[LRflex] Re: Leica R rumours?

Ok,
  Mine:
Leica 111F  red dial
Leica 111F black dial
Leica M4-P
Leica M-3
Leica R4
Leica R4sP
Leica R7

last year I sold of an M3, M4-P and an M5 along with a half dozen Leica 
lenses to raise funds for my own financial crunch.   Don't really miss them 
much.  I kept my core group of lenses that I use the most.

Dave Saalsaa
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Douglas Herr" <telyt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:33 AM
Subject: [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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