[Leica] RE: Leica - Kyocera

[DouglasMSharp at netscape.net (Douglas M. Sharp)]

Jean,

Jean Louchet schrieb:

>
>... i would say, for quality everything. Survival of niche quality 
>production is becoming harder - a question of market. A niche is small, 
>when it gets too small it's not a niche any more. 
>
The only problem here, who is prepared to pay the price ? and who 
dictates the market ?

> Same with hiking rucksacks, the same capacity weighs twice as much as in
>the Seventies, because of "scientifically designed comfort" gadgets whose
>justification is the extra weight of the rucksack...
>
Hiking boots too, you need a degree in orthopaedics to be able to 
understand that you can actually put them on your feet
to go walking. We also used to get on very well without GPS and Trekking 
poles

> The same might well happen soon with violin makers and has already
>happened with good food, with real love, with education. It's new, it?s
>shiny, it's sexy, magazines say it's good (for them). All drug addicts
>have been told "it's good" by somebody. Education is the only antidote.
>
The authority of the educators has been undermined to such an extent 
that telling a student to learn something
is regarded as assault. Life-style has replaced Zeitgeist, here today, 
gone tomorrow rules the market.
Unless there is a timeless design a la Leica M, there is no chance of  
long term survival, the icons are disappearing
too fast - the real Mini has gone, the 2CV too, at least analogue 
watches are coming back into style. The ephemera
are thrust upon us by the life-style media which at the same time accuse 
us of being conservative, out of date, un-cool, brain dead etc etc
Hermes-Leica was a step in the wrong direction, making the product even 
more elitaire, but would Swatch-Leica have made a difference ?

> I think the "is Leica 10 years late?" question is a wrong discussion. I
>spent this week in Scandinavia shooting historical musical instruments in
>museums:  M6, Nokton1.5/50, Skopar4/21 and a F3 with 2.8/55 macro for
>technical detail views. All Superia 1600. Most colleagues needed their
>flash with their P&S (film or digital) - forbidden in museums. I agree my
>hardware is obsolete 
>
Your, and our, equipment is by no means obsolete, as you have just 
proved above. It is just not accepted as
"state of the art", although it is, in itself, the present state of the 
ART of  film photography. Leica has been 10 years too late in recognising
the potential of their products. Relying on reputation and charisma is 
not enough, WE know that Leica is unbeatable but we, of course,
use Leicas on an every day basis. Leica has a product  image which has 
difficulty fitting into the present day market. As you say it is a matter
of education, advertising is the art of educating someone to develop a 
need for a certain commodity. This is where Leica went wrong.

regards
Douglas