Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/06/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yup. The profit margin of a camera shop on a body is very slim. It's the lenses and especially other soft goods that really make the body sales worthwhile. A multi-card reader used to make my shop more profit than the sale of a D700 plus a 24-70 f/2.8 lens. Leica doesn't have that right now. No one wants to use a Visoflex or other close-up accessories. Their accessory VFs are more than most SLR lenses and they still aren't as good as the Zeiss finders. If they get a good quality, good performing body out there with M mount and a few more modern features as have been discussed, the buyers should come. Then they buy the lenses. I know 30 classmates who would buy a Leica in a heartbeat if it wasn't so expensive. I have a bunch of them seriously considering an M8 after using mine for a few days. They love the way of using a rangefinder camera. They just can't afford the initial investment. Those are the future of Leica if Leica will allow it. It doesn't have to be about a marque of luxury. Leica gave that up a while back when they stuck the name on the Panasonic (sure the same can be argued years prior when they stuck the name on a Minolta.) It doesn't have to be about exclusivity, Cosina has shown that in the last 10 years. They sell many times more lenses to the same users for >90% of the image quality and those users are happy with those lenses. Some are outstanding as we all know. Will Leica be able to replace their long time user base with the next generation of photographers? If they don't change up things, I doubt it. Phil Forrest On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:25:17 -0700 "Frank Filippone" <red735i at earthlink.net> wrote: > It's absolutely not about the sales of the M9... it is about the > sales of LENSES, where they make money, and ,.getting new blood to > lock into Leica. > > Frank Filippone > Red735i at earthlink.net > > > > a lower cost body might cannabilise sales of the M9 which has sold at > least twice as well as expected and taxed production capacity since > it was introduced anyway. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information