[LRflex] Re: Modular cameras
- From: Andy Wagner <yxandy2001@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 10:54:32 -0700 (PDT)
David
Your concept makes alot of sense esp when you consider how many of us are
still clinging
to sl's and such. I remember reading on one of the other forums the Lee made
the announcement about the M8 being upgradeble by Leica and it caused quite a
racaus among retailers because they thought they would be left out of the loop.
If Leica has the sense to pull off what you are suggesting I think it would be
a real marketing coup. At that point you would see alot of pros migrating to
Leica and Leica would regain some of their stature.
While all of us on the list do know the Leica name and it's quality, Leica
would have to make it's name known to a lot of the newer pro's out there.
As far as the quality control is concerned I think the DMR would have had a
longer and more sucessful life if Leica could have afforded to keep production
in house and been able to give it a longer life cycle. This would also have to
be addressed in anything they bring out in the future
Hi Andy!
Of course, you are right... Canon & Nikon simply upgrade the electronics and
restyle the body... then call it "all new". This sort of "upgrade" forces the
consumer to buy many parts all over again (good for the maker, not good for the
buyer). In lower cost cameras, this makes sense. But, at the top price levels
(and Leica is there) there is a huge resistance from pros (in particular) who
need to keep up, but cannot really afford all new gear every 18 to 20 months..
or even sooner. With the DMR-2 concept, they buy the camera once a decade and
buy the equivalent off a semi-pro body (in the cost of the backs), every couple
of years... while maintaining top quality gear.
Can't say about the rumours around Mr. Lee and his sudden departure. But, as
for the retailer ... no, I cannot see anything but a big plus. After all, we
(the consumers - both amateur and pro) would buy our new backs from our
dealer, the same as Hasselblad users would buy new or additional backs from
the Hassy dealers. One of the big complaints that dealers have, with Leica,
is the inability to sell Leica in quantity, because the prices are so high.
But, selling 40% of a camera (in the form of a back), every two or three years,
to the same consumer is the sort of repeat business that dealers need and want.
Moreover, unlike other brands, the consumer is bound to buy more Leica, or lose
his investment in the rest of the body. Canon always worries about losing
customers to Nikon, & vice versa. But, for Leica it is the same strategy which
made Hassy dominant in the 6x6 market. Why should it not work in a smaller
format?
As for Leica, it means that over, say, 10 years, they'd sell one body ($3000)
and 5 backs (one at the start, another every 2 years). Without allowing for
inflation, that's $13,000 over 10 years - considerably more than they got out
their buyers, in the age of mechanical cameras. Even for the amateur, who might
buy a new back only every 4 years, that's still 1 body, and three backs for
gross sales of $9,000 in that decade.
And that's not counting the lenses!
I see this as a win/win format, for Leica (one which really could attract the
pro market they so desperately want and need) and for the consumers, both pro
and amateur, who can keep up with the times, and with Leica quality, at a much
lower, over-all cost.
But, will they make it??? Herr Kaufmann knows... and he's not talking!
He has said only that, at Photokina, they will show "something" which will
give us an idea which way they are heading. That is a long way from talk, a
couple of years ago, when they'd hoped to show at Photokina and deliver by
November of this year... though that could, I guess, still happen.
Interesting to conjecture about. Wait for the Photokina news.
Cheers!
---
David Young,
Logan Lake, CANADA
Limited Edition Prints at: www.furnfeather.net
Personal Web-site at: www.main.furnfeather.net
Stock Photography at: http://tinyurl.com/2amll4
------ >--
Regards
YXAndy
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