Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Let's just hope they return to R4-R7 styling and size if/when they decide to release an R10D. The R8/9 are just too voluminous, even for my big hands. IMO, the only way they will get into the market for "real" DSLRs will be with a full frame (12 or more mP) sensor enabling the use of existing R-lenses as they were intended to be used. Focus confirmation for manual lenses, and AF with a new series of lenses is perhaps a little too much to hope for. Knowing Leica's past record, they would probably put in a terribly complicated hybrid system to switch a full size sensor to 4/3 and use existing/planned 4/3 lenses too :-) Douglas Howard Cummer wrote: > I think Leica (Steven Lee) is very aware that the company needs to > broaden its customer base. They have teamed up with Panasonic and > indirectly with Olympus to design lenses for the 4/3rd system and to > market a series of Luxes based on the cooperation between Leica and > Panasonic. I learned at Photokina that the agreement between Leica and > Panasonic has been extended for another five years so that should > continue to be a source of a greater variety of product and hopefully > a widening customer base. Leica hopes that M8's will start showing up > in the camera bags of the pros again as film M's used to in addition > to the Cankon SLRs in the old days of film. If the pros have kept > their old film M's and lenses I think there is a good possibility > Leica may be right about sales to Pros. The hard nut to crack is new > rangefinder users. Coming to an M8 plus new Leica lenses is just too > expensive if you are not already addicted to the rangefinder shooting > experience. And, of course, there is the question of the R series. The > digital R back is just a stop gap, in my view, while Leica gains time > to develop an integrated digital R body. Hopefully the Sinar purchase > will provide a source of expertise in this regard. And regarding R > lenses they can be used on the 4/3rd system with an adaptor and with > good focusing results using the magnified LCD screen. Of course, the > decisive moment becomes very theoretical due to the time it takes to > fiddle with the focus. In sum, my impression is that Leica is moving > forward on several fronts and hopefully enough cash flow / even profit > will be generated to get them to a more financially stable place than > they have been. Certainly the success of the M8 is crucial to that but > is not the only success required. > Howard > (Back in Hong Kong jet lag subsiding) > > > > On 8 Oct 2006, at 6:14 AM, lug-request@leica-users.org wrote: > >> Message: 25 >> Date: Sat, 07 Oct 2006 14:33:52 -0700 >> From: Richard <richard-lists@imagecraft.com> >> Subject: Re: [Leica] An American Yankee in Herr Leitz' Court >> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>, Leica Users Group >> <lug@leica-users.org> >> Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20061007143129.084eb9f8@192.168.100.42> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed >> >> Nah, you don't need to attract 100% of the new customers to buy a M7 >> or M8, >> you only need to attract large number of customers to buy the "cheaper" >> d-luxes, c-luxes, etc. and if 10% and 20% of the new customers buy >> the M7 >> or M8, then might be sufficient. >> >> At 02:21 PM 10/7/2006, Nathan Wajsman wrote: >> >>> John, >>> >>> I agree that the M8 is an excellent product, based on the reports we >>> have >>> seen here on the list and on my own fondling of it at Photokina last >>> weekend. I am speaking purely from a marketing point of view: the >>> LHSA/LUG >>> crowd is simply not big enough to sustain the company. The challenge >>> is to >>> get new customers, people who have not previously used Leica. >>> Whether they >>> will be able to do that at the price point they currently are at is >>> another matter. >>> >>> Nathan > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >