Flexers You know, I think we have unleashed a phenomenon so prevalent in committee proceedings nowadays - violent agreement!! Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 18:18:17 +0200 From: Douglas Sharp <douglas.sharp@xxxxxx> Subject: [LRflex] Re: Interview with Steven K. Lee (current issue of Leica Philippe, Biggest problem for Leica is to get their hands on FTBs and create a whole new customer base, and you don't get to that with high prices for what to new buyers or low to mid income consumers, is a more or less unknown brand, whatever you're offering, full frame , APS-C or 4 /3. The bracket in which Leica can presently be sold is too limited. Medium to top earnings, few or no children, or retired and reasonably well off. Give it another twenty to thirty years and a large proportion of Leica's core customers may well be literally dead and buried along with the company. Cheers Douglas Ooops, FTB = first time buyers I couldn't agree more! Here's the AP article: (apologies and acknowledgments to AP copyright) 106: back from the front www.amateurphotographer.co.uk MAGNUM photographer Costa Manos recently wrote: 'When I received a Leica M8 test camera in mid-August,I was delighted first of all to see and feel that,yes,it is truly an M camera- the digital descendant of the legendary M cameras' As product manager of the Leica M system I have worked closely with the engineers and specialists who developed the M8. I wrote the first technical specifications for a digital M in 2002, but it took until September 2006 to present the product . The question of how to position a new modern camera within a long-standing tradition was the key element in all discussions. Why did we integrate digital technology in a system that is rnore than 50 years old? Using an existing system with a number of existing lenses offers a lot of advantages for customers. It generates value retention for loyal customers, but also gives new corners access to a big second-hand market. We would not accept any compromises in the image quality or ergonomics of the M8, and we had numerous discussions about small details, both internally and with professionals and amateurs. We also followed speculation in internet forums and the media. The short distance between the rear lens element and the sensor in the M8 rneans light strikes the sensor at an acute angle. Dealing with this required unique structural changes to the CCD. Developrnent couldn't start until 2004 when, together with Kodak ISS, we found a solution to adapt a sensor for the M system.We had to develop a completely new concept for the menus and buttons of the M8 to reflect our traditional concentration on essentials.The M mount was upgraded with a six-bit coding systern, allowing the camera to 'see' what lens is used and to correct and improve the image.We also had to accept that to keep the compactness and the quality of the system we would have to use a sensor smaller than full frame.Then,in the launch phase we had to quickly solve last-minute quality issues. Why did Leica choose this difficult manner of integrating a new capturing technology in an existing system instead of starting something new? My experience tells me the reason for this is the difference between the typical European and Japanese approaches to development processes I have seen first-hand how Japanese engineers put all possible efforts into a product to make it as innovative as possible.Once they have finalised the work they accept the result as it stands and do not spend much time on any further enhancement When a new project comes up they would rather start completely afresh with a 'blank sheet of paper' This enables them to be fast and innovative. The typical European approach of product development is to take a lot of time optimising a product based on its own traditions. The Porsche 911, for example, has retained its essence despite constant changes and improvements over the years. There is a risk in periods of fast change that we might lose track of the concept when applying optimisations. This is what Leica experienced in the early years of the digital revolution. But there is a specific potential in the long run to be unique and combine tradition and modernity. The European approach offers photographers the advantage of using a system that teaches them to see in a distinctive way. Many of our customers, including Costa Manos, had a yearning for such an approach We are confident our approach will now show its benefits. AP Stefan Daniel joined Leica in1984as an apprentice in precision mechanics. Having completed his apprenticeship, he became a service technician working in Leica facilities in Wetzlar, Solms, and Paris. He became product manager for the company's projector division in 1995, and has been product manager for the M system since 1998. Well, there you have it! No change there, then.... I can't say that this approach inspires me with confidence for the R series' future. Citing the Porsche 911 is saying 'niche market only'; but Porsche make many other models, as well as being a very strong consultancy, and those models are pitched at a wide range of market sectors. In my 34 years in the automotive industry, I have seen many people have a comparable career path to Mr Daniel; and the industry is littered with the corpses of such careers...... and what has happened to the UK motor industry? Time will tell. Cheers Keith Longmore ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm Archives are at: //www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/