yanidel
Well-known
it's all conjecture and to the best of my knowledge there is no one on this board that actually works for Leica.
I am sure that there are some Leica marketers on this board. This is one of the few easy and cheap way to get customer feedback anonymously on M system. There are even polls that are very useful (though maybe not always representative of the whole customer segment), RFF is a gold mine for Leica in marketing intelligency.
Actually, I think you are one of them
Ororaro
Well-known
Yes, a philosopher and his CLown.
dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
I am sure that there are some Leica marketers on this board. This is one of the few easy and cheap way to get customer feedback anonymously on M system. There are even polls that are very useful (though maybe not always representative of the whole customer segment), RFF is a gold mine for Leica in marketing intelligency.
Actually, I think you are one of them
hehe.. oh.. I only wish I worked for Leica.. but you are correct, if Leica was as smart as we believe them to be they would have a marketing rep "around" doing research.
The only people I can think of in that sort of role that actually partake in online forums are Chuck Westfall of Canon and, maybe, Henry Posner of B&H Cameras. Obviously Chuck applies more to the role than Henry (being the retailer rather than representing the manufacturer as Chuck does).
Perhaps over at the Leica User Forum there is someone like Chuck and/or Henry.. who knows.. but it sure ain't me... trust me on that one
Cheers
Dave
Roger Hicks
Veteran
I'd be surprised if there were any Leica 'stooges' here.
I don't recall discussing it with anyone in Solms but I do know that most manufacturers regard internet forums as a penance:
Four Hail Marys and a week on the internet...
Cheers,
Roger
I don't recall discussing it with anyone in Solms but I do know that most manufacturers regard internet forums as a penance:
Four Hail Marys and a week on the internet...
Cheers,
Roger
dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
heh.. Chuck Westfall and Henry Posner must be very very very bad men then
Cheers
Dave
bob338
Well-known
i won't comment on whether you're an *sshole or not, i'm sure you're a likable enough person. what i was trying to say is that i get enough dirty looks from other RF users that can't afford leicas without creating more of a divide.
and i can care less if leica ever listens to a thing i say. i can buy anything in their entire range any time i want to, i just choose not to right now. they are not producing what i want at a price i think is worth paying.
also, saying that second hand users contribute nothing to leica is not true. it furthers the brand name and keeps them in the collective subconscious. and there are a lot of us that send our broken m2s back to leica for very expensive rebuilds now and then...
bob
BillP
Rangefinder General
This is a sour and small-souled thread. It furthers stereotypes and does nothing to bring understanding or harmony. The sooner it completes it's obligatory two and a half circuits of the globe and dies, the better.
Regards,
Bill
Regards,
Bill
Ororaro
Well-known
Chris101
summicronia
I paid as much for my used Leica as I did for my new Nikon. Both cameras were more expensive than I could actually afford, so I added to the expense by paying Visa for the ability to 'buy it now'.
If I had to complain, it would be about consumer credit, not camera companies.
ps, yes, I am a wannabe
If I had to complain, it would be about consumer credit, not camera companies.
ps, yes, I am a wannabe
Ororaro
Well-known
Chris, Old wannabe friend! Me too I'm a wannabe.
Good to see you. Why aren't you posting more often?
yanidel
Well-known
Any large company policy states that you are not allowed to communicate any information to the outside without approval from your PR people. So imagine you need to ask someone everytime you post if this is within company disclosure policy ... so Leica people probably do not post but of course they read forums. Some posts have some very insightful and detailed information about features liked, not liked or missing.
I would love to have such forums on the segment I work in! It is so hard to get genuine customer feedback.
yanidel
Well-known
hehe.. oh.. I only wish I worked for Leica.. but you are correct, if Leica was as smart as we believe them to be they would have a marketing rep "around" doing research.
The only people I can think of in that sort of role that actually partake in online forums are Chuck Westfall of Canon and, maybe, Henry Posner of B&H Cameras. Obviously Chuck applies more to the role than Henry (being the retailer rather than representing the manufacturer as Chuck does).
Perhaps over at the Leica User Forum there is someone like Chuck and/or Henry.. who knows.. but it sure ain't me... trust me on that one
Cheers
Dave
If it was you, you would give a free M8 to anybody over 100 posts on this forum, right ?
ath
Well-known
Any chance that they get into the condoms business ??
Are you kidding? That shutter could develop a pin hole...
Athos6
Tao Master
Artorius
Caribbean Traveler
This poll sucks
This poll sucks
Whether or not, I buy used or new, I should have the same respect as any other Leica user.
I think you blew this one.
FWIW: I buy both.
This poll sucks
Whether or not, I buy used or new, I should have the same respect as any other Leica user.
I think you blew this one.
FWIW: I buy both.
micromontenegro
Well-known
M
M like Leica M6
Guest
When was the last time Leica listened to its customers? It must have been around 1980.
As you can imagine I own a Leica M6. The M6 is a wonderful camera if you want a camera to shoot images and if you don't care about collecting cameras and showing off with technical bling-bling nonsense.
The MP is the modern M6. The finder is a little better, the shutter makes even a little less noise. But the MP has no rewind crank. The black paint is a joke. The price is infamy.
Leica has addressed the collector market with sequels of some great ideas from the 50s and 70s instead of taking photographers serious. There is a plethora of limited editions for collectors and an "à la carte" program for snobs - they are just exploiting their past instead of inventing the future.
So, I want to answer the original question: I do not talk to an authorized dealer because he has nothing to sell that I want to buy. And the reason is that Leica listens to collectors and not to photographers.
As you can imagine I own a Leica M6. The M6 is a wonderful camera if you want a camera to shoot images and if you don't care about collecting cameras and showing off with technical bling-bling nonsense.
The MP is the modern M6. The finder is a little better, the shutter makes even a little less noise. But the MP has no rewind crank. The black paint is a joke. The price is infamy.
Leica has addressed the collector market with sequels of some great ideas from the 50s and 70s instead of taking photographers serious. There is a plethora of limited editions for collectors and an "à la carte" program for snobs - they are just exploiting their past instead of inventing the future.
So, I want to answer the original question: I do not talk to an authorized dealer because he has nothing to sell that I want to buy. And the reason is that Leica listens to collectors and not to photographers.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Actually, a lot of people asked for black paint. Why do you find it 'a joke'? All you mean is, you don't like it.
As for the rewind crank, it's a zero sum game. The knob is less convenient, but tougher (yes, I once had to straighten out the crank on my M4-P in Slovenia afer a nasty knock), and you can always use the add-on crank.
After I'd bought my M4-P, I didn't really want another M until the MP came out. And when it did, I wanted black paint. Yes, it's scarred. Each scar reminds me of where it happened: a forest road in Hungary, the Summer Palace in China, a student party in Transylvania...
Cheers,
R.
visiondr
cyclic iconoclast
Many like to moan about how Leica is stuck in the past and hasn't done much to improve the M-series bodies. Perhaps that's because it is a nearly perfect photographic instrument. I am hearing guffaws right now. But, for the uses for which it is intended, it is very nearly perfect. And it is for that reason and for the small fact that many of the world's iconic photographic images were taken with an M-Leica, this camera is not just a photographic instrument - some mere tool - it is something of a cultural icon. If you want an auto focus, auto exposure, auto nearly everything camera, get a Canikon or some other wunderplastik camera.
Oh, and for what it's worth, my next lens will be new.
Oh, and for what it's worth, my next lens will be new.
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Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Ron,
I quite agree. A parallel I have used in the past is with the kind of person who asks why bicycles STILL have only two wheels.
Cheers,
Roger