[Leica] Re: New Zeiss Ikon

[bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)]

But that's the point, Simon - I'm not talking about "performance" of
anything; I'm talking about availability of, and price of, product. And
if Leica thinks the path to survival lays through winning a bunch of
Erwin Puts bench tests by .xxx%, they're dead on arrival. Fractions of
percentages aren't going to matter - actually having a product will. If
Leica can now turn on a dime and put out a real digital M six months
from now - BEFORE Zeiss comes out with one - and price it so that it
appeals to more than a handful of people for whom money is no object,
then they have a chance. If not...

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
animal
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 5:54 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: New Zeiss Ikon


As you mentioned earlier i think ,nothing  is known about the real
performance of the new system. Isn,t it a bit premature to anounce a
winner before a match? best regards simon jessurun amsterdam

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 10:53 PM
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: New Zeiss Ikon


> IF that's Leica's response to an entire line of new Zeiss t-star 
> lenses, a film rangefinder body, and what will undoubtedly be a 
> digital body, then we most assuredly have the answer to the question. 
> Because if Leica survives as the Hermes of cameraland, it might as 
> well not survive.
>
> And there's another point to think about here, folks - Leica is still 
> around today for only one reason:
>
> In the early 1960s, Zeiss/Contax and Nikon abandoned the 
> pro-rangefinder playing field. Nikon, which made what was definitely 
> the best body at that time - the SP - decided to put all its eggs in 
> the SLR basket, a decision which was a loss for those of us who love 
> rangefinders, but was obviously a winner for Nikon. And Contax must 
> have decided that there wasn't going to be enough rangefinder business

> to keep them going.
>
> So that left the barren playing field to Leica, which, other than 
> improving it's lens line, hasn't done anything truly innovative since 
> bringing out and abandoning the M5. And, when you think about it, 
> really hasn't done anything innovative since the "O."
>
> But because there have been enough photographers committed to using 
> rangefinders, and enough dilitants committed to owning Leicas - and a 
> scarf company willing to buy up a grand old brand name - Leica's 
> limped along to the present day.
>
> Now, however, we are on the downward slope of the technology range 
> taking us into the next age of photography. Any company that wants to 
> survive in the new age is going to have to be a real part of that age.

> And up to this point, Leica has, as usual, limped along at the back 
> end of the parade.
>
> So this time Zeiss - well the Zeiss/Kyocera/Hassleblad/Contax 
> coalition
> - has decided to stick around and pickup  the pieces. Unless Leica is
> prepared to move, and move very quickly - perhaps by talking Nikon,
> Canon, or Olympus into a rangefinder partnership, Leica's days are,
> sadly, very much numbered. I say "sadly" with total sincerity, because
I
> am enough of a traditionalist to be touched by the Leica heritage -
I'd
> rather be shooting in a new age with a grandchild of HCB's M3s, than
> shooting with a Kocerstein's monster patched together with parts from
a
> washing machine, a high-milage care, and a disposable camera. :-)
>
> B. D.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf 
> Of Dan C
> Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 4:33 PM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: New Zeiss Ikon
>
>
> Leica has responded in part by offering the a la carte Leica.  But 
> have you
> seen the prices?    Do I really want to spend upwards of $4,000 USD
for
> the
> privilege of picking the colour of my camera?  Are there enough people

> out there willing to do so to keep Leica afloat?
>
> -dan c.
>
> At 04:26 PM 29-09-04 -0400, B. D. Colen wrote:
> >Emanuel says..
> >"The old era of Zeiss - Leitz rivalry was a heady time
> >for 35mm design," and asks...
> >
> >"Now, in these days, how will Leica respond?"
> >
> >---
> >As they, sadly, always have ... With too little, too late, and at too

> >high a price.
> >
> >These are not the heady days of the Zeiss/Leitz competition - which, 
> >if
>
> >we recall, were actually the days of the Zeiss/Leitz/Nikon 
> >competition.
> >;-)
> >
> >These are the days of the Zeiss/Kyocera/Cosina/Hassie consortium 
> >moving
>
> >in to clean up the remaining scraps from the rangefinder table - 
> >scraps
>
> >that could have been Leicas had Leica moved 18 months ago, or even 
> >further back, when the Cosina handwriting was writ large upon the 
> >wall.
> >
>
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