if leica went out of business...

[back alley]

...who would begin production on a new digital rangefinder?

 

[tomalophicon]

Apple... ...

 

[Moriturii]

I'd love to see Konica do it. If they could continue on the Hexar AF / RF line it would be sweet.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Nobody. Nobody at all.

 

[Keith]

Canon ....

 

[coelacanth]

How about Cosina buys the name Leica and starts making digital RF in M body aesthetics and controls with some enhancements/treatments from R-D1 series like manual shutter cocking and foldable LCD? Then they'll have Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander covering the whole RF market price points.

Panasonic or Fuji might get the deal based on their past relationships with Leica, but I think it will be lens/name licensing only, and there will be no true RF digital from those two. Maybe Fuji.

 

[btgc]

Swarowski?

 

[loneranger]

Chevrolet?

 

[hugivza]

There are few iconic brands which continue to last independently: Rolls Royce, Jaguar, and Lotus cars for example. Where it impacts the consumer is in maintaining the very thing that they want in the brand: that special unique quality that costs so much to produce compared with others. Following Jaguar's purchase by Ford, before the move to Tata, Jaguars looked similar to Fords. The hand made Park Ward coachwork of Rolls Royce was unsustainable financially, I think that they are owned by BMW now. I guess someone would pick up the Leica brand - my money would be on Matsush¡ta/Panasonic as they already have linkages to Leica. But then again, to talk of friends in such a manner before they are dead may be the catalyst for their demise. Buy big, buy often, buy Leica.

 

[Yuhi]

A digital Zeiss ikon would've poped out.

or

SONY =]

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

Ricoh announces a new LCD back for the GXR with digital "rangefinder" viewfinder.
The second part of their M mount GXR series.

Programmable modes are;

Leica Screwmount round rangefinder patch
Leica M mount M2/M3 dof indicator rangefinder patch
Leica M4-P flare prone rangefinder patch
Leica MP style no more flare rangefinder patch
Zeiss Ikon dead center or you lose the rangefinder patch

 

[hugivza]

LOL I am glad to see that the PC editor is in full swing, even if it is unable to get its head around the names of Japanese corporates, whilst it protects our virtues and sensitivities!

 

[Pikapig]

think the price of leica will jump!

 

[250swb]

Somebody would, it would be an open door for any niche manufacturer to tap into the millions of lenses in the world. They only need to develop the body and the rest of the range, lenses and accessories, has already been invented! Its pretty stupid to think there isn't a very good business argument in favour of doing it.

Steve

 

[johannielscom]

Francke & Heidecke.

More modern-sounding companies would be put off by the fact that the Leica user is such a sucker for historical German quality.

Sony would be a likely candidate if teaming up with Zeiss, Sony have the Hexar RF technology and Zeiss have the name.

But I bet Sony will not see the digital RF fit their m.o., unless they really are a real camera company after all and not just a money-making machine!

 

[btgc]

Its pretty stupid to think there isn't a very good business argument in favour of doing it.

It would be pretty interesting to see figures how many M-glass owners there are around, compare it to P&S and DSLR crowd and then ask executives if this is enough to build digital M RF without promise they all would purchase that camera.

 

[Tikkis]

No one will build a mechanical rangefinder again I think. So the times of digital rangefinders would be definitely over. And in my definition a rangefinder is a camera with a mechanical rangefinder patch, not something that just looks the same.

Edit: and I don't think Cosina goes digital.

What you mean by that? Cosina has years back gone digital, they are the guilty part of Epson RD-1 digital rangefinder body. And in my books that was basicly a very traditional RF camera, although the pictures weren't captured on film.

If some company would be able and possibly interested in producing digital rangefinder, I bet my few dollars (read = euros) on Cosina and Mr Kobayachi.

Tikkis

 

[thegman]

I expect it would be Cosina/Fujifilm, they've both got form for making very niche cameras.

 

[nickw]

I often wonder why another company doesn't make a digital rangefinder? Or why doesn't epson make another?

Seems logical that someone would. D700 or 5Dm2 quality is great. Give us a decent quality rangefinder body, cut the extra's and charge a reasonable price. It doesn't have to even beat the m9, just be good and more affordable.

I know it's a niche market. But there has to be some viable business model there.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

No one. It is a niche market.

Manufacturing precision mechanical cameras and assemblies such as the RF mechanism is almost a lost art. Nikon lost a lot of money on the S3-2000 and SP-2005. Would they or Cosina do a digital RF? If so, almost certain it will lose money for them.