[Leica] How to support Leica?

[Erwin Puts <imxputs@knoware.nl>]

Some recent posts argue along these lines: we know that the Leica 
company is in trouble, we would hate to see the company go down as we 
like the products and so we might help the company by offering our 
views and thoughts about new products, improvements to existing 
products. We might even share with other users of the Leica products 
our ideas and proposals how to manage the company and how to develop 
a product strategy.
Let us try to draw a line here.
Many people, including Tom A and myself, have proposed to the company 
to change the awful battery cover  of the M6, as you always loose it 
when you do not can afford it. This is sensible advice and will 
surely be amended in a next version.
I myself have complained to the factory about the current finder as 
it is flare prone and blacks out the rangefinder patch in adverse 
conditions. I also complained about the optical performance of the 
current M-1,4/50  (long ago already).
Many users all over the world inform the company about their 
experience, and what improvements could be made. The Lug is not 
exceptional in this area, nor the only one group, nor the biggest one.
I agree that any company would welcome this kind of advice. And that 
is a proper role of any usergroup or individual user.
Now when someone would approach the company and would announce he 
knows how to  run the company,we are in a different ballpark. He or 
she is fully entitled to do this, but then the right forum is not a 
usergroup, but the management board.
So as a usergroup, at least in my view, we should do two things. 
Accumulate real life experiences with the Leica products and inform 
the company of what we like or not like. And in this area Tom A or 
Ted G or Eric W. are much more qualified to make comments than many 
of us as they are heavy duty users and use the Leica equipment for 
what it has been designed for: to make great pictures.
Now the proposal has been made that   we might help the company by 
talking about the future, the strategy etc. It would propose we do 
what Ted G has repeatedly said: go out in the world and take 
pictures. If Leica is loosing market share and we worry about that 
why do we not do what we can do?
Take great and impressive pictures that shows to ourselves and our 
friends why we use Leica in the first place.
If we would produce images that are stunning it its quality, content 
and have been made in circumstances where other marques can only 
dream of, we show to anybody that it makes sense to use Leicas and 
that these cameras are indeed worth the investment and dedication ot 
its users.
As the proverb goes:one picture says more than a 1000 words. So let 
us make pictures that convince others to use Leicas  and let the 
management do what they are hired to do.

Erwin