RE: [Leica] Leica S1

[Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>]

On Tuesday, June 23, 1998 9:03 AM, apbc [SMTP:apbc@public1.sta.net.cn] 
wrote:Whilst the specs do look impressive for the S1 it
>...<CUT>.....
> seems an odd and IMHO ill-advised move on the part of Leica to be
> devoting precious resources to such a product when IMHO they would be
> better spent fixing their core lines such as M (which needs, in economic
> if not photographic terms an update) and the R line - motor drive,
> amongst other items.

I doubt that many resources were devoted to the S1. It is a very simple 
piece of hardware with very little in-house technology in it. Its good 
point is that it takes Leica M and R lenses. But fundamentaly it could take 
any other brand as well. It is not very interesting as a digital studio 
offer where what is needed is shift and tilt more than anything else. It 
cannot even shoot a moving (living) subject. Good looking design though.

> It seems that the great tradition of Leica enlargers and obscure
> accessories has been dropped, to please the shareholders, whilst the
> trendy high-risk field of digital has been embarked upon by a company
> that is poorly positioned to take a leading role in this
> capital-intensive line.

I kind of disagree with this. I believe on the opposite that it is urgent 
that Leica commits itself officially to produce a digital M body as soon as 
reasonably possible. This will of course require partnerships with the 
electronic imaging world but is the only way to encourage possible buyers 
who would (and should) think twice before investing mountains of money in 
the current system. As Alan Sircom pointed out on the LUG today: the M 
system is a system that is already potentially easier to turn into a 
digital age system than most SLR systems. The S1 might be understood as a 
signal that this is on the agenda. If so, that signal is not clear enough 
yet.

> It seems to be an overly expensive and risky
> diversion for Leica which is not so financially secure as you suggest:
> their growth markets (principally Asia) have been pretty much wiped out
> and they have been losing market share amongst professionals for decades
> now - just check the annual report figures. For a company whose cachet
> depends to a very large extent on their core products professional
> excellence this is alarming.

Innovation built upon the core expertise of the company is the only way 
out. Today it means a totally modernised M body, and tomorrow it entails a 
high end photojournalism oriented digital camera. On the R side, I have a 
hard time projecting any future at all for the system. The objective is to 
gain market share, not to please hard core purists. Unfortunately.

On a personal level, I find my Leica M system to be the most rewarding and 
fun giving photographic hardware I have ever used. But that is not enough 
to guarantee a future to the Leica company.

Alan
Brussels-Belgium.