Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 18:12 +0200 14/08/99, Max wrote: . . . >So I took all my pictures with my T5 with tri-X. Everything became simple, >no problem with the rain, no stress with the T5 remained in the car and I >used very often the built-in flashlight. > >Back home I just developped my films, the pictures are very good. I won't >say to other people wich camera I used. . . . >Max --> there's a LOT of good times to be had with a well chosen point & shoot. It is very important no to cave in to snobbery. --> it seems to me a Leica M is all what it is claimed to be, then some, and well worth the premium price. BUT, when a camera such as the Yashica T4/T5 is equipped with a smaller aperture Tessar, for two weeks worth of groceries, things suddenly go pretty wild where value-related notions are concerned. My point is: why wouldn't Leica try it's hand at producing such a mass market point & shoot camera with older formulations of Summicron or Elmarit at f/4 or f/5.6, making sure it's weather resistant and / or ruggedized and /or submersible to 33 feet like the Minolta APS Weathermatic, but in 35mm / 135 format ? One marketing viewpoint would have it to be made available in various "styles" and target the resulting camera at the Walkman / Discman crowd: millions of potential customers. Yashica sold _ _ _ millions of the one model Yashica T4/T5. Just imagine: that's a lot of research monies both for photography and new technologies related emerging markets. Further: when I managed audio stores, I made a point of making double sure our products were competitive 'up front' without price reductions both on their performance, features and looks. Nothing got in because it "sold" so many a month in metropolitan areas: everything we sold got in because it was worth the price to a very well informed customer. [ Though I can understand the evolution of the Nineties' markets and aggressive shoppers' mentality. ] Same with photography but I have this kick with any Leica, the older Zeiss Contarex (though their Contax T2 all titanium gets me), Hasselblad . It's not that I need any of such, truly not, but God knows how aware I can be of what these toys bring in the way of satisfaction and of their inbred excellence. And, no one will get me to reneg on a Mercedes-Benz CLK320 cabrio or Porsche 'Boxster' fantasy just because a Toyota Celica convertible also happens to be a convertible... ! OK, ok: make it a Mercedes SL500. Actually, it's the Ferrari 350 GTS gialle modeno that gobbles up a lot of fantasy space inside. A Leica IS a Leica ! Andre Jean Quintal