Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]As Nathan says, Leica's association with Panasonic (and we may add Zeiss'
association with Sony) is not new, so a new Lumix model is unlikely to bring
any additional harm to the Leica brand...
The 35mm world end up dominated by Canon and Nikon, but Canon alone seems
to dominate the digital 3/2 world. The APS-sized Nikons simply do not
compete with the full frame Canons, which is not surprising. Canon is not
only a top camera+glass maker as Nikon, it is also a top producer of digital
technology.
Sony and Panasonic are, precisely, top producers of digital technology. As
such, provided they get the right optics, they look in much better position
to compete with Canon than Nikon (and other traditional photographic
brands). Somewhat uncharacteristically, Sony (that has tried to impose funny
formats in other product lines in the past) seems now in position to start
competing in the "traditional" 3/2 phot market very soon. (The latest Sony
super digicam comes with a 10Mpx APS-sized sensor!). Panasonic, in the other
hand, wants to give a chance to the 4/3 format. If it doesn't work, it can
simply shift to the 3/2 format! So has done Sony in the past with other
"wrong" standards...
I'm not a physicist, just an economist, but I have the feeling that any
problems observed in the Olympus sensors at high speeds are perfectly
unrelated to the 4/3 format. Who makes the Olympus sensors? Olympus?
Finally, as an owner of Leica R glass, I'm happy to see that there's now
someone willing and capable to produce affordable DSLRs with Leica R mount.
I certainly use my lenses in the 20D, but some competition is healthy, isn't
it?
best
Nathan Wajsman <nathan@nathanfoto.com> wrote:
Leica's association with Panasonic is not new, so from that point of
view this announcement is just a continuation of what was already in
place. The value of the Leica brand will be a moot point if the company
goes bankrupt. It needs new revenue, badly, and providing lenses to
Panasonic is an excellent way to achieve that and to get a foothold in
the corner of the digital imaging field beyond the DMR.
As to viability of the 4/3 format, the jury is out on that--as others
have said, if the sensor technology improves to the point that 800 or
1600 speed is good, then the 4/3 format has many attractions in terms of
the compact bodies and lenses. In the meantime, Leica gets some badly
needed additional sales.
I am not a business professor, but I manage a company, and I see this
partnership as a win-win for both parties.
Nathan
Steven A. Melnyk wrote:
> I am confused by this series of moves for several reasons. First, as
> a business professor, this move does not make sense because it
> degrades the value of the Leica brand. Leica has always been
> associated with high quality, high end products. Olympus, Kodak and
> Panasonic are considered "prosumer" at best. Panasonic benefits;
> Leica does not. Second, as a photographer, I have followed what is
> happening in the camera field. We see that Konica/Minolta has left
> the camera field. In my opinion, Pentax is next to go. Olympus is
> not strong. I am not sure off the attractiveness of the 4/3 standard
> (especially since the big boys are not playing in it). Third, the
> reviews on the olympus systems ((as seen in dpreview) have not been
> that outstanding. This seems to be a good system with low ISO
> settings but one that deteriorates at the higher ISO levels.
> '
> In short, I am not convinced of the long term validity of the 4/3
> standard. I am not sure that Leica does itself any benefit by
> aligning itself with this standard. Past history tells us that when
> there are several standards, only one or two will emerge as the
> dominate standard. In a world dominated by Canon and Nikon, I am not
> sure of the long term viability of this standard. I may be wrong but
> history would argue against the 4/3 standard.
>
> Steven A. Melnyk
> Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management
> Michigan State University
> melnyk@msu.edu
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
--
Nathan Wajsman
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