[Leica] RE: Leica Digital Body

["Leonard J. Kapner" <ljkapner@cox.net>]

Dear Friends,

Regarding Nathan's no doubt well-informed speculation about Leica having
insufficient capital resources to develop a digital M or R-series body,
I would tend to conclude that he's probably correct. 

Seen from a thin capital perspective, the product announcements offered
by Leica at Photokina all speak to moderate-cost inline enhancements,
recycling proven components and techniques to attempt to achieve a
broadened appeal in a narrowing primary market space. 

In my opinion, no competent Leica executive, behaving rationally, could
ignore the implications of the digital onslaught. That they have
partnered at various times in the past 20 years with Fuji, Matsushita
and Minolta all can be seen as a series of carefully conceived attempts
to break out of the M-series box. 

It is ironic that Leica's inertia caused by continuing, incredible
success in building and sustaining brand cache and spectacular camera
optics actually works against being able to catch successive waves of
technology.

FWIW, if such a deal could be struck, Leica probably should arrange to
buy internals from full-frame, interchangeable lens body suppliers such
as Canon, Kodak or Sigma, skin the subassemblies with Leica-developed
controls, ergonomics, cosmetic look and feel, and market the result as
their R-series digital alternative.

They'd have me as a buyer, if they did it right. I want to be able to
use my R lenses in the digital domain!

Regards,

Len

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Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 08:18:58 +0200
From: Nathan Wajsman <wajsman@webshuttle.ch>
Subject: Re: [Leica] Digital R8 now digital R9
Message-ID: <3D969B52.2090802@webshuttle.ch>
References: <599B5E03.70292331.0021EE48@netscape.net>

We do not know what is going on behind closed doors at Solms, but it 
seems pretty clear that Leica simply does not have the size and 
resources to develop a digital R or M camera on its own. That is why its

two previous forays into digital (disregarding the S1 or whatever it was

called) have been in partnership with Fuji and Panasonic, respectively. 
When and if a digital R camera comes, it will have to be essentially a 
rebadged Nikon or Canon with a Leica lens on it. Longer term, I am 
convinced that if Leica is to survive, it will have to be acquired by 
one of the big camera makers, where it will serve two functions:

1) It will provide optical expertise to the rest of the group of which 
it will now be a part;

2) It will serve as the luxury division, continuing to sell the M line 
to those who want this type of camera. Not too dissimilar from what we 
see in the auto industry, where most of the old luxury brands are now 
owned by the mainstream companies (e.g. Jaguar is part of Ford etc.).

Nathan

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