Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/10/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The resources "wasted" on the Leica O series amounted to two apprentice's time. They still had the original tooling. All the special models you see require very little development time and return huge profits. Leica has, possibly accidentally, developed a huge collector's market that can be depended upon to buy one of whatever they produce. In the last twenty years Leica has produced many versions of essentially the same camera (the M6). Development costs are very low and profits much higher than regular production. These models do not take much time away from regular production as the special finishes are usually farmed out. Leica does assemble them but, considering the profit margins, they would be better off to go to 100% commemorative editions! :-) What does cost money and time is the development of all the new lenses they have been producing in the last ten years. The aspherical elements have required new production techniques; very expensive. Without the these new lenses, I think Leica would have disappeared. As it is we have available the best lenses in the business and Leica has carved out a comfortable niche for itself. Unfortunately this niche has been ravaged by economic turmoil in the last five or so years. Many other high end companies are struggling as well so perhaps there is little Leica could have done differently. As an counter example, I am purchasing a Nikonos V as they have just been discontinued. The normal lens for this camera has had the same design for forty years. It is OK but nothing to write home about. If Nikon had invested R&D time into its Nikonos line, they would not be discontinuing it now.* John Collier * I am very familiar with the development and demise of the RS system. Lack of proper R&D at incept doomed the system from the start. For your $10 000US plus investment, you got a rebodied Nikon 5005!!!!! Needless to say AF performance underwater (dark and low contrast) was very poor. People much preferred the using housed high performance cameras such as the F5 or the F100/90 series. I could go on but it is too sad a tale. > From: "Greg Bicket" <gbicket@home.com> > > While I am pleased for those who enjoy the novelty of the recent LTM > offering, and try to resist the fashion to slather over one Leica camera > style while dumping on others, my initial reaction to that effort was to > think of the energy and imagination and resources lost to the M and R lines > whilst Leica worked on O. > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html