Steven Lee joins Leica

[Neugier]

Very similar in everywhere. I guess

In Japan where I live in, almost every moms and dads, as far as they are still alive, are required to attend to their children`s game of soccer, baseball or whatever it is and take a motion snaps of them. I am sure it`s also a kind of tacit and dominant rule here.

As a showcase, the recent TV adv of the newest HD sony camcoder presented
a girls face got clearer with HD quality and anti-trembling tech(you should pay more than 1300USD, regarding any accs. need a bunch of extra).
Not a fine scenery or a spectacular drama but a kid`s face everyday you can see is a great motivation that Sony pours a lumpy budget on it.
I guess it is the potential of Soccer Mums.

But to add my personal opinion, the casual moms are not willing to buy a hammer-like design. They have no reason to pick a Leica: they do not care the history, the fame and even far-better-quality either:It is not a new prada or chloe. sigh.

May Mr.Lee aim another target!

Best,

[lns]

Regarding that post by Neugier, I wouldn't be too quick to stereotype moms. I am in fact a soccer mom and an M6 owner. (Finally, something to contribute to the Forum: mom information.) I know other soccer moms who are serious photographers, two of whom chucked full-time motherhood to shoot professionally. Moms can do anything.

Turning back to the original reason for this thread, the article about Mr. Lee and his plans for Leica, I think almost everyone posting here agrees that there's a problem in camera retailing. I live near Chicago, and I've found only three camera stores that even carry Leica. Two do so only minimally. All are in or near downtown, which is inconvenient for two-thirds of the people in this huge metropolitan area. For most people, indeed probably all new users, if you can't see or touch the camera, you are not going to buy it.

It's not just a Leica issue: a lot of independent camera stores that used to carry the big Japanese brands also have closed recently. Yes, you can walk into Target or Best Buy and you can pick up a camera chained to a counter and look at it. You can find it on a shelf and pay for it. But there is no guidance or service. So your average shopper probably does choose a camera blindly, based on price and megapixels. How else to compare all those plastic boxes? I don't see this as the environment in which Leica will thrive. I think Mr. Lee is correct that he has to fix the retail channel for Leica products, and I only hope it's not too late.

I have a background in photography, and most soccer moms don't, but I personally agree with Mr. Lee: a lot of regular people do care about image quality and enjoy taking pictures; they do want something easy to use; they want a solid product. I think Leica can, and should, appeal to those people. Yes it's more expensive. But look at the iPod or a BMW car. You can get cheaper mp3 players and much cheaper cars, but many people gladly pay for the perceived style and quality. Both brands manage to have various product ranges without sacrificing their allure. I think Mr. Lee is saying that a little marketing, on top of a more aggressive retail presence, will increase the base of Leica users. Of course they won't start with an M8. But Leica can sell the brand's DNA, as they say. Promote the Leica p&s as a chance for everyone to experience the legendary Leica image quality for themselves.

I think Mr Lee is on the right track. Although it does sound like he needs a mom to test out the M8 for him -- I, for one, am willing to make that sacrifice. Email anytime, Mr. Lee.