Leica has a problem

>>I hear that Leica management and employees say the first 75 years are the hardest.<<

Leitz started in 1849. It made microscopes and whatnot for its first 75 years. The foray into small cameras spanned its second 75 years. It is now beginning its third 75 years.

I think the reference to pocketable cameras was the screw-mount models with a collapsible lens. The M3 represented a strong departure from the original company philosphy (which was rather Apple-like in offering usable photography for everyone) by embracing modern technology circa 1954.
 
Bertram2

Yeh, I was just trying to convince Zeos 386sx the Leica may have an impossible job to do with a digital M as digital is the very opposite of their mindset on how a body should be built and QC. I think that they are up the well known brown creek without a paddle, possibly a boat and maybe not even a life jacket. If they do it and are commercially successful I will be amazed.

Bob
 
sgy1962 said:
An interesting question would be to ask yourself why you shoot a rangefinder or a Leica rangfinder, if that is the case; whether ther e is a digital product out there which captures those reasons; and what product Leica would have to market which embodies those reasons. For me, off the top of my head, the reasons are they are small; simple to use; I like the mechanical nature of the rangefinder; the lack of a lot of electronics forces you to make decisions; the available light nature of the camera, which is a combination of less camera shake and fast lenses; and the great optics available.
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that's fine.. spending $1500 on a used M bodie is one thing. Spendin $5000+ on a digital M for those reasons is entirely another thing..
 
Nikon Bob said:
Yeh, I was just trying to convince Zeos 386sx the Leica may have an impossible job to do with a digital M as digital is the very opposite of their mindset on how a body should be built and QC. I think that they are up the well known brown creek without a paddle, possibly a boat and maybe not even a life jacket. If they do it and are commercially successful I will be amazed.
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On Aug. 1, 2005 Leica stated, "...sales in the first four months of the current fiscal year 2005/2006 are slightly above the he Company’s expectations and markedly above the previous year’s comparable figure".
http://www.leica-camera.com/unternehmen/presse/data/04534/index_e.html

About the only thing to which that can be attributed is the DMR. Even at the height of its financial woes Leica's compact cameras (which includes the Digilux 2) were making money. Bob, Leica might just amaze us all.
 
I'd be happy to consider a compact digital Leica that handled like a rangefinder but wasn't interchangeable. How do the Leica digital cameras perform?
 
Nikon Bob said:
Bertram2

Yeh, I was just trying to convince Zeos 386sx the Leica may have an impossible job to do with a digital M as digital is the very opposite of their mindset on how a body should be built and QC. I
Bob
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Absolutely, same opinion and same low expectaions ! Besides the lack of financial resources it is just this special contradiction to ALL of what Leica stands for, how could the digital world go together with the last-for-ever cred ??
Bestregards,
Bertram
 
satbunny said:
I'd be happy to consider a compact digital Leica that handled like a rangefinder but wasn't interchangeable. How do the Leica digital cameras perform?
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About as good as Panasonics compacts who used to make Leicas version.

Bob
 
Bertram2 said:
Absolutely, same opinion and same low expectaions ! Besides the lack of financial resources it is just this special contradiction to ALL of what Leica stands for, how could the digital world go together with the last-for-ever cred ??
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Look at my post above. It appears that Leica IS successfully melding the old with the new - and making money doing it.

Leica is adaptable. Often it is seen in small things. Until recently, if you were to read one of Leica’s press releases in English you would be faced with what might best be described as Teutonic English. It wasn’t as bad as trying to decipher the old Japanese camera manuals but it was strained English. Today, Leica’s English press releases are clearly being written by someone comfortable with the English language. Leica is adapting to the realities of an international market place - and, I believe, to the realities of a digital marketplace.
 
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Toby said:
To be honest I think their current financial state prohibits them from being a major player - the DMR proves this it's digital SLR on the cheap because they don't have the money to build one from scratch
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Sorry but I don' t think so: detachable DMR is a big idea who give you freedom of choice not heavier from other solutions.
It seems is selling a lot more than previsions...


Ezio
 
Nikon Bob said:
About as good as Panasonics compacts who used to make Leicas version.

Bob
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In fact, the D2's image quliaty is so bad(or so par?), it's perhaps barely worth 50% of the price they're asking for it.. what audacitiy!
 
satbunny said:
I'd be happy to consider a compact digital Leica that handled like a rangefinder but wasn't interchangeable. How do the Leica digital cameras perform?
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Leica has picture samples for the Digilux 2 and the new D-Lux 2 as well as other product information on their website. If you would like to see if their picture quality meets your standards you can download picture samples at the following addresses.

Digilux 2:
http://www.leica-camera.com/digitalekameras/digilux2/downloads/index_e.html

D-Lux 2:
http://www.leica-camera.com/digitalekameras/dlux2/downloads/index_e.html
 
Makea me want to keep my old obsolete C5050 Oly and it was nowhere that price.

Bob
 
Nikon Bob said:
About as good as Panasonics compacts who used to make Leicas version.
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I believe Panasonic is still making the Leica versions.

Leica's earlier digital cameras were Fuji knockoff. The Digilux 4.3 was an attractive camera, but like most cameras of that era was lacking in megapixels.
 
I would still urge satbunny to download the samples and judge for himself. I did and I think the cameras, within their limitations, produce excellent images.
 
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