Would You Buy SAME Quality Leica Gear NOT made in Germany!

[raid]

Would you buy a Toyota or Honda not made in Japan?

Would you buy a Mercedes Benz not made in Germany?

Would you buy a Kia not made in South Korea?

Would you buy a Leica not made in Germany?


These are four similar questions.

 

[Finder]

Try fitting a digital back, and you will find out.

Cheers,

Roger

I will find out what?? That all these cameras focus? Mr. Hicks, I am getting a feeling you are offened because I do not believe the Swiss are the only ones capable of making cameras.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Comparable cameras? You mean by Linholf, Horseman, Silvestri, and Cambo? Interesting idea of "cheap." Where are you getting the idea that these companies are cutting corners?

Also, I can't think of any comparable Linhofs.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I will find out what?? That all these cameras focus? Mr. Hicks, I am getting a feeling you are offened because I do not believe the Swiss are the only ones capable of making cameras.

There is little point in my saying more. Exactly the same cameras could be built by (say) NPC in Boston. But that camera would cost much the same as an Alpa, because that is what precision of that kind costs. The maximum possible precision achievable is nothing to do with Switzerland. The choice to build a camera to that precision, at that price, is however more likely to be taken in Switzerland than anywhere else: that is what I mean by 'manufacturing culture' in my amended post no. 110. But as you refuse to believe much that I say, and refuse to accept my arguments, I think it best to stop discussing the point here.

Cheers,

roger

 

[alternatve]

Roger, you are on shakey ground:



Are you implying that farmers are incapable of doing this? Are you saying Leica can only train certain people? I don't get this nor agree with this. You don't need a university degree to assemble cameras.

I don't think it's a issue of the skill of the person, but the background and attitude. A person used to slacking off and doing the minimum isn't going to change, no matter how trained he is.

Samuel

 

[Finder]

Also, I can't think of any comparable Linhofs.

Cheers,

R.

Technar and Metrika.

 

[BillBingham2]

Would you buy a Toyota or Honda not made in Japan?

I currently have both. I have a new FIT (Jazz elsewhere) that is from Japan 100%. The Odyssey is assembled here but from a high level of parts made over seas.

The Odyssey has been a great car for over 5 years. The Fit is very new, but I am not worried about her. Honda got #1 in build quality this year from JD Power.

I still submit that it comes down to communication of standards, reasonable labor laws, respect and providing tools and processes that enable success more than high vs low cost labor.

You can not take a high quality product, move mfg/asm to a low cost location without investing in your new employees and expect to succeed. It does not happen, history is full of examples.

Laws are important too. When you have tried to improve output, respectfull, in true partnership, then you need to be able to fire the dolt that can not work up to your standards. Respect for your employees is critical, people can see through a lack of respect in a second and you will end up with poor quality.

B2 (;->

 

[Nando]

I have a Canadian IIIf with a matching Canadian 50/f1.5 Summarit. A good friend of mine also has an all-Canadian kit - an M4-P with Canadian-made 35, 50, and 90 Summicrons. We're not collectors and we use our cameras but we do have a little bit of pride in that they were from Midland instead of Weztlar despite the belief that the Canadian products were some how inferior.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Technar and Metrika.

Mmmmm... Sort of. But they were never intended as hand-held consumer cameras, unlike the Alpa. Nor did they cut any corners!

I hope that now we have corresponded by PM we may understand one another's positions better, and I apologize for any testiness in earlier posts.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I am not the kind of person to shoot or European craftsmen, the men and woman working in factory's, in the back. They have the right to earn a good life too.
This is why I bought leica, Hasselblad, Linhof, Schneider, a MAC (assembled in Ireland) and a Volvo (made in my very beloved Gent) and work on Ilford, use Belgian made Fuji-Hunt chemicals...
It is worth to pay more and, perhaps, to buy less.

How very uname... oh, you're in another dimension, in Europe I can only dream of moving over there.

The way to become a Third World country is paved with tax breaks and "what the market dictates". Social responsibility is a duty.

Paying more to sustain your fellow human is an alien concept in many places.

Man over machine. Machine for man, not instead of.

 

[wgerrard]

Would you buy a Toyota or Honda not made in Japan?

Millions of Americans are driving around in Japanese-branded cars made somewhere in the lower 48. I once owned a VW Golf GTI, the one with the V-6, that was manufactured in Mexico. I kept it for 10 years and 185,000 miles. Replaced an alternator and the AC compressor. I doubt it would have lasted any longer had it been assembled in Germany.

That is to say...manufacturing methods, quality control, choice of suppliers and sub-contractors, etc., have everything to do with product quality, while the nationality of the employees has very little to do with it. A Honda made in Ohio the same way U.S. cars were made in the 1970's would be an awful car. But, they're made in Ohio the way Honda makes cars in Japan, and they're very good cars, made in America by high school educated Buckeyes.

 

[raid]

Millions of Americans are driving around in Japanese-branded cars made somewhere in the lower 48. they're very good cars, made in America by high school educated Buckeyes.

This is what I am trying to say here.

 

[rover]

Was the full moon yesterday or today?

 

[ferider]

You mean in Germany ?

 

[LeicaTom]

I have a Canadian IIIf with a matching Canadian 50/f1.5 Summarit ..............We're not collectors and we use our cameras but we do have a little bit of pride in that they were from Midland instead of Weztlar

BRAVO!!!!!!

I use ALL my gear as well, it`s keeping up with tradition and if I could get really clean Midland 35mm and 90mm Summicron`s for my M6 I`d use them, the Canadian glass is as good or better as what is made in Wetzlar, the company that bought Elcan was`nt lame either they *KNEW what they were doing didn`t they?



Tom



*People will know who`s company I`m taking about....... LOL!

 

[splitimageview]

Interesting, as the Tundra is made in San Antonio.

http://www.toyota.com/about/news/manufacturing/2006/11/17-1-TMMTX.html

 

[sepiareverb]

My current Toyota is three years old and already makes more noises than the previous one even when it was 14 years old. Only got rid of the old 'white truck' because the kids couldn't fit in it anymore as it had only one bench seat, and I pick them up at school sometimes on my way home to save them a 1 hour bus ride (it's a ten minute direct ride).

 

[splitimageview]

What if Cosina built outside Japan?

 

[RML]

Would you buy SAME quality Leica Gear NOT made in Germany?

If things would get cheaper that way, sure.

 

[BJ Bignell]

Well, I never bought any Leica equipment so I can't say if I would buy the "same", but I think if it was demonstrably equal, why not? I bought a VW that was built in Brazil (the horror! ) but it seems to work perfectly fine.