Re: [Leica] Re: AF R Series?

["Martin V. Howard" <marho@ida.liu.se>]

Bill Erfurth wrote:
>
> So what's going to happen?  I would not be surprised to see Leica form
> some type of an alliance with a third party lens manufacture (Sigma or
> Tokina) and start producing Leica AF lenses for Nikon, Canon , and
> Minolta cameras. This would be an extremely logical move since Leica
> has the glass technology and the name recognition, and the third party
> lens manufacture has the AF technology already in place.

Why on Earth would they want to do this?  Leica has a reputation for
being, perhaps, the single most competent manufacturer of photographic
lenses in the world, especially after the introduction of products such
as the 35/1.4 ASPH, APO 90/2.0 ASPH and APO 135/3.4.  They're going to
team up with *Sigma* or *Tokina*!?  Yeah, I can see *that* happening...

Secondly, why would Leica manufacture lenses which are compatible with
*competitors* camera systems, steering potential customers away from
their own SLR range?  Even if the R-system isn't autofocus, there are
still people who buy it.  We even hear testimony on the LUG of people
who sell their Nikon and Canon AF systems to get into the manual focus
R-system.  The world needs alternatives, not more of the same.


> Second, I would look for the new CEO to "Fast-track" the introduction
> and production of a new M body which has auto-exposure, DX film
> coding, a better frame line system, etc.  The problem here is that if
> Leica doesn't do it, and do it fast, some other company will and Leica
> will be in the position of playing catch-up again. 

Other companies have had since 1984 to introduce an M-type body with
auto-exposure, DX film coding, "better" frame line system, and have
yet to do so.  The closest "competitors" are the Contax G and
Hasselblad/Fuji XPan, and neither compete on exactly the same terms,
because neither would survive.  If Leica *does* introduce such a camera,
I don't think it will be because of external competition, but because
they wish to evolve the M-system concept further.


> Third, I think Leica will continue to increase it's share of the
> Point-and-Shoot market and pull back from the digital market.  Here
> again, P&S is where the money is right now...and digital is still a
> toy.

So where glass plates when photography first started.  Digital is
advancing rapidly, and while it has a long way to go before it over-
takes chemical photography, I'm sure that there are areas of application
and markets which will adopt digital technology wholeheartedly in the
near future. P&S digital cameras is one such area which looks as though
it has great potential.


M.

- -- 
Martin V. Howard, Application Systems Laboratory,     | 
Dept. of Comp. & Info. Sci., Linkoping University,    | Just "DOHH" it!
SE-581 83 Linkoping, Sweden.  Tel +46 13 282 421,     +----------------+
Fax +46 13 142 231; marho@ida.liu.se; www.ida.liu.se/~marho