Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Alan Hull wrote >Being a Leica user is like sitting in the back of a Rolls-Royce listening >to an argument on the radio between Ford and Volkswagen owners. an unfortunate metaphor in the context of Volkswagen's bid for Rolls Royce is it not? Aloofness is all very well but Leica nearly went belly up on a couple or more occasions as a direct result of such an attitude: the failure to take on the competition from Japan has turned the quintessential photojournalist's camera into a toy for the rich enthusiast, a retro fashion statement and only incidentally a professional tool for the very rare pro (or enthusiastic amateur) who wants the ultimate in optics in 35mm and can afford the downside. You also quipped <<Personally, I think the Japanese as developers and polishers of the basic LEICA concept have outlived their usefulness. This is the reason that Nikon have to transfer production to CHINA !!!>> You might be interested to know that Leica (the company that makes surveying instruments) has a factory here in Shanghai. Your attitude towards the Japanese sounds somewhat patronising - would you say that Leica Camera have run out of steam because they have transferred some production to Canada, Portugal and yes even Japan? Rgds