Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/05/12

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Subject: Re: [Leica] word on the street - changes to MP already!
From: "Seth Rosner" <sethrosner@direcway.com>
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 10:14:24 -0400
References: <007401c31771$291cc340$0200a8c0@jim> <007b01c317bf$e049a120$7d38030a@sroffice> <3EBEB8D7.70105@shaw.ca>

Glad to hear it Greg. Seems it would be courteous to respond.

> Hi Seth,
>
> I'm not so sure that someone in management at Leica wasn't paying
> attention. A local dealer here told me that Leica management informed
> him last year that they were considering doing with their cameras just
> what you suggested.
>
> Regards,
>
> Greg
>
> Seth Rosner wrote:
>
> >All of this stuff about M features and what should and shouldn't be on
the
> >new M10 - oh no, that's a tank - prompts me to describe a letter I wrote
to
> >Herr Cohn a few years ago, shortly after he became Leica CEO.
> >
> >As I may have mentioned here, I've been a business lawyer for over 45
years
> >and in the process have worked with some very fine, imaginative and
> >enterprenurial corporate executives.
> >
> >I suggested to Herr Cohn that Leica consider offering buyers the
opportunity
> >to order M6 cameras with whatever features the customer wished, i.e.,
> >classic or TTL, 0.58, 0.72, or 0.85 viewfinders, black or silver finish,
> >meter or meterless and pay only for the features they order.
> >
> >Inasmuch as a major cost of any manufactured item, especially one with a
> >relatively small production run, is tooling, all of which Leica already
had,
> >and since we are not talking about an item of which millions are made
each
> >year, I did not believe it would add enormously to cost to set up the
> >production line in such a way that Leica factory workers could build a
> >camera to order.
> >
> >Apart from being hugely satisfying to the Leica user, this would have had
> >the additional benefit of reducing on-hand inventory in the hands of the
> >factory, the distributors and the dealers.
> >
> >Helas! I never had a response from the gentleman.
> >
> >Seth              LaK 9
> >
> >----- Original Message ----- 
> >From: "Jim Shulman" <garcia@chesco.com>
> >To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> >Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2003 11:55 PM
> >Subject: RE: [Leica] word on the street - changes to MP already!
> >
> >
> >>Usefulness really isn't the basis for the new MP: it's nostalgia for the
> >>first generation of M cameras.  The rewind knob, all-metal wind lever,
> >>and small shutter speed dial are all cute affectations designed for
> >>those of us who are still nuts about the 1954 M3 and its immediate
> >>successors.  After all, if Leica had just wanted to offer a manual M
> >>camera, it would have been much easier to have stuck with the M7 body
> >>and simply gone without AE, returning to the TTL-type manual shutter
> >>arrangement of the last M6 cameras (and likely at a lower price than the
> >>standard M7--though perhaps that niche has been satisfied with the Bessa
> >>R2?)The new MP shutter speed dial is just perfect as it is--consistent
> >>with the rest of the camera's 1950s appearance. My only quibble with the
> >>MP is that it should really have traditional vulcanite (as the limited
> >>edition Japanese version does!)
> >>
> >>If a photographer wants a Leica with useful modern features and great
> >>build quality, with the bigger shutter speed dial that matches the R's
> >>rotation, rewind crank, plastic-tipped wind lever, and option for AE or
> >>manual exposure, there's the M7.  With the MP, you pay a little more
> >>money for fewer useful features.  On the other hand, the MP is the
> >>closest thing we have to a classic all-mechanical Leica with a BTL meter
> >>and modern viewfinder.  They're both incredibly nice cameras, but from
> >>two distinctly different approaches.
> >>
> >>My question to Leica remains: now that you made a great retro camera
> >>just right, why screw it up?  If the MP doesn't sell, just get rid of it
> >>and introduce something else, perhaps an all-manual M7, or even a
> >>meterless M camera.
> >>
> >>Jim Shulman
> >>Bryn Mawr, PA
> >>
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >>[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Mark
> >>Rabiner
> >>Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2003 11:01 PM
> >>To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >>Subject: Re: [Leica] word on the street - changes to MP already!
> >>
> >>Jim Shulman wrote:
> >>
> >>>Doesn't sound right to me--Leica obviously went to a great deal of
> >>>trouble creating an M2/3-manque camera with modern viewfinder and
> >>>
> >>meter.
> >>
> >>>Why would they want to spoil the effect with the wrong shutter speed
> >>>dial--one of the very elements that gives the camera its charm?  If
> >>>
> >>they
> >>
> >>>were to do that, I think they'd have a lot of unsold $2600 cameras in
> >>>the warehouse.
> >>>
> >>>J
> >>>
> >>Which are the elements which give the MP it's charm and which are the
> >>elements which take away from it's functionality.
> >>Some mileages differ. I happen to like the bigger knob turning the same
> >>direction as the R series and I have serious reservations about the
> >>rewind mechanism. The point though is which features get deemed good and
> >>bad, stays and goes, we hope by it's usefulness. Not cuteness
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Mark Rabiner
> >>Portland, Oregon USA
> >>http://www.rabinergroup.com
> >>--
> >>To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >--
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> >
>
>
>
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In reply to: Message from Jim Shulman <garcia@chesco.com> (RE: [Leica] word on the street - changes to MP already!)
Message from "Seth Rosner" <sethrosner@direcway.com> (Re: [Leica] word on the street - changes to MP already!)
Message from "Greg J. Lorenzo" <gregj.lorenzo@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] word on the street - changes to MP already!)