Re: [Leica] Leica's future

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

At 12:21 PM 9/27/98 -0400, Dan wrote:
>There was some huffing and puffing a few days ago concerning
>the inappropriatness about such a question being asked at the meeting.

These kinds of questions are a waste of everyone's time. And simply builds
a wall between the people we would like to have a relationship with, rather
than becoming a revered resource.

The point is, these "classic" lenses are all available, by the thousands,
today, on the used market. One should not forget what it takes to sustain
an international "state of the technology" company. It sure as hell is not
re-doing the old stuff. And granted, there are a lot of people liking and
wanting the "classic" equipment. But that is not but an imperceptible
percentage of the world market. It's people like LUGnuts that know about
these qualities. The "real" customer base that floats Leica is not the
"groupies" like us. So asking these kind of questions would just re-affirm,
that we are not in tune with the future, and cannot be of any help with the
definition of "new" and "innovative" products. Leica is a forward moving
and thinking company. They want information for the future.

So, for those of us that revere the "classic" bokeh (or whatever), the M3
frame lines, the SL mechanics... Shutterbug, as well as thousands if
non-shutterbug dealers, have all of this stuff available, at prices far
below what it would cost "new" from Leica.

We cannot drag Leica back from the future. If we try, they will ignore us.
So looking at the product lineage, what kinds of changes would help the
product sell to a broader customer base, and what kinds of changes would
entice you to upgrade from what you have now. For instance, the M6HM caused
many people to upgrade from a standard M6. The ASPH lenses saw many many
people upgrading from non ASPH. I have a 35 non ASPH as well as an ASPH. A
bokeh lens and a non bokeh lens. I use the ASPH lens 99.9% of the time.
When I buy a 21, it will be an ASPH. Probably the finest 21 ever made.


Look at Linhof. Even though they will make it through a very difficult
situation, they nearly bought the farm because they rested on an old
product base. Bringing out a "new" Master Technika 2000, with electronic
rangefinder is not where the future is. I love my old Master Technika. One
of the first things I did was to send it to Marflex and have the
rangefinder removed. That bump was in the way and it would not pack in a
neat square space. I'm not in the market for (nor are many people) for a
"new" Master Technika which has virtually no improvements over the 20 year
old version. You can use a 75mm lens without a recessed lens board on the
"new" Technika. Big deal. I use a recessed lens board.

The only reason I bought an M6 to replace my M2 was because I wanted a
meter that looks through the taking lens. Adding TTL flash is a reasonable
upgrade, but to change some very basic working interfaces in the process
might not have been the smartest move.

The way a company makes SMART moves is to get GOOD AND MEANINGFUL DATA from
its user base. Improvements for the future. Consistency over the product
line. Things that will continue to make Leica be recognized for innovative
products. Products that real photographers can use without compromise.

So when you talk to Leica, things like "please give us a new technology
wide angle lens for the R camera, in the 21 to 24mm area." They have done
this on the M camera, but remember, for the R camera, it may need to be a
retrofocus design, which is a bit more difficult. Or, "please give us
automatic bracketing on the R8, which can use a pre-release mirror and a
settling delay before each exposure." I would buy a "new" 21 or 24 R lens
today if it were available. A bracketing feature utilizing MLU would
quickly move me to R8's from my R7's. It was 1/2 shutter speeds and MLU
that moved me from my R4sP's to the R7.

They want to know what you want. What would make you upgrade. What would it
take for you to spend money on new Leica products. Not a re-production of
an old lens or camera. You can buy these by the train load on the used
market now.

Future. Hi-Tech. State of the Art. What will the "world" customer base buy.

Jim


At 12:21 PM 9/27/98 -0400, Dan wrote:
>I wonder what Leica's opinion would be as to the meaning of the term
>"classic lens".  I suspect that with all of the R&D they are putting into
>lens research along with all of the new lenses they have introduced in the
>last few years,  they must think it crazy that people would be clamouring
>after lenses "from the good old days".   I think this would have been a
>very good subject to have brought up with them at the Photokina meeting.
>Do they recoginize that some people feel there are qualities in older Leica
>lenses absent from the newer ones?  And how would they respond to this
>assertion?  There was some huffing and puffing a few days ago concerning
>the inappropriatness about such a question being asked at the meeting.  But
>what better place to ask it?  Get it right from the horses mouth.
>
>Dan C.