Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/02/23

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Subject: [Leica] LEICA could be clever
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Wed Feb 23 09:39:15 2005

On 2/22/05 5:17 AM, "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net> typed:

> Luis, I would suggest that Leica cannot survive independently because it
> has for some time been run by people who have no competency in running
> late 20th, early 21st century businesses. The only way it can possibly
> "survive" is if another company - Cosina? Canon? - buys it, probably to
> come out with a digital rangefinder with an M lens mount which it will
> badge Leica, and perhaps to keep the M7 manufacturing going. I believe
> it's safe to predict that who ever takes over Leica will do away with
> all the special order camera nonsense, and will probably kill off the
> MP. 
> 
Actually B.D. you might keep in mind that as this is the Leica Users Group
this is a group of people who use Leicas.
The PRODUCT that this famously bad management group you keep harping about
endlessly MAKES NOW. It is their current or recent PRODUCT.
Which they deserve credit for.
Most of us are into the new stuff. The new "product".
The same basic management and certainly the company that since I started
getting into Leica 12 years ago come out with the revolutionary
24 ASPH
21 ASPH
35 Summicron and Summilux both ASPH.
50 Summilux ASPH and collapsible Elmar, my next lens probably,.
90 Elmarit and APO ASPH Summicron and collapsible macro.
135 3.4 Telyt APO
The m7 and Mp and the m6 TTL.
Much of this I've bought into and used since it's come out in the last
twelve years I've been getting more and more into Leica.
As you'd think others on this list might also be doing.

And all kinds of R stuff which I know less about.

No company in the world have come up with products year after year which
have so consistently consumed my funds and time than Leica.
Yes my Leicas are worth a bit more than what I paid for my used 94 Volvo
station wagon.
Not my house though. I guess my first and top devotion goes to the house
making industry. I should just the House Users Group. That's where my money
is.

So there is nothing amazing about my appreciation for Leica the company or
management.
I use the products the company has come out with over the past dozen years.

And it's not so amazing that as a NON Leica user, BD you'd NOT think so
highly of them. Even be HIGHLY CRITICAL of them.
But it's not exactly "MAN BITES DOG".
The only thing amazing to me is why you are here feeling the need to
continually hit us with this nasty negative line. You just never run out of
hot air!

Leica is down and gasping now.
Me I hate to see it being kicked while it's down here by people who never
liked it to begin with.
Its just too obvious.
But criticized by those who have a real interest in it.
A real positive interest in it.
To me that's real conversation.
Lets hear some real critical cutting insight by someone who's made a
commitment to Leica use.
That's more "MAN BITES DOG". Or at least good conversation.

I think instead of people cavalierly making jokes about whose going to buy
Leica, Michel Jackson or Walt Disney some of us do something positive like a
friend of mine just did yesterday.
Buy a Leica.
Actually he bought a collapsible 90. I may do the same.

The news is that Leica is in very deep trouble and might go under.
Not that they PROBABLY will go under.
And not that they're GOING to go under for sure.

You would think the Leica Users Group would be behind Leica.


Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland Oregon
http://rabinergroup.com/





Replies: Reply from lkhermann at bresnan.net (lkhermann) ([Leica] LEICA could be clever)
Reply from nathan.wajsman at planet.nl (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] LEICA could be clever)
Reply from s.dimitrov at charter.net (Slobodan Dimitrov) ([Leica] LEICA could be clever)
In reply to: Message from bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] LEICA could be clever)