[LRflex] Re: Speculation re: London Blow out of Demo R lenses
- From: Steve Barbour <kididdoc@xxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 14:16:01 -0700
thanks David... hope so...looking forward to an R 10....Steve
On May 1, 2007, at 9:33 AM, David Young wrote:
> Steve Barbour asked:
>
>> After Howard Cummer wrote about teh discounting of Leica R glass:
>>
>>> Hi Phil,
>>> I frankly don't know what to think. I know that Leica is working on
>>> an R10 integrated digital camera
>>
>>
>> is this a solid fact Howard ...or a rumor?
>>
>> Steve
>
>
> Hi Steve!
>
> There are a number of possibilities and, like Howard, I'm not sure
> what to think.
>
> Some thoughts:
>
> Leica are working on an R10. That much is certain. Both Howard and I
> attended a small meeting, at the last Photokina, to give feedback to
> Leica regarding it's form and features. You will recall that last
> fall, I conducted a survey on what list members wished to see in the
> next R camera, and then passed the results along to Leica. Neither
> Howard nor I can say much about it, as the first order of business
> was the signing of non-disclosure agreements.
>
> What can be said is that Leica realize that with the preponderance of
> SLR sales in today's world, if they do not have a viable dSLR, the
> company will have a very hard time ever becoming more than a niche
> player. Their goal is to create an "R" camera which will bring a
> good number of pros back to the Leica brand. They realize that the
> last time Leica stood the photographic world on it's ear was with the
> introduction of the M3 in 1954. They want to do, with the R10, what
> the M3 did, back then.
>
> Will they succeed? Only time will tell. But I think it is safe to
> say that an R10 is definitely on it's way, and should be introduced
> at Photokina, Sept. 08. Rose and I plan to be there, to see it
> unveiled. (With luck, I'll get to try one of the pre-production
> ones, as I did with the M8. However, here again, only time will
> tell. Besides, if I do, I won't be able to tell until after
> Photokina!)
>
> As for the DMR - my understanding it that only 3000 were made ... a
> number chosen because Leica had about that many unsold R9's in the
> warehouse when the decision to produce them was made! I understand,
> from various sources, that most (though not all) DMR's were sold with
> R9's, so the warehouse should be near empty of them, by now. (OTOH,
> it does make the DMR an "instant collectible" - if only because so
> few were made.)
>
> So, now to speculation on the London Blow outs...
>
> (Remember, this is speculation, not based on any "inside"
> information.)
>
> 1) Dealers may not have confidence that an R10 is, indeed, coming,
> and are dumping their stock while it still has some value.
>
> 2) Dealers may have heard, or may be guessing, that in order to
> accommodate auto-focus, the lens mount may have to be changed. If so,
> they may be dumping their existing stock while it still has some
> value. (I do not *know* that AF is in Leica's plans, though I cannot
> imagine any new camera, without it.)
>
> After all, even if an adapter is made so that existing R lenses can
> be used on the new lens mount (as with the adapters for R to 4/3rds
> and R to Canon); such an adapter would please those of us with
> current glass, but would not encourage others to buy old style glass
> if they were buying the new body and did not already own "R"
> glass! Better for the dealers to get half price now, than 1/4
> price, later!
>
> 3) Howard pondered:
>
>> Maybe the dealers are just reducing stock which isn't moving - but I
>> doubt they could do that without agreement from Leica.
>
> I cannot speak for the laws of every country, but in Canada & the US
> (and in most countries where price control has been abolished), a
> dealer can sell for any price he wants. How the suppliers control
> advertised price is to only offer certain discounts and advertising
> rebates if a dealer's ads hold to certain minimum prices. However, a
> dealer can advertise at that price and still sell for less, if he
> wishes. Few do (at least, until now!) but they *can*. If dealers
> are worried about slow moving stock which, for whatever reasons, they
> feel is no longer sellable (or even if they think it is, but do not
> wish to wait for 18+ months, until the R10 comes along) they are
> legally free to dump the stock as they see fit.... even if Leica are
> not pleased. Since most retailers work on the premise that they can
> rotate their stock a minimum of 4 times a year, lenses for which
> there will be no (digital) camera for the next 18 to 20 months
> represent inventory to be dumped. Period.
>
> So, Howard, the answer is: yes, they can do that, without agreement
> from Leica.
>
> 4) It is also possible that Leica have bigger changes in mind that we
> think, and are giving their dealers an allowance (possibly towards
> the purchase of M8 bodies/glass) to help them clear old stock; in
> order to keep the dealer network intact, rather than having a lot of
> established "R" dealers mad at them when the coming R10 finally
> arrives. This, like the rest, is all speculation, but comes from 30
> years of retail, and watching what other manufacturers have done, in
> past, to ensure an orderly market and the maintenance of a
> distribution network.
>
> Apart from these thoughts, I am as perplexed as Howard as to the
> reasons for the apparent dumping "R" equipment by some dealers.
>
> Cheers!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---
>
> David Young,
> Logan Lake, CANADA
>
> Wildlife Photographs: http://www.telyt.com/
> Personal Web-pages: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt
> Stock Photography at: http://tinyurl.com/2amll4
>
> ------
> Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at:
> http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm
> Archives are at:
> //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/
------
Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at:
http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm
Archives are at:
//www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/
Other related posts:
