Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/29

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Subject: [Leica] Consider This...
From: jbcollier at shaw.ca (John Collier)
Date: Wed Sep 29 19:58:44 2004
References: <010701c4a675$0d9b9120$6401a8c0@ccapr.com>

Not really.

Right now Zeiss is pulling itself back into the rangefinder market 
using Leica's coat tails as the patent has expired on the M mount. It 
is very unlikely that the Zeiss would succeed if it had a proprietary 
mount. They need the installed base of Leica users if their product is 
going to have a chance to make it. If Leica stops making bodies then 
all Zeiss/Cosina has to do is make a small change in the mount and then 
patent it. This would then shut Leica out and, shortly after, down. 
Basically all Leica's marbles are in the digital M. It has to be good 
and not too long away. Time will tell.

Time will also tell with the new Zeiss digital rangefinder as well. It 
is not that long ago that they had another still born digital project.

John Collier

On Sep 29, 2004, at 4:38 PM, B. D. Colen wrote:

> Now THIS makes sense - Better a selective line of the world's best
> rangefinder lenses, than a collection of red, green, and snakeskin clad
> bodies... ;-)
>
>
> From Buzz Hausner
>
>> Leica gets out of the rangefinder body business entirely.  It seems 
>> that
>> other manufacturers are settling on the M mount as the industry 
>> standard
>> for interchangeable lens digital bodies.  Why reinvent the lens mount,
>> anyway?  Leica makes outstanding lenses for which there will be
>> increased demand as "professional grade" digital rangefinders carve a
>> market, so Leica survives in the rangefinder universe only as a lens
>> manufacturer.  Okay, re-badging bodies is always a possibility, but
>> Leica can survive by concentrating on the one thing they can and do
>> create better than anyone else, lenses.


Replies: Reply from attinasi at mac.com (Marc Attinasi) ([Leica] Consider This...)
In reply to: Message from bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] Consider This...)