Re: [Leica] How to manage a camera company?

["Anthony Atkielski" <anthony@atkielski.com>]

From: Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net>
Sent: Monday, October 11, 1999 03:39
Subject: Re: [Leica] How to manage a camera company?


> The Leica M6 is basically an irrational camera bought
> by people for basically irrational reasons.

I disagree.  I don't see anything irrational about the M6 design, and I did not
buy it for irrational reasons.  Or is "irrational" a synonym for "lacking
high-tech bells and whistles" in your post?

> The point of all this being that the M6 sells because
> of what it is and what it represents, and what it used to
> represent.

It sold to me mainly because of what it is.  I'm far less concerned about what
it represents, and quite unconcerned with what it used to represent.  I
understood it to be the best of the rangefinder cameras, with excellent lenses,
and so that is why I bought it instead of another rangefinder.  I wanted to see
if the rumors and legends about the utility and quality of the camera were based
on fact (it seems that they were, for the most part).  If I didn't like what it
_is_, I would have already gotten rid of it.

> There are plenty of modern, high quality cameras for people to
> choose from if that is all they want.  There is only one Leica.

The Leica M6 is also a modern and high-quality camera.  It is just not an
_automatic_ camera.  A camera need not be automatic to be modern.

> If the Company forgets this, and tries to modernize the M6
> into some kind of direct competitor to all those high quality
> cameras,  there will no longer be just one Leica.  There will
> be this modern electronic camera made in Solms, Germany, that
> will be compared feature for feature with every other high
> quality camera made by Contax, Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax,
> etc.  And judging by the head start all these other cameras
> have already had, I think Leica Camera will have a tough time.

I agree.  Leica would be rapidly squashed by the competition.

> As was once pointed out to me (and I'm sure I've posted this
> before), the M6 will never be obsolete because it already IS
> obsolete.

It is not obsolete--it is _constant_.

People seem to forget that taking pictures is technically very simple.  If you
have an accurate shutter and aperture adjustment, and a good lens, that's all
you need.  Beyond that, everything is photographer preference.  The M6, like any
good camera, has an accurate shutter and aperture adjustment, and the lenses are
superlative.  Its attraction for the true photographer (as opposed to
collectors) is that it offers an alternative ergonomy that can be very appealing
in certain situations--an ergonomy that is very different from that of the
standard SLR.

  -- Anthony