old and buying 
the new. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way.

Best,

Seth            LaK 9
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Replies: Reply from Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net> (RE: [Leica] 35mm Summilux-M)