Re: [Leica] How to support Leica?

[Bernard <5521.g23@g23.relcom.ru>]

I don't see why certain people would get so frustrated at the thought
that we like to chat about Leica management, now that we've covered
Scotch, watches, cars and fountain pens.

Bernard.



Erwin Puts wrote:

> 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