Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/06/14

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Subject: [Leica] Another R option (now M9)
From: photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest)
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:07:01 -0400
References: <BANLkTi=AN3Voe46p_kWSW5h5eh9h8rAnEg@mail.gmail.com> <6B0082E6-FDE6-4DCB-AFCF-C6B3504A5730@btinternet.com> <006f01cc2a97$9d7bb420$d8731c60$@earthlink.net> <BANLkTi=rwyXw=j0B8ta4j7KKPJKdm_VWww@mail.gmail.com> <BANLkTinwJa0sFZA2s4JGGGQJJX2Za=Racw@mail.gmail.com> <00de01cc2b03$780595f0$6810c1d0$@earthlink.net>

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



Replies: Reply from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))
In reply to: Message from wanderjan at gmail.com (Jan Decher) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))
Message from Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))
Message from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))
Message from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))
Message from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone) ([Leica] Another R option (now M9))