Re: [Leica] On the Nikon S3

["Simon Lamb" <simon@sclamb.com>]

Ah but Larry, we Leica owner think with our hearts as well as our heads.
Ain't nothing like holding a Leica.  Sure, Nikon could outsell Leica on any
camera system they care to build, but I liken this to owning a Ferrari.
There are not many around, there are cheaper cars just as fast, but owning
the Ferrari is just a better feeling.  Same with Leica IMHO.

There is always a market for cheaper (popularly priced) goods, but there are
always those willing to pay for quality, feeling, history, etc.  We may be
belssed by being able to afford such goods but, as long as people like us
exist then companies like Leica, Ferrari etc. will continue to survive.
They may not become giants like Nikon and General Motors, but they will
survive.

Simon

Larry Kopitnik wrote:

> >Some different scenarios on the S3 could get to be the case:
>
> You've overlooked one scenario, the one I think most likely. The S3
> proves popular enough that Nikon introduces a popularly-priced
> rangefinder camera using the same lens mount as the S3, and a line of
> lenses to support it. Those lenses, of course, would be useable on
> the S3 as well.
>
> Consider how the numbers reported here on the LUG -- that Nikon has
> orders for over 7000 S3s at $5500 each, and may manufacture as many
> as 8000 of them -- compare to Leica M sales (I'm assuming the Nikon
> numbers are accurate which, let's note, we do not know as a fact).
>
> 7000 Nikons x $5500 each = $38,500,000.00. If they make and sell 8000
> S3s, the total becomes $44,000,000.00. Leica's financial report
> (downloadable as a pdf document from their web site) lists DM
> 83,791,000.00 in M system sales last year. According to an on-line
> currency conversion calculator, those DM translate into
> $38,383,334.56.
>
> The Nikon numbers are (I believe) retail price and include dealer
> mark-up, whereas the Leica numbers are strictly Solm's income. So
> this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. But it does demonstrate
> that, if the Nikon sales figures are correct, with a single
> rangefinder body and a single rangefinder lens Nikon may be
> generating income close to (or possibly even greater than) what Leica
> generated last year with the entire M system.
>
> If I were running Nikon and looking at figures like these, I'd sure
> be contemplating more rangefinder cameras and lenses.
>
> Larry
>