Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/02/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Leica has a shortage of production facilities and has trouble keeping up with demand in the common, very profitable items. I believe one person reported that for a brief period Leica USA was out of 35mm Summicrons! In order to produce more 35-70/2.8 lenses they would have to take production away from profitable items. I have heard it said on this list that the 35-70/2.8 was not easy to make with a high number of rejected elements and rejected finished lenses. There is a good chance that they lost money on every 35-70/2.8 they sold. Perhaps they want to wait and do a redesign of the lens so that it is easier to produce (warning - idle speculation alert). They have a small optical design team and there probably is other more important projects to do first. These are common problems for small manufacturers. Should they add more production capacity? Well, considering they almost went down the drain with the Asian Flu, I can understand Leica's conservative approach. John Collier > From: Jem Kime <jem.kime@cwcom.net> > > This beggars belief! > Leica say, in effect, that there could be 1000 sales to be made from a lens > which would sell at over 1000 UKP, that mean's 1m UKP business! And they > turn it down? > Maybe their statement about the other 900 is merely hyperbole.