[Leica] Leica Solms reports 50% loss what does this mean?

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Gerry Walden offered:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica Solms reports 50% loss what does this mean?


>I think many of us here would be interested in buying new stuff if they had 
>a product which could compete in what (I am afraid to say) is a modern 
>digital autofocus world, certainly for professionals.<,

Hi Gerry,
Well lets say my assistant, a new young woman, ;-) heck some things never 
change! ;-) Yeah it's OK Sandy is on assignment. :-)

To put a bit of reality to this Leica thing, that is,........ today ..... we 
contact printed 150 rolls of film! However, if one put this in digital 
perspective imagine the cost for film outlay compared to digital? As well as 
the speed which we'd have completed digital edit and selection?

A friend of mine returning from a holiday last weekend said, he'd never seen 
so many digital cameras in his life as on his trip to Rome and London. It 
appeared ..... "NO ONE WAS USING A FILM CAMERA!"  There were digitals every 
where!

So don't some of you guys think, maybe, possibly, wonder,  Leica blew it? So 
why shed tears? Unless you have multi-millions tied up in the company. If 
not .... get real! Blow yer nose and move on! Look, if every one on the LUG 
today bought 2 new bodies and 3 lenses, yer choice, do you really think it's 
going to save their ass? Not on your life as they've been behind modern 
industry advances too long to make it over this hump. Maybe?

But if they crash and burn, it wouldn't surprise me a Japanese consortium 
would pick it up and move it into this millennium in the blink of an eye! 
Why? Simply because there's too many Leica owners out there to be dismissed 
as potential buyers with "modern age" equipment wearing the Leica name.

And lets keep a film perspective here. I love using my Leica M7's and R8's, 
but when you have clients asking you to shoot "digital."  What am I supposed 
to say, "Sorry Leica have the world's best lenses but they don't have a 
digital body to go with them yet. However, some day shortly? Longly? Just 
maybe they will, so could you please possibly wait a bit?

"Sorry Ted, g' bye call you next century! :-(

ted