Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/01/21

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Subject: [Leica] Doomed: Leica MP 0.58x
From: red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)
Date: Fri Jan 21 09:30:23 2005

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



Replies: Reply from jbcollier at shaw.ca (John Collier) ([Leica] Doomed: Leica MP 0.58x)
In reply to: Message from kennybod at mac.com (Kenneth Frazier) ([Leica] Leica MP 0.58x - I think I'm being had.....)