New Leica Homepage

[Rona|d]

Leica Camera AG

[jaapv]

It only shows the intro as yet, but it lookes to be nice. Now I know why the firmware took so long: they were wasting manpower on the website

[Rona|d]

download of the new M8 shutter sound:

Leica Camera AG - Fotografie - M8

[Dr. No]

Originally Posted by Rona|d

Leica Camera AG

Flash is required - and the button "if you do not have flash klick here ..."

doesn't work ...

yours
NO

[Rona|d]

Give them some time ... (no problems on my Mac machine so far, software-updates seem to be necessary today)

[spylaw4]

Oh dear - lots of unnecessary flash animation - before one can get to the rather more elegant simplicity of the original site.

[ho_co]

And no way that I can see to turn off the dramatic music interlude.

At least it ends after a few seconds!

--HC

[j. white]

I feel fortunate that my keyboard has a mute button.

I'm not sure if I find the intro insulting or simply cheesy. I seem to recall a thread stating that Leica World News was going to be replaced by a more "lifestyle-oriented" magazine. If this is their opening salvo into a new mode of brand communication, well, I for one say "no thanks".


-j.

[calshot]

Thats an amazing advert I am well impressed.Also the idea of upgrading the M8 over a long period sounds good,made me re-think could I just be able afford when I retire and leave to my boy. Certainly couldn't see doing that with my LC1. Spread over several years of life like an M3 then they are not so expensive.
Rob

[joewehry]

I checked out the new web site and simply hate --can't think of a stronger word-- the use of Flash on Leica's intro pages.

If this was my first visit to Leica, I would conclude their products were as confusing to use as the menus. Worse, I really wasn't clear on the product benefits. And half the time I wasn't even certain what I was supposed to be learning about Leica.

To be clear, my complaint is with the Flash, not the concept. The 1 1/2 love stories and "changes in perspective" is obviously the result of a lot of talented hard work, and is a good concept for expanding Leicas market. I think the images would work great in print advertising and equally for a commercial, but not for information-getting on the internet. (In fact, the whole flash intro would work better as a QuickTime movie commercial. Hell, load it on YouTube for that matter.)

But in particular, the web navigation on the Flash is simply confusing: too many arrows, pop up windows, and movement coming from too many places. I felt like I was using a Canon.

On the old site it only took a couple of clicks to get to useful information. With the Flash intro, I was clicking everywhere, and getting nowhere.

And don't get me started on the music. Pretty at first, but didn't add to the message. I turned it off, launched iTunes and listened to the Bugaloos instead. There's so much more that you can do to make the world a better place to be....

(As a side comment: "Don't Make Me Think" and "Homepage Usability" are great books for building web sites as perfect as an MP. And would make a great gift for Leica's web designer....)

I would be interested in hearing what others think about Leica's new intro, especially fron other parts of the country. As a New Yorker, I am bombarded with messages, so whenever I encounter Flash on a site, I wonder if the business really has anything of value to sell.Otherwise, why hide behind all the razzle dazzle, and not just provide information simply, clearly and honestly? But maybe this is cultural, and the midwest, north south or west coast have other things to say?

Finally, my suggestion: If Leica wants to use flash for multimedia selling, go for it. But put that stuff on a page that customers can choose to go to rather than forcing it down everyone's throat upfront. They could call the link the Leica Experience, or etwas. And visitors who like that can click on it and get their fill of multimedia, while the rest are downloading the MTF graphs...

I do hope their web master tracks the number of bounced visitors, error links, decrease or increase in page depth per visit, etc., the Flash addition causes. The first two browsers I tried gave me errors. Not a good sign. I love Leica and would hate if this caused more problems than welcomed new users.

On a more positive note, I do think the dark grey theme and atmospheric picture links create an updated look. But only as static images adding a visual element to the text, or as a picture link to product details.

But, please Leica, trash the Flash on startup. You don't need it. Only the competition does.

[imported_peter_m]

Well I am not overlie impressed, I don't mind a little flash but that is going on forever....

You can just skip all the flash stuff and get in that way Leica Camera AG - Photography

Peter

[kamilsukun]

The new site is a giant step backwards.

[michael_boylan]

This is simply awful.

Vacuous, glossy and incredibly annoying to boot. If I was coming new to Leica I would assume they are some pointless luxury brand for vacuous rich people - like some expensive handbags who's names end in 'i' - trying to sell their over-priced product with pointless music and spurious pictures of pretty people in lifestyle poses.

Where is their heritage, their Bauhausian elegance, the Modernist ethos of the classic M, the DNA of the M8? A century of brand just thrown away.

I went back for a second look but I couldn't take that awful music long enough to get the mute button to work. No, this has to be one of the worst websites I've seen in a while.

Must do better.

Michael

[sijbrand]

One of the worst I have seen, vey tacky. Not what one would expect from a company that makes professional level cameras (eg: Hasselblad site). Thought I had clicked on a late 90s Casio website by mistake. And where is the big "Skip Intro" button.

[hans_s]

There is no M7 in the product line!

[stuny]

I used to run a usability business and almost universally found that users wanted to get to the meat of the site as quickly as possible. The only users going through my labs who disagreed with this were a few web developers who were so taken with how cool the screens were that they overlooked the site’s content and purpose.

The one saving grace of the new Leica site is that you can instantly leave the flash page (and music, and animation) by clicking one of the large links on the right side of the page.

[peter_n]

Leica is getting very bad advice from someone, presumably marketing consultants. Whoever did/approved this needs to read Steve Krug's Don't make me think or visit Jakob Nielsen's web site on usability.

[garyp]

I don't like saying this, but.....I agree with all the negative comments posted so far about the site.

[bill]

Right, I've seen it.

I'll just say this.

As a 45 year old bloke I am not in the demographic that ad is aimed at.

I would venture to suggest that most if not all of those who have commented negatively share that with me.

Live with it.

Regards,

Bill

[Black Dot]

The new and "improved" website only shows the M8 and MP under Rangefinder System and only the Digilux 3 under SLR System. If you click on these it will take you to the old website where you can still find the M7 and R9 listed but it seems they are now an afterthought. Also, the Digilux 3 is no longer referred to as the D System.

Has the M7 been discontinued or is this simply a result of poor web design? Something that needs to be asked at PMA I think.