[Leica] RE: Leica - Kyocera

[fmaturana at euskalnet.net (Felix Lopez de Maturana)]

>Felix Lopez de Maturana schrieb:
>
>
>The defeat of Kyocera is a true
>catastrophe. 
>
>Felix


Hi Douglas

Just have a look to

- Contax list
- Kyocera reports about economical results


While the ceramic section of the company is almost exultant, photographic
Branco -Contax- is a strong source of loss. It's clear -at least for me-
that no new research nor new cameras are going to be launched in manual
focus area. Digital -as elsewhere- is running better but the failure of the
Contax N digital, and by the way the failure of the Contax N was historical
so a common sense approach to the future shos that Kyocera will point to the
the digital point and shoot.

Some guys in Contax list are announcing big news for Photokina. I'll be thre
in some months and sincerely I have big doubts that some really important
will happen,

This is a big lesson for Leica management men. Unless a big company joins
Leica -not Herm?s that finally Hill search for a buyer for Leica - and some
marketing in the consumer mass is cleverly made the future of Leeica is
dark. This is, of course, my personal opinion -I'm a company manager
retired- but I sincerely believe that as in the same way that no cars
company producing less then 1.ooo.ooo cars a year will survive in future
there will be not small photographic companies in the future. Even Nikon
future is difficult. Hasselblad has been in the right way going to Fuji area
influence. Minolta is paying his big mistakes -mainly the APS madness-
needing the union with Konica that survives by the office equipment not by
the Hexar photographic one. Rollei is passing from some hands -Samsung- to
others -the own management staff who bough the shares- and their future is
less than clear. And so on... Kodak? I'll not buy no share from them.

So, Douglas, yes I think that Contax is dying and he's not alone. We must
enjoy our Leicas as far as the company will exist.

Regards 

Felix