Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>Leica must be in big trouble. Ex-manager I. Lopez, Volkswagen and General Motors will >make up the reorganisation of Leica in Germany ! Hope he woun`t buy cheap parts for Leica in >Taiwan or China for M or R. >Keep your good old Leicas, by them now before it`s to late ! > >Wolfgang / Germany > The world is changing very rapidly. In my father's time, he never borrowed to buy stuffs and he looked for quality goods that will last... even if it was not so pretty... certainly not something fancy and temperal. Even his marriage to my mom lasted and lasted. I am in that watershed period. I am just over 45 years old. I straddle my dad's era and the next. Today, my kids are brought up with in an era that preaches, "Enjoy", "Use and discard" and what have you. A solid M6 body alone is almost Sing$2800. Then you had to brave another $1000 to get a used 35/2 summicron NON-asph. My neighbour next door can get a glitzy N**** at Sing$1200 and pay another $1000 to get a top of the range f2.8 zoom bomb, plus another $500 for that fancy flash which can go TTL/matrix metered what have you, front and rear curtained job and boasts a whopper of a light output. All for less than the price of a M6 body. The he's got AF which gets almost 100 PERCENT sharp pics while I am still struggling with manual focus. When he gets fed up with his rig, he upgrades to the latest model by paying a small price. Even if he does not do that, what's a few quids to let his camera gather dust and fungus by displaying it on his shelf, However, inspite of all those attributes granted to the competitors, we leicaphiles are a happy lot talking SM vs M-mount, and how a SM lens could be used on an M-camera. Everytime a SM lens is purchased to fit an M6, Solms loses business. By being loyal to leica users through ensuring that the older lenses are compatible with modern equipment, Leica is driving more nails into its own coffin. Business survival is the order of the modern day. New business management WILL make sure that Leica must continue to exist... even if Taiwan plastics are used, Timbuktoo glass is melted, and Gondwanaland chips are utilised. Yes, keep your existing leicas by all means and buy old leicas for its longevity. The question you will have to ask yourselves is this, "Are your children and your grandchildren prepared to share your passions, your dreams and your love for Leicas and pay the price for it in this rapidly changing world?" Dan K.