Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Larry: It's simply a matter of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Others are making equipment that is in a lot situations easier to use, has a deticated flash system made by the camera makers and glass that is close. With most folks in the consumer market shooting color neg. and running to the one hour processor you'd be hard pressed to see the difference, between L, N, OR C. Leica needs to address the issues of price. Yes the lenses are better, but when others are that close and so many pros are using them and singing their priases-well-with that though in mind would you spend $3000 +/- for a 35-70 2.8 when you can have one that seems to do the same thing, weights 1/3 of the other is auto focus and takes a standard size filter, etc., etc., etc. and costs less than $600.??? I'm not bashing Leica, just look at the facts that the millions of people run their lives by. Buy the cheapest thing that will do the job. They don't look at the big picture, the long hall. The other side of the coin, I had one of these in my hands at the show in New York last November. It really is one of the finest zooms I've ever touched, color and contrast that was better than real life. So look at buying three prime lens. 35/2.8 a 50/ 2.8 and 60/2.8-what about replacing the three with one? Saving about $1500, then it makes sense. So__________________????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers Wilber Larry Kopitnik wrote: > >>>>>>>>>> > So would someone kindly explain to me why there is such limited call for the > Leica version of a lens that is a true standard for both the Nikon and Canon > autofocus cameras?...Or am I asking a stupid question, because the reality > is that there is limited call for as expensive a manual focus SLR as the > R8...? > <<<<<<<<<< > > Stupid question, no, but I do think you've answered your own > question. There was a post a year or so ago (I'm too lazy to look it > up in the archives at the moment) from someone who had spoken to, as > I recall, an executive at Leica and said fewer than 500 180 f/2.8 APO > lenses had sold worldwide since its introduction. I'd bet the Nikon > and Canon equivalents have sold in the tens of thousands, maybe more. > > An unverified report on the LUG awhile back said that one recent year > only 2000 R8s sold. For the year. By comparison, a check of serial > numbers suggests Nikon is selling over 10,000 F100s a month. > > Recent incentives in Europe have probably improved R sales since > those reports were posted. But the reality is, despite its quality > and its virtues championed by users on this list, there appears to > have been little demand in recent years for the R system, especially > when compared to other SLR systems. > > Larry