Hi all, Recently, you wrote: > From: LEICAFLEX <leicaflex@xxxxxxxxx> > > Hi all, > > IMHO, Leica has to continually evolve their business model and strike > strategic development + manufacturing partnerships, otherwise I just > don't see how they can compete with the likes of mass consumerism: > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070220/tc_nm/nikon_digicams_dc_2 > Does Leica even try to compete in that arena? Does it fit their capabilities? > If they can carefully deliver the low end product line at a slightly > exclusive price point that is competitive in product feature set, > w/out making the mistakes like Rollei (not Franke & Heidecke), and get > a foot hold with products that appeal to the discriminating comsumer, > then maybe consumer-level cameras with mass sales can fuel R&D for the > R10 and so forth. > Leica has good partnerships for consumer level digicams; Panasonic and Olympus are strong in that market, and Leica's "added value" provides the kind of "low end product line" that you propose. > Leica also depends a lot on the scopes and > binoculars to supplement the bottomline, just like Olympus with their > endoscopic division. Thank goodness they have a strong arm in that > sector of their business. > In the case of Olympus, the scenario is reversed. Their credibility was established with their line of microscopes and technical equipment. Olympus has been an innovative manufacturer that brought many creative camera designs to photography. The success of the OM-1 fueled their entry into the "pro-sumer" photographic market, and the success of their 35mm pocket cameras established them as a supplier of good quality consumer products. These factors translate into decent sales of digicams in both of those markets. I consider Leica's business model to be more similar to that of Porsche; neither company tries to deliver a product for average consumers. The products from both companies retain value as they age, and owners are as often as not users. > The recent demise of the DMR with no new replacement in sight is a > clear reminder that when high dollar, high end gear is discontinued, > the people that tend to lose the most are those that have invested > into that system > That would be true if those buying high-end gear didn't use it, or if the cameras couldn't be maintained. I suspect that those of us that have invested in Leica equipment have done so because it is some of the best equipment available, and that makes it easier for us to execute our photographic vision. For professional users, there are many ways to justify the cost of the equipment, and the ROI is realized quickly enough that a capital loss is unlikely. As I see it, Leica is still finding their way in the professional dSLR market. The benefits of an SLR are somehwat mitigated by such things as instant review and live view. Improve those two features, and I can imagine that there would be some head-scratching in the board room over the importance of a dSLR. Perhaps the ability to use R lenses with the Digilux 3, L1 and Olympus eVolt cameras is a hint of things to come? Regards, Neil ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm Archives are at: //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/