Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/01/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Agreed.... If you consider the US market, the old, slow rewind knob is archaic. If you consider the Retro market of Japan/Asia, maybe not..... But I am not sure. And further, I am not sure that Retro market in Japan/Asia is large enough to be worthwhile at all. Making up 1000 cameras with little profit, is a low payback situation. Especially if those bodies would be better allocated to the making of high profit glass. Leica is in trouble financially. Canceling ANY product that sells well and makes a profit is a big mistake. Canceling any product the customers want is making a mistake. Making it hard to purchase ( special order, special manufacture like the Configurator) a wanted camera that makes money is an even bigger mistake. Back to square one..... They make money from selling ( what Nikon or Canon charge) $150 glass for $2500 ( 50 ASPH). Bodies make little if any money. If they are to survive, the camera bodies will make no difference. It is the selling of glass that is more important. Make the glass fit other cameras, Nikon or Canon, and watch the $$$ flow in. They DO HAVE a Reflex line of lenses ( r Series), where the redesign to fit Nikon is low for the telephotos, and the wides are probably not too much more difficult). Make that line of lenses the base for Canon mounts. After all, everyone seems to like the Canon D-SLR cameras. Ditto Nikon. Do not make that glass fit other MARKETS ( Nikon or Canon) , and they are doomed. Fancy smancy, snooty jewelry type markets or not. There is no profit generator. Buy now, while you can. Tomorrow may be too late. Frank Filippone red735i@earthlink.net I'm not an MBA, so if there's a rational marketing strategy at work here, I'd dearly love to know about it. Ken Frazier Weston, CT USA