Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/05/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]To me, the niche they picked is untested waters for them, in a field already established with large brands, existing solutions at half ( third?) the price that are getting more pixels, more low noise, more features at a 6 month rate.... Leica was never good at turning R+D quickly. Their S2 competitors are. Their customers expect it. Terrible solution to be in. Are they sold out? Sure/maybe as we have no idea if the things were available, if there would be demand to get them, LONG TERM. You are still seeing pent up demand. Comparisons to the M5 are missing the point that the M5 used ALL the Leica lenses that users had already. It was an alternative body, not an alternative system. It was a 1 trick pony. The M5 is generally considered a marketing failure. Will it outsell ( in dollars) an M5 or the R line? Maybe at up to 100 times the unit price it should. It may have already. Is the criteria for success the relative sales compared to a failure? It is not technical quality that will win or even make the product viable. It is users spending on it that will. What influences those customers is technical quality, features, cost, service, rental ability ( pros only), competitive product, existing product in their closets, and the ability to say... I bought this REALLY expensive piece of jewelry. Time will tell, and my crystal ball says the S2 won't be around long. I will say it again... they should have bought someone else's body, thrown on a Leica Mount and made glass for it. Or just go make AF glass for the N or C of the world. They didn't, they won't. Frank Filippone Red735i at earthlink.net