Even after the arrival of the SLR and at a time when there were other brands of long base rangefinder, most of my photojournalist associates owned Leicas. So did some of the commercial photographers. And many of the enthusiastic and serious amateurs did.
If young photographers don’t buy your camera or an introductory model of your line of cameras, I would think that when they become older they don’t buy your camera. And in due time that would take its toll on your company.
Don’t take the sale of Holgas and a bunch of us with closets of early M’s as the future of photography. Film, and film camera, will be a small part of the equipment of future photographers. Like it or not, the near future of photography is digital.
When you make a conspicuous consumption item, the only young photographers that can afford it are movie stars and young folks whose tech companies take off. And, believe it or not, most of them are too hard working to spend a lot of time with their hobbies.
There is an interest in non-reflex, quiet, small digital cameras. Look at the interest in the mini 4/3’s cameras even though there isn’t much on the market.
It would be wonderful if Leica, which did so many wonderful things for photographers and photography, had a future making such cameras for which there is a real interest, a real need and a real market. I’m always saddened by these “heritage of Hermes” cameras which are irrelevant as photographic tools.
