Have Leica sales come to a halt...

Roger Hicks said:
Dear Peter,

So they are going to get into a tiny niche market, in a technology (interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras) where they haven't made a profit in 50 years? Or in Canon's case, a camera in 50 years?

Yeah, right.

Cheers,

R.
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Let me offer another take on this. Leica embodies a philosophy and set of principles that have all but died out except in the luxury end of any market e.g. hand made shoes, bespoke tailoring, in fact hand made and bespoke anything. What's different about Leica is that it has done its damndest to hold its end up as a world wide player i.e. you don't have to beat a path to the workshop door in Solms in the way that you have to trot along to Savile Row if you want a decent suit (not that I've ever been to a Savile Row tailors).

Now there must have been loads of people predicting the demise of Leica for years, yet they have, against all the odds, held on and they've done that in a world becoming increasingly dumbed down by globalisation and people being conditioned to accept mass production at every turn.

I'm fairly sure - but can't prove it - that we are at a turning point in world cultural history and that is dependant entirely on the internet. The net (via forums like this) is a place where people who don't want to be herded like sheep get together and so find that they are not alone. With time, others - who are maybe just curious and looking for alternatives - join them and so a body of knowledge, opinion and attitudes builds up. "What's that got to do with Leica?" you may well ask. The significance is, in my opinion is that the idea of a well crafted product which will last for a lifetime may well be enjoying a resurgence as well as the idea that if you want something that good then you save for it (for a long time if need be) and eventually you get it and treasure it. This is the antithesis of buy it all now on credit and watch it becoming obsolete even before you've paid it off.

Maybe, just maybe, the niche is about to expand.
 
Part of this is that Leica is very, very slow to do what is necessary to increase production. I suspect there will be an accordion effect...as soon as they finally get around to doing so, there will then be a glut which will take a while to sell through. :)
 
AndySig said:
Let me offer another take on this. Leica embodies a philosophy and set of principles that have all but died out except in the luxury end of any market e.g. hand made shoes, bespoke tailoring, in fact hand made and bespoke anything. What's different about Leica is that it has done its damndest to hold its end up as a world wide player i.e. you don't have to beat a path to the workshop door in Solms in the way that you have to trot along to Savile Row if you want a decent suit (not that I've ever been to a Savile Row tailors).

Now there must have been loads of people predicting the demise of Leica for years, yet they have, against all the odds, held on and they've done that in a world becoming increasingly dumbed down by globalisation and people being conditioned to accept mass production at every turn.

I'm fairly sure - but can't prove it - that we are at a turning point in world cultural history and that is dependant entirely on the internet. The net (via forums like this) is a place where people who don't want to be herded like sheep get together and so find that they are not alone. With time, others - who are maybe just curious and looking for alternatives - join them and so a body of knowledge, opinion and attitudes builds up. "What's that got to do with Leica?" you may well ask. The significance is, in my opinion is that the idea of a well crafted product which will last for a lifetime may well be enjoying a resurgence as well as the idea that if you want something that good then you save for it (for a long time if need be) and eventually you get it and treasure it. This is the antithesis of buy it all now on credit and watch it becoming obsolete even before you've paid it off.

Maybe, just maybe, the niche is about to expand.
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This is a very thoughtful post.

I for one agree with you that over one's lifetime its best to buy quality verses quantity, and that there is a historic transition occurring where in a world of diminishing resources both durability and longevity will maintain an enhanced importance as time goes on.

The world we know/knew has to dramatically change, and we are living in a great time to photograph and document these changes.

Cal
 
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digitalintrigue said:
Part of this is that Leica is very, very slow to do what is necessary to increase production. I suspect there will be an accordion effect...as soon as they finally get around to doing so, there will then be a glut which will take a while to sell through. :)
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Rolex sells over a million watches a year, yet they cannot fully meet the demand on certian models.

Gearing up is not so easy at these levels of quality. I see a tipping point that runs contrary to your logic. I see as time goes on that demand will further outstrip the supply. This is no bubble: the demand is real; and from what I have observed the trend continues.

Cal
 
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Sadly, I think Leica could RAISE their prices, and still not be able to keep up with demand.
They are deliberately keeping their prices LOW to be "loyal" to their customers
 
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