Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]"adrian bradshaw" <abpeking@public.bta.net.cn> wrote: > I just read a report that >Leica wanted to outsource production of some or all of an AF SLR in 1995 but >that the potential partner (perhaps Kyocera) was not interested due to the >low volume involved. I believe this means that Leica is now doomed to >make-do with an increasing number of components that are bought in - such as >he Japanese shutters, semi-finished optics (I heard from Sigma!) and >previous generation electronics whilst the increasingly exotic lenses that >pros are using these days - be they AF, long and high speed, zoom or all >three - are beyond the means of Solms to produce. That's why the best thing Leica could do is hop into bed with Kyocera, Minolta, Sigma - whoever, pump out a few million marginally up-market EOS-50/Nikon F70 competitors and earn enough cash to build the sort of cameras and lenses that the people here know and love. If they don't, some company like Canon will buy them out one day and start selling EOS-1's with a Red Spot on them whether you like it or not. Look at Rolls Royce vs BMW. RR already have BMW engines. Give them a couple of years and it will be all BMW apart from a different bodywork. To me that's not such a bad thing, to others its sacrilige. Look at Ford Lincoln vs Jaguar. One day soon they'll probably be the same car. Only difference is one will look ugly, the other good.