Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/07/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]What you seem to be saying is that when Leica Camera was formed from E. Leitz, the company changed the way they built cameras. It is silly to suggest that the folks at Solms are not those same folks who turned and milled and cut and ground parts in Wetzlar. The production site changed, but are we to believe that the methods, tooling, technicians, etc. were scrapped for inferior replacements? Ben - As with many products today, parts are manufactured in one place & assembled in another - ie: computers, autos & cameras. It would be foolish for Leitz to manufacure their own ball bearings, for example when a standard item is available from Switzerland. According to the Business Magazines, the Camera Division of the mother company, has lost money on their cameras for many of the last 15 years but has made it up by selling things like Cement. The actual ownership of Leitz, Wetzlar has changed hands many times before it went public. With so many complaints about M6 & R8 faulty parts, I think the fault lies in poor service from Leica, Inc. It would be nice if they had recalls like the auto manufacturers, but like the computer companies have found out - service eats up the profits. The nicest thing that Leica Parts Dept. (under David Elwell) has done for me was to to send me gratis (4) red replacement beads for their lenses, A long way from the days when Leitz would completely update your camera for free, when you you sent it to the factory for a lube & oil change, but tempis fugits ( or something like that). BEN - I am not knocking Leica , I am an avid user & collector of them and love them obviously, but still consider the contempory ones to be snobbish status symbols, like Rolex, Mercedes, Porsches & Brooks Bros. Suits. Keep your lens Klean Marvin Moss