RE: [Leica] Digital Back - I like the first step!

["Kit McChesney | acmefoto" <kitmc@acmefoto.com>]

Martin et al--

Know what? Speaking from a marketer/seller perspective, I can tell you that
logic doesn't always determine why people buy things. There is a great deal
of emotion involved in purchases of Beautifully Crafted Expensive Objects.
Hello, Madison Avenue!

Leica fans believe the experience of using a Leica is unique. This list is a
testament to that fact. Whether that unique experience is an intrinsic
quality of the equipment itself or from the psyche of the person holding the
equipment, or a combination of the two, is best left to the cognitive
psychologists. When the D-LUX came out, I was a bit skeptical about how well
it would do, but indeed, it has been a great seller, even though it has
fewer features than the Digilux 1, and costs more! Whoda thunk?

As for buying expensive goodies and enjoying them, there are those who would
never be able to tell the difference between driving a Chevy Cavalier and an
Aston-Martin, just as there are those who can't tell the difference between
Bud Light and a really nice micro-brew. Leica's market is small compared to
the rest of the camera market, and no one could argue otherwise. Isn't that
kind of the point? That quality isn't available in mass quantity?

As far as what the Digital Module R will be when it emerges from production
in a year and a half, that remains to be seen, regardless of whether Leica's
tech expert at the press conference says the specs will or will not change.
I think anything can happen in 18 months. Didn't Karen say that the image of
the camera on the site is a doctored Photoshop document? That's pretty
funny, I think. Maybe they'll have a digital body ready for market by then.
Who knows? I suspect they will not introduce a product in 2004 that is
obsolete. I can't imagine they'll shoot themselves in the foot.

What I find really hilarious is how many people will argue themselves silly
over something they profess to care so little about--"couldn't care
less"--or say they do. Funny how actions and words often part ways! Kind of
like that old adage about fools and their money!

Kit ;-)

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Martin
Howard
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 12:08 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Digital Back - I like the first step!


Kit McChesney wrote:

> By analogy--though I know this will get me into trouble--not everyone
> can or
> wants to drive an Aston-Martin, but there are those who do, and who are
> willing to pay the extra money to get what that experience offers.

Again, you're missing the point: A Ferrari Enzo, or Aston-Martin
Vanquish offers something that no-one else does: the experience is
UNIQUE.  If you drop around $1M on an Enzo (should you be one of the
select few whom Ferrari allows to buy one), it's because it is a
completely unique product.  The same is true, but to a slightly lesser
extent, of the Vanquish.

A 10mp, reduced frame, 35mm digital back 16 months down the line is NOT
a unique product, other than that it allows you to bolt $5,000 Leica
glass onto it (and technically, it's not even that, if you care to use
the right adaptors).  Outside of the three professional news/sports R
shooters in the world, and the two free backs that are going to be
given to Luis Castaneda and Bryan Adams, I'm having a really hard time
understanding who is going to need one, and who is going to be able to
justify to themselves the price/performance tradeoff.

And I'm not even sure the news/sports arguments holds water, since the
R is a manual focus system (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all about
zone-focussing and how it was done in the 50s.  Ask yourself this: How
many professional news/sports photogs TODAY use manual focus systems?
How many use autofocus systems?)

I'm not concerned that I'll never afford one and it doesn't bother me
the slightest that there are people who will -- any more than it
bothers me that there are people who happily pay $1M for a car that
they'll drive no more than 4,000 miles in and only in sunshine.
Couldn't care less.  What I find bizarre is that Leica as a company
choose to pursue an overpriced, outdated technology, for a minimal
market, without actually offering any benefit over competitors of any
kind -- except, of course, a red roundel.

Or maybe they just consider themselves in a league of their own and
they don't have competitors.

Whatever.  I should know better than try to argue reason when it comes
to this brand.

Quite honestly, though, I don't really care.  They might as well have
designed a digital back for the Null Series for all the difference it
makes.  They'll probably offer a special Leica-embossed Firewire cable
for $350 as an accessory.

'nuff said.  I'll spare you all my ramblings on this from now on.

M.

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html