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jbstitt · 04/16/07, 02:05 PM

CNN International has been doing a series of 1 minute videos on various LUXURY items. Watches, purses, pens, all the crazy expensive status things that people crave. Some can afford, others cannot.

There was a 1 minute video about the Leica M8 with the president of Leica ( I think) shooting in glorious places promoting the M8 as the ultimate status camera. Not a word about the ultimate in mechanics (although they did mention precision) UV filters, sudden death, manual operation, photographic control, or any of the other pluses and minuses of the M system.

Confirmed to me a gut feeling that Leica is taking a different direction with it's target market - a direction I do not really like, as a luxury item. I hope someday, like a wayward teenager, they will someday come back to their strengths of precision and control and reliability and optics with a newfound dedication.

I keep my Digilux 2 (the best travel camera ever made so far) and am still pissed they did not continue the concept, improve it, and continue a classic. I keep my SL and lenses and My M6 and lenses, but sold the DMR and returned the Digilux 3, and sit and wait for the identy crisis to be over and hope they do not alienate too many more real loyal Leica photographers in the while they find themselves.

04/16/07, 02:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
jbstitt Benutzer Join Date: 03/09/04 Location: Memphis Posts: 77	M8 a luxury item on CNN Interntational CNN International has been doing a series of 1 minute videos on various LUXURY items. Watches, purses, pens, all the crazy expensive status things that people crave. Some can afford, others cannot. There was a 1 minute video about the Leica M8 with the president of Leica ( I think) shooting in glorious places promoting the M8 as the ultimate status camera. Not a word about the ultimate in mechanics (although they did mention precision) UV filters, sudden death, manual operation, photographic control, or any of the other pluses and minuses of the M system. Confirmed to me a gut feeling that Leica is taking a different direction with it's target market - a direction I do not really like, as a luxury item. I hope someday, like a wayward teenager, they will someday come back to their strengths of precision and control and reliability and optics with a newfound dedication. I keep my Digilux 2 (the best travel camera ever made so far) and am still pissed they did not continue the concept, improve it, and continue a classic. I keep my SL and lenses and My M6 and lenses, but sold the DMR and returned the Digilux 3, and sit and wait for the identy crisis to be over and hope they do not alienate too many more real loyal Leica photographers in the while they find themselves.