Re: [Leica] Leica day

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

At 02:43 AM 9/27/98 -0700, Alastair Firkin wrote:

>Thanks to Jim for the report on Photokina and the holiday. I agree with
>almost all you have to say on the M6/equipment front, but I do not totally
>agree with the old lens comments. It may not come out this way, but I think
>Leica would be well served in making some "classic" lenes to accompany the
>"classic" camera bodies they are continuing in production. It would be
>quite good to have a choice of lens and a range that might be a "tad"
>cheaper, without compromise [they would be real Leica lenes after all ]
>This would only work, if it remains economic to produce smaller batches of
>the lenes, which is another thing.
>
>Alastair Firkin,

Alistair,

I agree that classic lenses are "wonderful" but the Leica officials at the
Leica/LUG meeting talked a lot about "lens production capacity." And
basically said that they had to "farm out" some of the manufacturing simply
because they could not do any more. They have re-vamped their Solms lens
making facility but I believe I remember them saying that they are running
near capacity. So to "continue" making an older version of a lens (a
classic lens), they would be sacrificing production space for the "latest
and greatest" stuff... which is where the money to sustain the company
comes from. I suspect, that to remain competitive/solvent, Leica will have
to put ALL of their efforts into the "latest and greatest." But I do agree
that a Classic M6 and a classic Elmarit or Summicron is a wonderful
combination. But I just don't think the economics would allow continuing
old models. A car manufacturer cannot run a line for a previous (classic)
car. It would be like BMW still making the 2002. Or Porsche still making
the 356SC. A lot of us would like this, but there is plenty of this stuff
on the used market. And the new stuff is what sustains the company. I'm
happy that Leica is still alive and well.

Jim