Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/09/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My comment was strictly as an analysis of the marketing and pricing decisions that Leica makes as a company, based on a lifetime of dissecting company behaviour and decisions. As I mentioned there, they seem to be making all the right BUSINESS decisions - whether it is occupying high margin niches, or special editions, or re-badging Lumix at a markup - to ensure the long term survival of the company. IMHO, as I have mentioned repeatedly, Hats Off to Kaufman & co for their marketing savvy and business decision making. The quality of Leica's products, by and large, is not in doubt! Neither is Rolex and to a lesser extent, Montblanc, to take my previous examples. All these brands also depend on an emotional response to sell, which is a fact, whether you like it or not, and however you justify it. Nothing wrong with that at all, it is the way of the world - and how the Madison Avenue gnomes subliminally manipulate ALL of us! I have a partiality to IWC mechanical watches and Japanese lacquer pens, for example, which is to my mind, is an equally emotional reaction at its core. I accept that, and still buy the products. Go figure. Cheers Jayanand On Thu, Sep 25, 2014 at 8:36 AM, George Lottermoser < george.imagist at icloud.com> wrote: > These points can can only be appreciated by those who actually "get it." > > Photographers and Leica naysayers and market analysts will all talk right > past each other on these particular tools and their features and their > costs and their usefulness. > > Photographers seeking optimum black and white quality, at a relatively > "reasonable" price when compared to medium format prices, appreciate the > size, build, ergonomics, image quality and the continued use of all of > their Leica system components dating back to the original M mount: > including lenses, Visoflexes, tubes, bellows, etc. > > Perhaps one has to be a steady user since 1965 to appreciate the path from > M2 to M3 to M6 to M6TTL to M8 to M to M Monchrom - 50 years without break > in using M cameras. All of the lenses still work on the newest bodies. The > newest lenses work on the oldest bodies. Both bodies and lenses hold their > value very well. > > You either get or you don't. > > For this user it has absolutely nothing to do with "jewelry" or > "collecting" or some other bullshit. It has to do with image quality, build > quality, ergonomics, how the tool feels in the hands, and accomplishes the > intentions of the photographer. > > a note off the iPad, George > > On Sep 24, 2014, at 9:38 PM, John McMaster <john at mcmaster.co.nz> wrote: > > > Meanwhile, everybody who has bought one realises that it is borderline > unique in what it offers and are more than happy with the results.... > > > > When it was announced there were many people thinking it would be an > expensive flop/un-needed, however when the results were seen it was a > different matter ;-) > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >