Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/05/26

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Subject: [Leica] PESO: RG Lewis and Leica M frustrations
From: alal at poly.edu (Akhil Lal)
Date: Sun, 26 May 2013 10:47:13 -0400
References: <09645B4D-F469-43DC-BA7D-07C7EE49ED7F@comcast.net> <CDC71E93.A1D8%mark@rabinergroup.com>

Not correct. The  IIIg was released in the late '50s  while the M3 dates to
'54.

The screw bodies a were cheaper and smaller alternative. 

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+alal=poly.edu at leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+alal=poly.edu at leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Mark 
Rabiner
Sent: 26 May 2013 02:06
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] PESO: RG Lewis and Leica M frustrations

When the first Leica M came out the IIIG was still in pr0duction for some
years. Leica realized that there were people who just weren't going to go
for a camera of that larger size form. Many think that when they upped their
size form from the LTM to the M they were making a camera  which was just
too big to be a Leica... A camera which Barnack would not care for. I kind
of agree with that. The last several times I did Leica shoots with was with
my IIIF. I left my M's at home.
I find the size and look of the Leica X2 to be supremely Leicalike.
If it has a full sized sensor I'd be saving for it.
In effect I think we're looking at just that with the new "mini".


On 5/25/13 1:01 PM, "Richard S. Taylor" <r.s.taylor at comcast.net> wrote:

