[Leica] Leica Solms LUG LHSA Buyout horse of a different color

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Mark Rabiner offered:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica Solms LUG LHSA Buyout horse of a different color

> Well Ted and others who have said this:
> The guy at the top at Leica, Ralf Coenen, has drawers in his desk he 
> hasn't
> put stuff in yet. He moved in there 49 days ago.
> Half the stuff in my ice box is a lot older than that.
> I think if he's expected to move mountains lets at least give him time to
> put on his lederhosen first.<,,

Absolutely Mark. However, it wasn't we who began this economic situation, 
nor the new chap Ralf Coenen. I agree the poor guy hasn't had time to warm 
up his parking spot, let alone his CEO chair and desk. But wasn't there a 
post earlier today or yesterday that he's already packing his bags?

I don't blame him one iota if all the economic bells are ringing true as 
posted via the business pages..

 > While many of the vocal people here have their irons in high tech Canon
> Nikon fires and other formats a bunch others of us, the less vocal ones
> don't find any need to.<<<<<,

Well that's true, but when you have prominent clients who want digital "fast 
track returned images" what are going to do? Turn them down by saying, "I 
only shoot Leica film so call someone else?" And you as a businessman know 
that would be pretty stupid because you just kissed away a guy who pays a 
very nice piece of your yearly income.

Yes I'll shoot Leica at the blink of an eye, however, I'm not so stupid to 
sit back and throw away my livelihood because people in Solms have sat 
around playing with themselves in a world rapidly disappearing before our 
eyes. At least when I shoot digital, I do endeavour to use my Leica R 
lenses, so in that case I'm still financially supporting the mother company.

> They are Leica shooters. Leica is their camera of choice.
> That's ALL they shoot. No point and shoot backups.<<<,,,

Well if there's a Leica shooter on this list I suppose I must be close to 
the leader of the pack given the years I've used them daily as working tools 
around this planet, as I do so when possible even today. But I sure as hell 
am not going to ruin my business because I'm so devoted to Leica that I 
refuse to use a digital camera. Only a moron would do that.

Now I don't consider the 20D a P&S back-up to my Leica gear, but so far I've 
"pleased clients with the 20D and Leica lenses." So as long as the folks who 
pay the bill are happy and I feel the end results are smashingly good, 
something must be working OK.

 > Leica has been a company which has lived in a world which has passed them 
by
> for over 40 years. That's a position they're used to.<<<<<<,

However, continuing in that position is not practical nor one iota of common 
sense, simply because it will catch them in the end and they will surely 
crash and burn. Or someone will buy out the red dot and name.

> Just a few years ago which seems like yesterday on the LUG I remember with 
> a
> new guy when even use the word "digital" in a sentence. You, Me, Jim 
> Brick,
> Marc James Small, Eric Welsh, BD Colen and a few others would shoot them
> down in flames so fast it would cauterized their nose hairs.<<<,

Absolutely true! :-) We'd have skinned them alive and hung out their 
entrails for the crows! ;-) But times change way beyond our control. We 
still own and use Leica cameras, it isn't like we sold them and left Leica 
high and dry. Now we own a digital camera body of some kind that uses Leica 
lenses! So I don't see this as any kind of problem, actually if Leica had 
got their ass in gear when everyone else was, we wouldn't be having this 
conversation simply because, we'd be using an R8 or 9 with a digital back. 
Or better, an "M digital" using our M lenses.

But please remember, Leica said for years when all the talk was about an "M 
digital" of some kind. Leica kept saying
"IMPOSSIBLE!" But two days after Epson announced a digital camera like an M 
that could use Leica M glass and my gosh, Leica were waving the flag that in 
2 years they'd have a digital M!

Well excuse me eh? What happened to... IMPOSSIBLE!" to "hey we'll have a 
digital M in 2 years!" Oh yeah and the R8-9 digi back? Hell it's way behind 
by about a half year or more.  So I don't feel there's any big heavy load on 
my shoulders for staying lily white true to Leica when effect..... "they let 
me and many others down with their promises!"

> Day two Leica hasn't gone digital yet and we are all gleefully kissing 
> them
> off for not being the technological leaders they were long famous for NOT
> BEING.<<<<<<,

It isn't us kissing them off, it's their share holders and creditors or 
something along those lines, not we Leica owning photographers!  We never 
made promises a digital back would be ready, nor did we say an M digital 
couldn't be built. Then in a heart beat due to competition of two days it 
can be!"  Sorry I see no reason for any Leica owner who was or is interested 
in Leica digital gear going to another manufacturer for a body or M style 
camera. Certainly when Leica promises have been broken faster than they make 
them.

Besides these days whether Leica have never been technological wizards or 
not is no excuse for the mess they're in! It has to go back to management 
and bad decisions!

ted