[Leica] Leica in big trouble? long.

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@islandnet.com>]

Dan K wrote:

<<<<<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?">>>>>>>>>

Hi Dan,

I beleive for decendents to appreciate our feelings of things LEICA will
only occur if each of us teach them the value of what we have.

This doesn't happen by telling them, "Don't touch the camera, no you can't
try it, Whatever you do don't even breath on that Leica or daddy or grandpa
will be angry!"  For each of our ancestors to understand the wonders of
photography with high quality equipment they have to feel it, see it, look
through it, shoot their pictures with it. HAVE THEM IN THEIR HANDS!  Of
course with guidance.

If they are not allowed the excitment and comfort zone of a LEICA in hand
and see the results, they'll never help carry on the LEICA tradition. We
all learn by doing and using....the kids must be taught and allowed to
understand why we have such passion for our cameras.

If Leica is in financial trouble as some here indicate, we handful of LUG
Leica users are hardly going to make a mark in their survival or demise.
Partially because we already own the bulk of our equipment and prices have
escalated to a point where many can't afford to purchase more or replace
older gear. Whether we work at it as a profession or amateur.

Sure there are a couple of lenses I'd dearly love to have, but finding or
generating an extra 10 or 20 thousand dollars for them is out of the
question.

I'm afraid if it is going down the tube and belly up....(I find that hard
to beleive.) ..but stranger things have happened. Quite frankly there isn't
anything anyone or collectively on the LUG can prevent it.  That is unless
one of you happen to have a 100 Kuwati oil wells in your back yard pumping
hugh dollars for your disposal and you buy the whole operation as a fun
thing for your LUG friends to have all the toys they wish.:)

One can only trust LEICA will continue producing those wonderful machines
and if they need to use modern day plastics or other unheard of alloys, so
be it. But if they do, then it should be reflected in the lower cost of
equipment.

My gut feeling is it will survive, maybe not on the grand scale it once
was, but due to the numbers of cameras out there that will require service
and or upgrading it will be there.  Or some very enterprising individuals
will put to gether an international mega servicing company for giving
broken things TLC and bring them back to health.

But when a LEICA is built much like a Tiger Tank they, like the Energizer
little pink bunny, go on forever. Providing you use it and give it a little
abuse once a month. :)  Much like sweethearts, use em or loose 'em! :)

Just look at it this way, Its a good sized corporation, world economics are
still in turmoil, however money gurus are telling us it's improving slowly,
so lets think positive for LEICA'S survival before some start wearing black
mourning arm bands!



Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant