Leica, your name is M

[sungnee]

I have come to the conclusion, which Leica ought to have decades ago, is that Leica has become a victim of its own success. The M range finders, to be exact.

The M series was so good that:

1. people (I use this word here to mean the majority of ordinary masses) will not accept that any other company can do it just as good. Look at the failure of the Hexar.

2. people will not accept Leica can do anything just as good, look at the Leicaflex/R line

3. people will not accept any change, even the shape, look at the M5

4. people will not accept any Leica made outside Germany, no matter how much the knowledgeable ones tries to tell the public each time this subject comes up

5. people will not accept that Leica can make the transition to digital, look at the S1/DMR/M8.

6. people will not accept any kind of innovation, look at the resistance to auto focus.

In other words, the M has hijacked the Leica name. No, straight-jacketed it. I have seen this happen to other products/services.

If Leica Camera AG is to survive and prosper, I think it will have to create another brand name. One that does not remind people of the Leica name at all.

I know this is going to take a lot of guts, but honestly I don't see how else you can do it.

This post is addressed to Leica management, in the hope of starting/stimulating discussions and deliberations on this observation as a possible plan to rescue the company.

[Iron Flatline]

As someone who has run several companies, let me tell you that even IF some of your comments/assumptions were correct, no management will engage in a public discourse about how to determine its product line, its brand management, or its manufacturing choices.

Nonetheless you should e-mail them your suggestions. A good management always wants to hear from the customer.

[TimF]

Originally Posted by sungnee

1. people (I use this word here to mean the majority of ordinary masses) will not accept that any other company can do it just as good. Look at the failure of the Hexar.

Is that true, or did Konica simply lose interest in the product?

6. people will not accept any kind of innovation, look at the resistance to auto focus.

What is to be gained from autofocus? If you really need an AF rangefinder, the Contax G range is still widely available from used equipment dealers. The lenses for that camera are said to be on a par with Leica's, so no excuses on that front.

Apart from speed for those who need it, and convenience for those whose eyesight no longer allows accurate manual focusing, AF offers no real benefits IMHO. Indeed, the slop factor, which is inherent in the technology, means that it is often inferior to manual focusing.

[stnami]

One that does not remind people of the Leica name at all.

... leica..... schmeika security cameras sit back at home with multiple screens auto everything except for pressing the big red button merrily away

[milsu]

"Leica, your name is M" - not exactly. I wanted a mechanical camera, and was close to buy one used pre-M Leica I found here in a photo store, guess it was Leica II or Leica III. I loved it: whole mechanical and made of metal, so small and heavy. But, when I looked through the viewfinder - I became definitely convinced to go for new one. Only because of better viewfinder, not because of the M-mount.

[earleygallery]

1. people (I use this word here to mean the majority of ordinary masses) will not accept that any other company can do it just as good. Look at the failure of the Hexar.

2. people will not accept Leica can do anything just as good, look at the Leicaflex/R line

3. people will not accept any change, even the shape, look at the M5

4. people will not accept any Leica made outside Germany, no matter how much the knowledgeable ones tries to tell the public each time this subject comes up

5. people will not accept that Leica can make the transition to digital, look at the S1/DMR/M8.

6. people will not accept any kind of innovation, look at the resistance to auto focus.

This post is addressed to Leica management, in the hope of starting/stimulating discussions and deliberations on this observation as a possible plan to rescue the company.[/quote]

Possibly this IS a joke?

1. Voigtlander have had much success with their rangefinders and lenses.

2. I and many others here use the R system, not to mention the various compacts and digicams

3. The M5 was much larger than the M4. One of the reasons people like the M is for compactness but the M5 has many fans out there.

4. My Leica R3 was made in Portugal and lenses from Canada. The Leica digitals apart from the M8 are made by Panasonic. I don't think this is an issue for anyone.

5. Yes look at the DMR and M8! You do know there is a waiting list for the M8 don't you?!!

6. Again the compacts and digicams are AF. M users don't need AF and R users like the fact that the R systems is the one quality manual focus 35mm SLR system left.

The Leica name is one of the most famous in photography. To consider it to be a drawback is just crazy!

I think the Leica management are busy enough meeting M8 demand and working on the next generation R. Who needs to be rescued?

[bill]

Hmm...

Hard to know where to start with this, so I don't think I will.

Suffice to say I disagree - fundamentally.

Regards,

Bill

[umb]

Very interesting thoughts, sungnee.

To me, Leica buried its own grave. They kept telling people again and again that you just DON'T NEED anything they couldn't deliver that their devotees started believing it. Now for instance that they come up with a digital M, many of them see a loss in credibility.

[wilfredo]

"5. people will not accept that Leica can make the transition to digital, look at the S1/DMR/M8."


The M8 is flying off the counters flaws and all and there is still a waiting list for one of these.

Wilfredo+
Benitez-Rivera Photography

[Shootist]

1. That is because NO other company CAN do it as good.
2. I own a R4s with Leica/Leitz lenses. It is as good as my M's but it is NOT a M in any way shape of form.
3. No comment
4. Well that is true to a point. I would rather have something Leica that was made in Germany but I do have lenses that came from Canada.
5. They can and have. OK Look at the M8. You can't fine one.
6. Don't know of any way to include AF with my older M lenses. No I am NOT interested in buy new lenses of the same mm that I already own just to have AF on a M camera.

Actually the M3 is what MADE the Leica name what it is, without the M3 and newer M models Leica probably would of gone out of business long ago.

[cnguyen]

I'm hanging on to my M8. Love it !

[rsolomon]

i'm keeping my dmr,

[esser]

Originally, the name Leica (Leitz) stood for innovation and doing "impossible" things. Hope sometimes they will find back to those roots.

[jaapv]

The main trouble about the OP is that the poster extrapolates his personal views to "people" whoever they may be. I am happy to report I am not "people".

[tobey bilek]

I saw a public television documentary two days ago. A group of war photographers named "Seven" were shown doing their work. One opened his travel kit still full of dirt from Iraq and there was a Besa in it. Everyone is not stuck on Leica.

As for auto focus, it take resources to redesign all the lenses and they do not have the resources. They claim it can not be made accurately enough, which may be true. But I also recall them saying there was no way to put a meter behind the lens! Hence the Leicaflex original in production at the time.

I have lots of R cameras and M`s and I have never had to repair an R. So I don`t understand why there is bad mouth over the R line. M`s are a different story. New light shields in a pair a barely used original M`6`s, non working sync in a M4-2, numerous cla in M3`s and M2`s .

Their problem is new product introduction. They need to get it right on the first try.
The other problem is the sudden lack of interest in film and coming late to the table with pro digital products.

Yes there were complaints on the M5 size, but little is said on the extra thick M8 and the noise of the shutter. People seem willing to make the trade.

[Daniel kk]

Leica does play the game of survival in digital photography nowadays.

M is just symbolic of " basic of Leica " while digital is an innovation of M, I think.

Daniel kk

[Olof]

Originally Posted by umb

Very interesting thoughts, sungnee.

To me, Leica buried its own grave. They kept telling people again and again that you just DON'T NEED anything they couldn't deliver that their devotees started believing it. Now for instance that they come up with a digital M, many of them see a loss in credibility.

Since the early 70th its said, that Leica have no future.... at the moment we are in 2007 and, the company still exists. But where are Konica, Contax, Zeiss-Ikon, Voigtländer, Pentacon and MINOLTA ?