[Leica] Minor additional woe

[frank.dernie at btinternet.com (FRANK DERNIE)]

Jayanand,I think the only things they sell in the way you believe are the 
special editions at ?20,000+.
Both Canon and Nikon sell their top models at a loss, since the production 
volume, which is far higher than Leica M, means they can not be sold?at a 
price which covers costs, the manufacturing is amortised over too few 
units.They can make their profit by selling vast numbers of less expensive 
cameras. Leica can't.
Leica bodies are probably subsidised by the lenses.
I believe that the reason the S system was MF was because the pricing is 
dictated by the volume and they felt, quite rightly I am sure, that an 
autofocus 24x36 sensor Leica would not sell at S prices. The vast bulk of 
the cost of something selling in these tiny numbers is R&D and tooling, not 
the parts.
Comparing them with Rolex is inappropriate IMO too. Rolex make thousands of 
times more watches than Leica make cameras. The movements are mass produced 
in an already-paid-for production line and haven't needed any R&D for 
decades, the profit margins on seen-to-be luxury goods like this are vast.
Marketing strategies are pretty flexible but the basic inflexibility of R&D, 
tooling and manufacturing an engineering product are nothing like those of 
luxury goods.
Frank D. 


     On Saturday, 8 August 2015, 14:47, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at 
gmail.com> wrote:
   
 

 John,
That they are, and I don't disagree, but your buying the stuff they make
new is just icing on the cake as far as they are concerned. Their primary
market and focus lies elsewhere, and, irrespective of what you think,? I do
not fault them for that - on the other hand, I admire them as having taken
a quite brilliant business decision a decade ago. After all, they have to
survive by selling new equipment, not pandering to the wishes and
requirements of those fans/users who are unlikely ever to buy Leica stuff
new. I am sure that over 95% of the Leica using photographers seldom buy
their Leica stuff new, and the production has to be sold, after all, so
what choice do they have, but to take advantage of their hard earned
goodwill built over decades of excellence, and market their products as
bits of jewelry for whatever price the market will bear? Very sensible high
margin approach, which has worked very well over the last decade, but now
that the luxury market is flattening to reducing, we have to see what
future path they take. Let us not forget that they have to run a business,
and make money on it. No different in approach from what a Rolex, a
Montblanc or even a Mercedes/BMW would do - all of them have a large
proportion of their allure tied up in the aspirational desires of humans -
but that does not mean they turn out anything but the best they can, at
their price point. If you ask me, Leica's weakness in comparison to all
their luxury peers is what seems to be relatively weak after sales service
- they probably get away with it because a large part of their yearly
production is never used!

I personally would also think very seriously of adding to the icing if they
come up with a full frame, AF system based on the M series, as has been
rumoured, and they set up their dealership here in India by then, so that I
have a local outfit to handle problems if they occur.

Cheers
Jayanand

On Sat, Aug 8, 2015 at 1:31 PM, John McMaster <john at mcmaster.fr> wrote:

> For a company that is doing all that, they seem to spend a lot of time and
> money making some of the best lenses available for any system.......
>
> john
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>
> Adam,
> It has been blindingly obvious for a long time, to anyone who does not have
> his eyes wide shut,? that Leica has morphed into a luxury marketing company
> (have you ever bothered to notice WHERE they advertise nowadays?)! They are
> opening boutiques in India now in partnership with the largest
> dealers/purveyors of luxury goods here. However, there is hope for them
> though, to change back into a photographic company, now that luxury goods
> sales in China have drastically plunged across the board.
> Cheers
> Jayanand
>
> On Fri, Aug 7, 2015 at 10:06 PM, Adam Bridge <abridge at mac.com> wrote:
>
> > That?s even worse.
> >
> > AB
> >
> > > On Aug 7, 2015, at 9:12 AM, Douglas Sharp <douglas.sharp at gmx.de>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > AFAIK Marketing is now the top level and covers customer relations,
> > repairs, returns, complaints and technical matters.
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > > Douglas
> >
>
>
>
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>

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