Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/06/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>As all of us were already aware of, Leica made most of its revenues up to >now from the sales of its M equipment. The R reflex series have always been >considered a bit as something that just had to be done because everybody >else (i.e. Japanese manufacturers) was doing so. The previous R models up >and including the R7 are good cameras on their own, but always came late >compared with the competition. New technical developments have always been >available for years in Japanese cameras before they became mainstream Leica >R. >All this appears to be finally changing with the advent of the R8. For the >first time Leica has a camera that equals the best Japanese ones, and >actually surpasses them in some ways (e.g. built-in flashmeter). > >This had had an impact on Leica's sales. Demand for the R8 is so strong >(well, at least to Leica-standards!), that the factory in Solms can not >follow the orders. > >According to well-informed sources, it appears that for the first time in >history, the Leica reflex sales will equal and maybe exceed the rangefinder >sales both in volume as in profit. This could mean that in future more >attention will be given to the R series (including lenses) than previously >was the case. Hi Pascal, The sales of Leica's M-system productline were as follows: in thousands of DM 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany 19,307 22,574 17,942 Other European countries 15,730 22,714 20,865 Asia, Australia 11,522 18,172 23,576 United States 9,061, 6,835 6,720 Others 1,594 534 903 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 57,214 70,829 70,006 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sales of Leica's R-system productline were as follows: in thousands of DM 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany 24,293 21,069 17,492 Other European countries 11,058 11,092 9,892 Asia, Australia 10,404 8,244 10,954 United States 4,103 3,910 3,596 Others 2,626 523 884 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 52,484 44,838 42,818 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I guess that the conclusions are: 1. The R-system line has been losing steam over the last years and something had to be done about it. The answer, the new R8, is on the market now. 2. The M-system is Leica's key revenue producer. I hope that the R sales keep booming and that the actual good sales are not an introduction-related bubble. Leica is a niche market player who has limited competition for its M products (Contax G2 only) but still many competitors for its R products (Nikon FM2 and many other SLR's). They could be better off to concentrate on where they are unique, i.e. the M-product line. Marketing "wisdom" says that companies should concentrate on their own strengths rather than on the strong points of the competition. In terms of your question on what 80 - 100mm R lens to chose, my suggestion would be to go for the 100mm APO Macro-Elmarit-R. Exeptional image quality at all distances. A cheaper solution could be to buy a discontinued 90mmf/2,8 Elmarit (with a discount), one of the finest lenses in the R range. There may be some left with the distributor or with dealers. No need for a zoom: in many situations a couple of steps forward or backward has (almost) the same effect! Gerard Captijn, Geneva, Switzerland. Email: captyng@vtx.ch Fax: +41 (22) 700 39 28 Gerard Captijn Geneva, Switzerland Email: captyng@vtx.ch Telephone/fax: +41 22 700 39 28