Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/09/17

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Subject: [Leica] LEICA bei MEISTER Newsletter 15.09.2005
From: telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr)
Date: Sat Sep 17 23:42:36 2005

on 9/17/05 10:54 PM, Nathan Wajsman at nathan.wajsman@planet.nl wrote:

> I used to say 
> that all these special editions were a good thing if they gave Leica
> some extra cash with which to develop new products, but I am no longer
> so sure. Leica is a small company, and even though the product
> development that went into this is modest, it is still a distraction and
> does use some resources that could be better used elsewhere in the company.

I don't think a special edition distracts much in the way of R&D resources,
but one word you used - "disheartening" - probably touches on most of the
complaints about this camera.  It reminds me of the Alpa reflex cameras in
the 1970s, which IIRC seemingly had to be dressed up in colored leathers and
special finishes in order to sell at all.  It just seems like the death
throes of the product line and from this perpective it's disheartening to me
as well, but as a short-term money maker while Leica's real R&D work is on
the digital M, it's a smart move IMHO.  Leica's capitalizing on what it can
offer while hopefully preparing a digital M for market.

I seriously doubt the people who are working on the digital rangefinder were
taken off that project to design this special edition so I see the
distraction as negligible and the rate of return on the MP3 as quite good.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com



In reply to: Message from nathan.wajsman at planet.nl (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] LEICA bei MEISTER Newsletter 15.09.2005)