Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/07/16

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To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: Leica's USA price list
From: "Charles E. Love, Jr." <cel14@cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 14:40:44 -0400 (EDT)

At 08:42 PM 7/15/96 -0700, you wrote:
>At 10:35 PM 7/14/96 -0400, you wrote:
>
>>price.  The final 5% ALWAYS triples or quadruples the price.
>>
>>Leica costs money.  Zeiss costs money.  Rollei costs money.  Quality costs
>>money -- if you want junk, then buy cheap.
>>
>
>Marc,
>
>That is the point. Well said.
>
>===================
>Eric Welch
>Grants Pass (OR) Daily Courier
>NPPA Region 11 JIB chair
>
>Diplomacy: Say nice doggie until you find a *BIG* stick
>

We need to be careful here.  

First, I would hardly call top-line Nikon and Canon 35 or Mamiya MF "junk."
There aren't even always such huge price differentials.  More important, as
I have already said, the price differentials are sometimes based upon
differences in size of production run.  In addition, such differentials can
be based upon old-fashioned hand craftsmanship as opposed to more modern
production lines, as well as the different costs involved in making
electronic vs. manual equipment.  The point is that *these* differences
don't *necessarily* translate into improved on-film performance--though
there are other qualities that attract us to the higher priced goods.

Second, I smell a whiff of racism in this sort of statement.   Eric pointed
out earlier that it's objectionable to use the term "Jap."  But entirely too
many Leica and Hasselblad fans carry with them the assumption that anything
European must be better than anything Japanese (witness the debate about the
origins of Leica zooms).  Nonsense!  Even if you don't like Canon and
Nikon's auto-everything pro SLR's, any Leica rangefinder lover who cannot
appreciate a Mamiya 6/7 ought to look at his/her attitudes!
Charles E. Love, Jr.
517 Warren Place
Ithaca, New York
14850
607-272-7338
CEL14@CORNELL.EDU