[LRflex] Re: Leica R rumours?

I'd be curious to see how many of us have multiple Leicas like Alex and Douglas.

Mine:

Leicaflex Standard x2
Leicaflex SL several
Leicaflex SL2 x2
Leica R4
Leica R4sP
Leica R8/DMR

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com

-----Original Message-----
>From: Alex Hurst <corkflor@xxxxxx>
>Sent: May 31, 2007 4:43 AM
>To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [LRflex] Re: Leica R rumours?
>
>Douglas wrote in part:
>
>>I use almost everything :-)
>>M2, M6, M4-2, CL, CLE (not quite Leica) IIIG, SL(several), SL2
>>(several), SL2Mot, R5 and R7, when I have time (usually about 3 to 4
>>weeks a year).
>
>
>Jaysus, Douglas, you're as bad as me! Last count was:
>
>LTM: 1926/27 I converted to III,  1932 Standard, IIIa, IIIf.
>M: M2 (2), M3, M4-P, M6, CL.
>R: SL, SL2 (2), R3 MOT.
>
>All of these get used in regular rotation, apart from the R3, which I 
>don't get on with. Anyone want a nice R3 MOT plus slightly 
>temperamental winder? Email me off-list - sorry, it's not Friday.
>
>
>>The basic problem for Leica is their existing customer base - this
>>limits the scope of what they can sell at present, and as I have
>>mentioned before, is gradually diminishing through age. The demographic
>>factor is the death sentence for Leica in its present form. Leica needs
>>a new brand image and identity for a market that has not yet been
>>confronted with the qualities and charisma of the Leica we all (most of
>>us over 50 - and with perhaps. at the most,  20 to 30 years of potential
>>Leica purchasing power ahead of us) know and "love".
>
>This is a problem for the LHSA too - there weren't that many 
>youngsters at the Wetzlar meet last year.....
>
>>Whether Leica sinks or swims is a matter of brand management and feeding
>>the market where it's hungry, not where it's more or less saturated.
>>Leica relies on us for a "professional" view of what Leica tradition
>>demands and what "conservative" photographers want, what this means when
>>you get down to the hard facts is, we are a bunch of relatively
>>"ancient" advisors whose opinions are treasured but only as a guideline
>>about what NOT to do. Leica's lack of success is based on the fact that
>>the market has been limited to people like us.
>
>Not sure that the sage advice of us ancients is not heeded by Solms. 
>After all, most of us seem to have also embraced digital in some 
>shape or form, so we look forward as well as back. I went the Nikon 
>D200 route, and am very happy I did.
>
>Our problem is that we have a significant investment in the past as 
>well as the future of Leica. If they fudge the issue of backward lens 
>compatibility for a new DSLR, then there's little incentive for us to 
>buy a new body. Nikon have addressed this successfully - I can use 
>nearly all my MF Nikon glass on the D200 with focus confirmation and 
>matrix metering, and do so frequently. I hope Leica can emulate them.
>
>>It would be interesting to see statistics showing the percentage of
>>first-time buyers who purchased an M8 - I expect that it tends towards
>>zero. This is NOT a sound basis for sustainable success.
>
>It would indeed. I suspect Leica don't know themselves. OTOH, 
>received wisdom is that the M8 is still flying off the shelves 
>despite its high price, and I can't believe that this is entirely due 
>to the old guard upgrading. If it is, then the future for Leica is 
>indeed as bleak as Douglas implies.
>
>>It may be hard for some of us, but for Leica it's a matter of survival
>>in a predators market.
>
>That's why I hope that a new digital R will not be too little too 
>late, as was the case with the 'flexes. R&D is moving at such a pace 
>in the DSLR field that it's going to be very difficult to offer a 
>product from scratch that is even competitive, let alone a 
>market-leader designwise.
>
>Best
>
>Alex
>-- 
>Alex & Carmel Hurst
>Waterfall
>Near Cork
>Ireland
>
>Tel: +353 21 454 3328
>Mobile: +353 87 245 7048 (A)
>+353 87 988 9927 (C)
>
>email: corkflor@xxxxxx
>Home Pages: http://www.iol.ie/~corkflor
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