Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/02/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dan wrote:
>I have been trying for almost five months to buy a new Leica lens.
>Unfortunately, they want to make 75 Summicrons instead of 50 Summilux
>ASPH's. I have a 75 Summilux so no dice there.
Dan, you're dealing with a very confused and demoralised company.
I've never bought a single item of Leica kit new, but you and people
like you are at least trying to keep it alive. Like others on the
LUG, I suspect this is ultimately a futile exercise.
>
>I'm with Mark, very, very soon I will join the DCanon brigade and the
>Leica stuff will collect dust if I'm charitable, or go on the block if
>I'm not.
>
>Companies that make what they want, and not what their customers want
>soon find their way to insolvency.
>
>I suspect an Asian company like Cosina will buy the name in receivership
>and make interesting things with the name and red dot. Or, if the Zeiss
>camera is real, then we will go that direction if we want film.
>Possibly, the Zeiss/Cosina combine will make the digital M we have all
>wanted and Leica will become just another Exacta, Miranda, Zeiss Ikon,
>or some other company in the dustbin of history.
>
Cosina is my best bet too. Panasonic comes a close second, given
their existing Leice digital relationships.
Either of these companies could probably buy Leica out of their petty cash.
I will offer my hostage to fortune and predict that Solms on their
current performance will be bust within 12 months unless they're
taken over and/or receive a massive cash injection..
It was entirely apparent on my recent trip to Barcelona. I was using
retro film Leicas. Everyone else was using Japanese digital,
Solms have had plenty of time to see this coming, and, IMHO, their
response to rapidly evolving market conditions has been far too late
and totally inappropriate.
But then, it almost always has been. What can one say when the last
real innovation in the company was the Leica M3 over 50 years ago?
Yours in considerable sorrow
Alex
--
Alex Hurst
Waterfall
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