Stephan Schulz: Leica had a long history with professionals throughout the 20th century. Most of these professionals were photojournalists. But we realized that in the 21st century, the image of our brand was becoming weaker because Leica was no longer as strongly represented among professionals.
In today’s professional market, photojournalists are a rare breed, and they are no longer as well paid as in previous generations. For a high-end brand that charges premium prices, this secular trend needed to be addressed.
We deemed it essential to maintain a strong position in the professional market, but we realized that we needed to fundamentally reinvent our approach. Above all, we needed a product that could appeal to the kind of professional photographers who are able to afford a professional camera. Today, these photographers predominantly work in fashion and commercial photography. They need a different type of camera than photojournalists who use the Leica M. Because of the nature of their assignments, fashion and advertising photographers tend to be committed medium-format users.
