[Leica] leica digital back; now marketing will save Leica?

[pdzwig at summaventures.com (Peter Dzwig)]

B. D. Colen wrote:

  But if a digital M costing $4K was built like an M
> and produced images on a par with a Canon EOS1dMKII - particularly in
> terms of noise level at 800-1600-and 3200 iso - there are probably large
> numbers of formerly Leica-using pros who's spring for it, to say nothing
> of dedicated Leica-loving hobbyists....But they really have to do it,
> and do it damn soon, before Zeiss comes out with a digital M mount body.
BD

I disagree. The cost to us has got to be a **lot** lower than that. Remember 
that the parts are largely mass produced in the rest of the market, so to 
compete in, say, a year to two years from from now [here i don't mean simply 
when it is delivered, but when it starts to move out in anything like 
volume], 
it has to be  probably around $1.5 to $2.5 k **and** I suspect that it will 
have 
to be very special for that. By that I mean that it will have to do more 
than 
sell to the LUG, it will also have to attract new market share to it.

But what I haven't seen discussed here is how Leica will attract market 
share 
and maintain brand loyalty. Cannon et al will already have the next product 
all 
but built when they make a release; do Leica have the wherewithal to deliver 
a 
product in 18-20 months...

Which points up another issue. Since I do believe both sets of figures - 
namely 
that Leica will take up to two years to getthe DM to the market in serious 
volume, and that its competition is capable of delivering a new product in 
less 
than two years, Leica will alwayus be playing catchup.

So they have a fundamental problem, which can be solved by not competing in 
a 
market in which it can't deliver and concentrate on its established niche.

Peter Dzwig