[Leica] The future of Leica (long)

["Emanuel Lowi" <mano@proxyma.net>]

Here we go again, another round of prognostications of doom and gloom for the
venerable firm. Why do we indulge ourselves like this every few months? I find it so
odd that the LUG is populated by such a bunch of pessimists, when the essence of the
Leica story and Leica's place in photography's history is so essentially positive.
Let us then, ladies and gentlemen, pause for a moment from our donning of sackcloth
and ashes to count our blessings. Allow me to express my wish list too. As an M user
I shall restrict my comments to the rangefinder product, although I suspect R
aficionados could echo these views with slight modifications.
The day is coming soon when we will celebrate what is arguably the greatest array of
lenses ever produced. With the expected release of the 28/2 ASPH in M mount we will
very close. If the hoped-for upgrade of the 50/1.4 comes in the near future, and if
Tom A.'s efforts to get Solms to release a 75/2.4 APO succeeds, we will have at our
disposal a line of lenses so nearly perfect that I, for one, will ask for nothing
more in optics for the next two decades. An embarrassment of riches!
The M camera concept has survived an evolution of nearly 50 years. Someone commented
a few days back that this defiance of obsolescence is because it is, essentially,
obsolete. I prefer not to think of the M camera as an anachronism in 1999. Rather,
Leitz was so far ahead of the game in 1954 that the M remains thoroughly modern
today. With the M camera, Leitz defined ergonomics long before the word gained the
glib marketing currency it has acquired today. 
I once read the view that the M camera was, in its way, the highest expression of the
machine age. Some may argue the same for certain Swiss watches but, to me, a watch
merely counts time in a rather monotonous way. The M camera is an extension of the
person using it and helps us record our collective memories with endless versatility.
I cannot see digital technology overtaking these facts. I, for one, will not use an
electronic agenda gizmo as long as pads and pencils exist. I hope Orwell's 1984 never
comes true. Digital technology, while occasionally useful to me, has its greatest
appeal to those who are slaves to their computers. We should all be careful that our
enjoyment of the LUG does not lead us down that path.
I knw nothing at all about managing companies. Hell, I can barely manage my own life
(Ask my mom. She'll tell you). But I do have some opinions about where Leica has gone
astray. We all agree that the company is a dunce when it comes to marketing. This
jaundiced eye finds that Leica's greatest marketing effort for the past decade has
been the diabolical affixing of that fucking (sorry) RED DOT to the front of their
cameras! Nikon has a charming black and yellow logo - but do they paste it on to the
front of their professional products? The latest M brochure is lovely and a step in
the right direction. But please, Solms, get some serious professional marketing
advice and scrap that evil red eye.
Many here have expressed wishes for new or upgraded features. Some want faster flash
sync. I can live with it as it is, because I use other cameras when flash is really
needed. But please, give us back the reliability of the M shutters of old! The M6
shutters are not made of the same material as the older M camera shutters and they
just are not as trustworthy. My work takes me into some harsh climates. Two years ago
I spent 2 weeks photographing Inuit travelling hundreds of miles across the tundra,
living in igloos etc., temperatures always -25 to -40. I had endless trouble with my
brand new M6, while my 35 year old M3 worked flawlessly every day.
Others here have expressed wishes for new viewfinder designs. Again, I implore Leica
to restore the clear, sharp RF qualities of old. I am sick and tired of the way the
M6 RF patch flares out in bright light, sometimes causing me to lose the ability to
focus near the critical moment. Fix that, Solms, and give us back corners on the
framelines. Don't get cheap about the viewfinder system.
Lots of us think that AE would be useful in the M camera. Maybe, but for me, I would
prefer a better metering system, even if we had just manual exposure. The narrower,
easily defined angle of the M5 meter was a dream and so were the cross-needle setting
indicators.  Not long ago I was photographing the Islamic Jihad shooting it out with
Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. I did not enjoy, in the thick of the action,
shooting slide film, having to judge whether my diodes were illuminated in balance.
The M6TTL partly solves the meter problem, but with circuitry that has proven
unreliable: I have had FOUR M6TTL cameras fail me this year, all politely replaced by
Leica USA.
Give us a proper M motor drive as an accessory. Wetzlar once made serious M and
SL/SL2 motors. What happened? Or, at least, make Tom A. a serious offer for the
rights to his Rapidwinder and give it the distribution it deserves (sorry Tom if
that's an unwanted intrusion in your affairs. You know I respect what you've done!). 
I bought my first Leica because I heard it was the best camera. I learned only later
how excellent the lenses are. I think the company has let things slide with camera
design long enough. The M6TTL and the .85 finders have been only incomplete fixes to
the situation. 
I find the new Konica rumour very interesting, as the original Hexar  was quite an
impressive machine that had many of the classic Leica attributes. I know National
Geographic photographers who use the Hexar on assignment, but tell their photo editor
that the shots were taken with a Leica! So the new camera should be excellent
(although I wish the finder was more than .6x). Solms can learn something from this
product. If Solms can partner with Konica I will not weep for Oskar's immortal soul.
Even better, though, I wish for a partnership with Nikon for new rangefinder camera
concepts. Nikon has an impeccable track record when it comes to designing and
manufacturing camera bodies. I realize a Leica/Nikon partnership will probably never
happen, but you get my message. Build quality. Don't cut corners.
O.K., pour me a Scotch, please. Laphroaig 12-year-old. Some iodine for these wounds.

Emanuel Lowi
Montreal