Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/11/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Marc, That sucks big time. I'm sure they're burned from lots of time wasters tho'. I guess they could just put their time in the bank if the tyre-kickers didn't waste it. Perish the thought they'd actually help someone understand the product they're trying to sell. Buy from the very helpful likes of Sam or Rich. UP the elistits! Right up! Alistair - -----Original Message----- From: Marc Talusan [mailto:talusan@psyche.mit.edu] Sent: Thursday, November 11, 1999 5:30 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] Re: Leica Users digest V13 #26 >Jeff Segawa wrote: >"B. D. Colen" wrote: >> >> Rob Schneider pointed out in a recent post that many major manufacturers - - >> including Haselblad, Mamiya, etc. - give students steep discounts. To carry >> that idea a step further, if I were "Herr" Cohen, I'd ask my bean counters >> if there is any reason why the company can't offer to sell - AT COST - an M >> body and 50 Summicron to any student majoring in photography in a recognized >> BFA or MFA program. THAT's how to introduce Leica to a new generation of >> photographers, a new generation who otherwise won't ever shoot with anything >> that isn't an autoeverything reflex. But I guarantee you, once these kids >> hold and shoot with an M, they'll sell the VCR to buy additional lenses and, >> eventually, additional bodies. > >I think Leica needs to concentrate on brand recognition and image first! >My observation has been that Leica's brand recognition has been terrible >for some time, and Mr. Cohn seems well aware of it. In any event, the >Leica M may not be an ideal student's camera, because rangefinder-type >cameras may not meet certain class requirements. I'm a 24-year-old planning to go to graduate school in photography. I got a Leica M6 two days ago, my first. I didn't care about Che, tried to think objectively, and tried not to be carried away by Leica's romantic image. I carefully analyzed my photographic requirements, and decided that a well-made camera that encouraged thoughtful photography was the way to go. The biggest turnoff for me in the process of getting one was the attitude of a number of the dealers I spoke to. One dealer refused to show me the camera, claiming that it was a "high-ticket" item that is not usually demoed or displayed. I wonder if he would have given me the same kind of treatment if I had been over 40. Throughout the experience, I don't think any of the four dealers I spoke to were really convinced that I was willing to pay the money for the camera. Today, I walked into another store to look at used lenses. I was basically treated like I didn't know anything about photography just because I still wasn't completely familiar with the operation of my camera. The dealer even said, "That's a lot of camera for someone like you." I'm not sure what he meant by this, but I infer from the statement that he thought I somehow didn't deserve the camera because I didn't know it well enough, and that I'm probably just some spoiled rich kid who got the camera bought for me. In any case, my small sample has showed a clear snobbery by Leica dealers, and an attitude that wasn't particularly open to young people like me who are interested in learning about the Leica M. Marc