[Leica] Jem's photokina report

[Mike Johnston <michaeljohnston@ameritech.net>]

> reported by fellow lugger Jem Kine:
> 
> http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=003tI7
> 
> Pascal



This was quite interesting and the replies very thoughtful, especially those
by John Collier and Tse-Sung Wu. I enjoyed reading this. Thanks to Pascal
and especially to Jem.

As someone who has been charged with maintaining the profitability of
traditional products despite meagre resources, I appreciate that it is a
balancing act. I do think that Leica has a very tough row to hoe. It
honestly can't be easy. We're very hard on them, too. (I'm guilty of this as
well.)

Maybe we could brainstorm some ideas we think might work _as products_,
i.e., to make some money for the company. For a while now, I've been
thinking that a point-and-shoot in a finely-made metal case made to look
like a screwmount Leica and marketed by appealing to '30s retro might be a
good idea. It would be all in the execution, of course. What got me thinking
of this is the news a few years back that SM Leicas were being used as
fashion accessories in Japan.

What the company really needs is a few "hot" products, products that catch a
buzz and reach beyond...beyond...well, beyond us, beyond Leica's traditional
cadre of the faithful.

Late night thoughts,

- --Mike