Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I spoke to Leica today and only the sliver Tri-Elmar is discontinued. The black is still in production. Simon Amateur efforts at http://www.phoenixdb.co.uk/leica Hans-Peter Lammerich wrote: > Price, weight and bulk in relation to its not so exciting zoom range > and speed show that Leica's design department could not do miracles. The > market is limited and a limited production run to eliminate the risk of > an unsold stock of lenses was a wise decision. > > However, I am curious how that project looks like from the commercial > point of view. 300 lenses at a retail price of DM 4,750 (excl. VAT) give > DM 1,450,000. Deduct the dealers' margin, marketing, overheads etc. and > you arrive at DM 1,000,000 (maximum). How that relates to the cost of > engineering-months and computer time (DM 300,000?), special tools (DM > 100,000?) e.g. for the asphercial lens elements) and the unit manufacturing > cost (DM 2,000/piece = DM 600,000)? When Leica designed the current > 4/35-70 they must have looked at alternative designs (e.g. a f=1:3.5), but a > f=1:2.8 would have been quite far from that, certainly more than just > an academic exercise, spending a couple of extra weeks at the computer. > > I remember an article about the Apo 2/180, saying that Leica marketed > the lens without prototyping. They went from optical and mechanical > design straight into production. Possibly I therefore grossly overestimate > the cost of r&d and production start-up for a lens. > > Did Leica use idle capacity in its design and production departments at > zero opportunity costs? > Was the 2.8/35-70 intended as a prestige project, irrespective of cost > and market potential? > Will Leica keep tools, surplus materials and CAM data files for a > second run to justify start-up costs? > What would have been the retail price, if 3000 instead of only 300 had > been made? > What is then the profit margin for the 4/35-70 or 3.5-4.5/28-70 which > are made in thousands and are selling for DM 1,800 (excl. VAT)? > > Hans-Peter > >