Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/02/03

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: Fwd: [Leica] R8 Wonder Winder Whiner
From: ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 09:58:34 -0500

Stephen Gandy wrote:

<<<<I doubt if you demand less than the best in your pictures, you are
making a mistake by demanding less than the best from Leica.   Raise
your standards Ted.>>>>

Sorry Stephen,

I thought I had put enough smileys in place that you understood it was a
fun tongue in cheek thing about how wired you were. And not that I condoned
the lack of good marketing on the part of Leica.

Quite frankly I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!!____________

There was extremely bad judgment in Solms to release the R8 in a half assed
manner with only part of the required equipment ready.  It was like GM
releasing a new car without the motor!

What they illustrated was the total ineptness of their marketing office in
understanding the demands of their died in the wool customers. And that of
the many thousands they could have converted! If I was the CEO I'd have
kicked ass very hard and out the door for doing what they did.  It cost
them dearly in both sales and image!

Example, look at this! Here we are nearly two yaers into it and we are
still giving them hell for their poor development/marketing skills!

I strongly believe they released the camera a year before they were ready
merely to have it on the PHOTOKINA shelf!!!!  And all they did was make
themselves look like a third world camera maker instead of the Leader we
expect of them.

Sorry, that it came out the way you read it, but I don't expect any less
from Leica than I expect of myself when I'm headlong into an a assignment.

I strongly believe whether its a new camera, putting on the Olympics,
Commonwealth Games or cleaning the back yard! If you are going to do it,
"DO IT RIGHT OR DON'T DO IT ALL!"  There is nothing more annoying to me
than trying to work with some half assed person (who thinks they know it
all) or silmilar like organization.  Particularly when there isn't/wasn't
any reason for it.  When it occurs, it illustrates the organizers really
don't know what the hell they are doing!

There is nothing I hate worse than working with people who do things in a
half assed manner.

If any thing in life is worth doing, one should always put the effort into
it to make it the best that it can be or not do it at all. In my work, if
I'm asked to shoot a little old ladies tea party for charity, I work just
as hard to come out with the best possible images, as if I were asked to
photograph the Queen!  After all the final image is an "Image of me as a
person and my work"  Not just a photograph of a tea party!!

If we consider the many derisive comments made about Leica and the lack of
their organization skills in the R8 winder/motor fiasco over the past two
years, it has illustrated that they didn't "do their best for the company,
or most ceratinly their devoted followers"  as is expected from them.
Whether R 8 or M devotees.

Again, an unfortunate posting on my part as my writing skills didn't impart
the "humour I was trying to make of how peed off" you sounded. 

I trust this clears the situation and that you and I are truly on the same
wave length once again. :)

ted