> Well, as others have said, it's hard to imagine Leica competing with 
> themselves so FF is not a starter, I think.  Fuji and others have 
> shown what can be done with APS-C so if the build and image quality 
> with M lenses were high, I might go for that price.
> 
> 
> Dick
> 
> 
> 
> On May 25, 2013, at 12:23 PM, grduprey at mchsi.com wrote:
> 
>> $3.5 K would not be acceptable for a APS-C camera, a FF camera would 
>> be another thing all together.
>> 
>> Gene
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Richard Taylor" <r.s.taylor at comcast.net>
>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:00:36 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
>> Subject: Re: [Leica] PESO: RG Lewis and Leica M frustrations
>> 
>> I think Steve has it right.  Unless the Mini proves to be a useable 
>> camera at an acceptable price, Leica will have truly and finally 
>> abandoned those of us looking for a practical tool in favor of the
gifters and collectors.
>> 
>> Useable to my mind means that the camera has at least an APS-C 
>> sensor, a built-in EVF of a quality like that in the XE-1, and 
>> microlenses on the sensor to let us use M lenses with excellent image 
>> quality with or without an adapter.  The anticipated price of about 
>> $3.5K would be in the acceptable range for me if the camera met the other
criteria.
>> 
>> Dick
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On May 25, 2013, at 11:05 AM, Steve Barbour wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> On May 25, 2013, at 7:21 AM, Geoff Hopkinson <hopsternew at gmail.com>
wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I don't know if this translates well. In Australia we call this the 
>>>> " tall poppy syndrome". Some people enjoy taking swipes at anyone 
>>>> successful. Good on them. Of course it is in our interest too that
Leica Camera does well.
>>>> They make products that some of us value a lot for the photographs 
>>>> that we can make with them and for the experience of using those 
>>>> products to achieve that, They can sell as much as they want to 
>>>> anyone that may value their products for whatever reason they wish. 
>>>> Why would you care if you value Leica for the photographs you can make?
>>> 
>>> If at this time virtually all of the product is going to people who 
>>> don't make photographs, you can bet that I/we should care about it. 
>>> Of course it is impacting our ability to make photos right now. But 
>>> I don't think that you have answered my question. The short run is 
>>> already surely impacted as I have just noted. I was asking about the 
>>> longer run. What does this model predict in terms of future optical
quality?
>>> 
>>> I am now using a wonderful 1950's Leica Summicron 50/2 on a Fujifilm 
>>> XE-1 body, with a better experience and with better results than 
>>> with the latest Leica glass on my M9. Leica quality clearly is 
>>> already compromised, and their plan to sell expensive gear to non 
>>> users means that they are not currently giving priority to the 
>>> practical needs of professionals and discriminating users.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Steve
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> *Breathe in, breathe out, move on* -- Jimmy Buffett
>>>> 
>>>> Cheers
>>>> Geoff
>>>> http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On 26 May 2013 00:04, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On May 25, 2013, at 6:55 AM, Jayanand Govindaraj 
>>>>> <jayanand at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> Nathan,
>>>>>> It has taken you a very long time to realize and accept this. I 
>>>>>> was sure
>>>>> of
>>>>>> the strategic shift in marketing with the M8 itself - it was so 
>>>>>> obvious - the marketing, the choice of magazines for 
>>>>>> advertisements, the
>>>>> positioning,
>>>>>> the advertorials, etc. With Blackstone's entrance, it was doubly 
>>>>>> obvious, especially when the ostensible reason for the investment 
>>>>>> was to spread
>>>>> the
>>>>>> Leica Boutiques, not develop new products. IMHO, it is great for 
>>>>>> them, because as in all MOJO businesses, the margins are obscene, 
>>>>>> and as Joseph points out, there are enough people in the emerging 
>>>>>> world to pay for the bulk of the production (not only the M series
but the S series as well).
>>>>> It
>>>>>> is not dissimilar to what the Bordeaux market has gone through in 
>>>>>> the
>>>>> last
>>>>>> few years, and what the Burgundy market is going through now - 
>>>>>> though I believe that over 50% of the bottles sold in China are 
>>>>>> fakes, because as
>>>>> in
>>>>>> all such markets, the labels matter (Mojo), not the intrinsic 
>>>>>> quality. It will be interesting to see what will happen to Leica 
>>>>>> as growth in China keeps slowing down, as is bound to happen. 
>>>>>> Remember, this will shaft the Russian  market as well, because 
>>>>>> energy prices would nosedive. As far as
>>>>> I
>>>>>> can see, they have alienated most of their traditional clientele, 
>>>>>> bar a few, and I wonder where they would go to make up the 
>>>>>> volumes. They just
>>>>> do
>>>>>> not have a diversified enough customer base to withstand a big 
>>>>>> topline
>>>>> hit.
>>>>>> It is going to be interesting. The best thing for all of us would 
>>>>>> be if
>>>>> all
>>>>>> those unused Leicas in China come on the used market at the same 
>>>>>> time, as herd behaviour takes hold, and cause a glut there.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I would look to a Leica IPO for Blackstone and Kaufmann to cash 
>>>>>> out
>>>>> sooner
>>>>>> rather than later, if growth in China keeps drifting down.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Jayanand,
>>>>> 
>>>>> jewelry for rich clients who don't use it, or who use it with 
>>>>> minimal knowledge of its qualities and capabilities, makes the 
>>>>> future sound rather ominous.
>>>>> 
>>>>> What does this model predict in terms of future optical quality?
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Steve
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>> Jayanand
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Sat, May 25, 2013 at 6:13 PM, Nathan Wajsman 
>>>>>> <photo at frozenlight.eu
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Right. So Leica has made a strategic shift from the photography 
>>>>>>> business to the jewelry business. Fair enough, the Blackstone 
>>>>>>> people obviously
>>>>> know
>>>>>>> where the money is. But then they should be up front about it so 
>>>>>>> that
>>>>> the
>>>>>>> photography dealers can switch their focus to companies that 
>>>>>>> actually
>>>>> are
>>>>>>> interested in supplying photographers.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>> Nathan
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Nathan Wajsman
>>>>>>> Alicante, Spain
>>>>>>> http://www.frozenlight.eu
>>>>>>> http://www.greatpix.eu
>>>>>>> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
>>>>>>> Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> YNWA
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On May 25, 2013, at 2:28 PM, Joseph Yao wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Leica have been shipping sufficient quantities of the new M240.  
>>>>>>>> They
>>>>> may
>>>>>>>> not have been sending them to their 'traditional' markets where 
>>>>>>>> their
>>>>>>> profit
>>>>>>>> margins are lower.  You will see plenty of M240 in, for 
>>>>>>>> example,
>>>>> Beijing
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> Shanghai, where the going rate for one is US$12,000 to US$13,000.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> A handful of limited production silver chrome MM have been made 
>>>>>>>> for the Chinese market, and available at RMB 1,581,000 each,
approx.
>>>>> US$258,280.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Joseph
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more 
>>>>>>> information
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more 
>>>>>> information
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more 
>>>>> information
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Leica Users Group.
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>>>> information
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
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>> 
>> _______________________________________________
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> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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--
Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/



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In reply to: Message from r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard Taylor) ([Leica] PESO: RG Lewis and Leica M frustrations)
Message from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] PESO: RG Lewis and Leica M frustrations)