Leica Camera: Uni Research Brief

[leese]

my name is leese. i'm a 'creative advertising' student at RMIT. 🙂

i'm doing a research brief through uni at the moment, were i have been given a product (the leica camera) to research and then eventually create three poster advertisments based around the one thing that distinguishes the leica camera from the rest of the market.

i've been interviewing diffrent photographers and people in the industry to pinpoint the market and the cameras appeal.... and i was hoping to get some people to answer these questions for me for my research...............

much appreciated if you can! cheers 😀

1) which three words could best describe the leica camera in your opinion?

2) technically, why would you choose to shoot with a leica as apposed to another camera on the market? what makes the Leica camera so timeless?

 

[rover]

Three words

Too f___ing expensive

or

Only buy used

Why use them, they are built better than the space shuttle. Perfect for their intended purpose.

 

[vincentbenoit]

1) which three words could best describe the leica camera in your opinion?
2) technically, why would you choose to shoot with a leica as apposed to another camera on the market? what makes the Leica camera so timeless?

1) Elegance of simplicity
2) Functional, rugged, no-frills design and built

What do I win? 😉

Vincent

 

[aizan]

1. overpriced, discreet, responsive.
2. lots of answers why or why not to pick a leica. it depends on what you're comparing it to. why it's timeless is also not easy to answer, but for now i'll just say that the semi-circular ends are very likable.

 

[Avotius]

Sell Your House

Leica has a heritage that many other camera companies just dont have, to have a leica is to be part of that heritage of discovery and creativity. But then again you have to give up a lot to have one, they are priced more like a novelty. Its kinda like my gf and Prada. She is ga ga over their bags, I ask her why the hell she would bother, they are so ugly and expensive. She says its because they are so expensive. Leicas are not ugly, but they are way too expensive and it doesnt help that they raise their prices when they are going under.

 

[Bertram2]

What primitive troll crap is THAT ? No matter what your intentions are, I won't feed you :-((

 

[RML]

1) expensive, expensive, expensive

2) I prefer shooting with my Bessa R as it has a built-in light meter. And nowadays with my R-D1 because it's digital but still a rangefinder. I have an M2 but I'm not impressed with it. Other people's mileage may very wel vary. 🙂

 

[former member]

Best Viewfinder Ever.
Extreme Quiet.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

They last forever.

 

[Trius]

Bertram: Are you always grumpy?

1) Precise. Elegant. Durable
2) The use of the camera is predictable and performance is superb.

 

[laptoprob]

Leica should have continued with Minolta or should have teamed up with Konica in the 80's. Then the Leica CLE or Hexar would have been a killer.
Way ahead of it's time, extremely well built and part or flagship of an extremely succesful
history in industrial design.
Just like the first Barnack Leica's from and after the 20's and 30's and the M series from and after the 50's.
Instead Leica lacked true innovation and followed the M dogma too closely. The M7 did not fulfill the expectations really, so the MP goes back to the roots, obviously.

So three words: traditional precision engineering instead of state-of-the-art precision engineering.
And why do I use a Hexar and a CLE or an old 50's classic Leica IIf instead of a not-so-modern recent M? Price/performance, innovation, quality. The very parameters Leica should be number one at but isn't. That is also why Leica (almost) lost it's life.

The very existance of Zeiss Ikon, Cosina Voigtlander and in less measure Rollei proves Leica wrong or too snobbish.

My two cents anyway...

cheers, Rob.

 

[trittium]

1) which three words could best describe the leica camera in your opinion?

Quality, Timeless, Art

2) technically, why would you choose to shoot with a leica as apposed to another camera on the market? what makes the Leica camera so timeless?

My camera is about 50 years old, still working, and will probably continue to work untill someone drops it really badly. They are reliable. They represent something from the past when quality outweighed cost. Technically they are a gem. So simple, but that simplicity is what makes them the best. Leicas are compact and easy to carry. Leica also has also consistanly made the best lenses. The main reason for buying a Leica is so that you can use Leica glass. The other good thing about Leicas is that they have a high re-sell value. Should you ever need to sell you favorite Leica (gasp) you will probably earn most of your money back on the newer models, and the older model will probably make you a profit. Another reason is that many many profession photographers have used them. By buying and using a Leica, you automatically let people know you mean business. You are commited to the art of photography. In response to other peoples responses, owning a Leica doesn't have to be expensive if you buy used. I am a college student, and bought mine + 4 lenses with money I earned over the summer.

 

[x-ray]

1) Pecisiuon, small, quiet

2) I started shooting Leicas in 1968. At the time options were limited for a true professional camera. Nikon RF was available, the new Nikon F and Leica M. I was a young PJ in college and shot under difficult conditions where focus was difficult with the dim VF of an slr. To me the slr was for sports shooters and folks that used long lenses. At the time leica had faster and better glass that was better suited for my work. If you look at my gallery you'll see a number of my images from that time. I still shoot under difficult conditions and have stuck with M Leicas for thirty eight years. I just purchased to new MP's to use along with my vintage M2 and M6. Leica is timeless in design besides having the finest RF in the industry it's still one of the quitest and most rugged of all cameras. Performance and quality will never be outdated.


http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=5045

 

[John]

The design and construction of most of the products is number one. Every detail of their cameras since 1925 (or whenever), has been copied to death by their competitors. This quality became legendary. Professionals adopted their product. Whenever a challenger to the crown appears it is judged beside a Leica and invariably comes up short. Does this help? 😎

 

[FrankS]

Try asking this question on the Leica forum at photo.net ! THAT should be interesting. 🙂

 

[Ken Ford]

1) which three words could best describe the leica camera in your opinion?
2) technically, why would you choose to shoot with a leica as apposed to another camera on the market?
3) what makes the Leica camera so timeless?

1) Timeless, transparent, silent. Or "break the bank", your choice.

2) The quality and look of the lenses, and the direct viewfinder experience.

3) It's an exquisitely minimalist design.

 

[FrankS]

The vintage Leicas that I have were designed and built in an era where the driving engineering question was : How can we make it the best we can? Nowadays the driving marketing question for most manufactured goods is: How can we make it as cheaply (cost effectiveness) as possible?

Personally I would not buy new Leica. It's too rich for my blood, and some of the magic is missing, as in engineering excellence. Modern times are forcing Leica to change to remain competetive. IMO

 

[yossarian]

Three words

Too f___ing expensive

or

Only buy used

Why use them, they are built better than the space shuttle. Perfect for their intended purpose.

OK--that first one made the old sourpuss laugh. And one other thing--they're built
MUCH better than the space shuttle.

Fred

 

[BillBingham2]

Oneness, Robustness, Forever

Robustness and quality that lasts forever. The Oneness that the M feels like when it is in your hand. The system that can use lenses that have been build 50 years ago.

B2 (;->

 

[cp_ste.croix]

old man jewelry

rich fetish gear

cultish luddite following

I want one.

They're timeless because no one can afford a new one, so people keep their old ones in good shape.

heh...that was fun.