Puts' view of future photography and Leica

[Jeff S]

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...discussed in his blog.

 

If I understand his statements, I have trouble believing the prediction that there will be a lot more Ms at significantly lower prices (for new cameras, not used)...unless the M line is going to be divided into different segments.

 

Jeff

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[Shade]

Well in a sense what Mr. Puts idea is quite true, we rarely print thay large anymore these days and megapixels doesnt matter much anymore. Everything is stored, displayed, and presented in digital such as blogs, facebook, etc. i would think in these type of worlds a 6mp camera would be much more than enough. We downsize for web contents anyway..

 

What I dont agree is that some still consider photographs as an art, needs to be printed and presented in a classical way. Not all likes to facebook, I know I dont.. And Im not old either to not like facebook due to age matters (no offense intended).

 

Leica with the investment from blackstone would definitely want to expand their portfolio. The aps-c sized interchangeable camera is still yet to come and I feel they will come with different segments too.

 

A possible rebrand of the m4/3 from panasonic may well be possible.

[StephenPatterson]

I still feel that it is impossible for Leica to achieve these growth numbers without acquisition.

 

Fifteen years ago ValuJet Airlines suffered a terrible crash in Florida, after which the company experienced much negative publicity over their excessive cost cutting, at the expense of safety. ValuJet's solution was to buy the much smaller AirTran, merge the two airlines, and drop the ValuJet name in favor of the AirTran brand, which was not tarnished. The public, never the brightest bunch, was happy to fly on the renamed airline.

 

Now, can anyone think of a major Japanese camera manufacturer that is experiencing public and shareholder revolt, management in total disarray, media blacklash, but with significant market share? I'll give you a hint. It starts with Olymp and ends in us.

 

Olympus buys Leica, rebrands the entire line, poors money into R&D, and Dr. K and Blackstone get a significant return and seats on the new board.

[k-hawinkler]

Does Olympus have enough cash to do that?

Why not the other way around and merge Olympus into Leica and sell that stuff as Leica gear!

Blackstone could pull that off, couldn't they?

 

Cheers, K-H.

[Virginia Bill]

Olympus lacks the resources to buy Leica. Aside from the current turmoil, they have a heavy debt load. I like the m4/3 Pen cameras -- they sort of remind me of Leicas -- but I can't see how the two product lines could be rationally melded. Besides, Leica's relationship with Panasonic would make the picture even more confusing.

[dhsimmonds]

Well in a sense what Mr. Puts idea is quite true, we rarely print thay large anymore these days and megapixels doesnt matter much anymore. Everything is stored, displayed, and presented in digital such as blogs, facebook, etc. i would think in these type of worlds a 6mp camera would be much more than enough. We downsize for web contents anyway..

 

What I dont agree is that some still consider photographs as an art, needs to be printed and presented in a classical way. different segments too.

 

A possible rebrand of the m4/3 from panasonic may well be possible.

 

I agree about the total lack of necessity to print these days. As an exhibitor in International Photographic Salon's, their organisers are quick to admit to me that print entries are in rapid decline in favour of digitally projected entries. It is easy to see why too, entrants are able to upload quickly on-line and pay their fees by Paypal without incurring exorbitant international packing and postage costs, including return postage of large exhibition prints.

 

Laptops are used to show the family snaps and more recently on-line printed photobooks are taking over from the more familiar photo album. It is all being done quicker and easier using digital processes.

 

Oh, just in case anyone thinks that I may be a digital freak whizz kid, as my doctor frequently reminds me, I am well into my 8th decade!

 

Back to Leica though, I really don't know what could be the best solution but one thing I do know and that is 4/3 sensor technology is not the way forward for a company that has always put image quality first.

 

The latest Sony NEX 7 for instance is APS-C 24 Mpx sensor size with vastly increased image quality than any 4/3 sensor based camera available today. A 13.2 stop dynamic range and good image quality even at 1600 ISO, accepting M lenses with adaptor with focus confirmation and the best EVF viewfinder on the market today. This is what Leica have to match or beat in today's digital market, It is smaller than a Leica M9 but this is the M9's competition from now on. I have used this sensor recently in another Sony camera the A77 and it is good, very, very good! So good that my fulll frame DSLR is now the back-up body to the APS-C! That is until Sony introduce their 36 Mpx full frame replacement for the A900 next year, this should be something else again!

 

It is a tough call for a small company such as Leica at this time and I do hope that the correct decisions are made or have been made, in their Board room.

[Messsucherkamera]

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Olympus buys Leica, rebrands the entire line, poors money into R&D, and Dr. K and Blackstone get a significant return and seats on the new board.

Good God - let's hope not!

 

Sounds like a perfect way to destroy Leica. We'd likely see compromises of quality and craftsmanship in favor of profit & meeting pricepoints palatable to the masses, resulting in Leicas in name only.

 

If seafurydriver's postulation were to become reality, would a megadollar limited edition Yakuza M9 be far behind??

[StephenPatterson]

Does Olympus have enough cash to do that?

Why not the other way around and merge Olympus into Leica and sell that stuff as Leica gear!

Blackstone could pull that off, couldn't they?

 

Cheers, K-H.

 

That was my point, namely that Olympus buy Leica and merge both product lines all under the Leica brand. And even with their recent troubles I believe Olympus could easily buy Leica.

[thighslapper]

Well in a sense what Mr. Puts idea is quite true, we rarely print thay large anymore these days and megapixels doesnt matter much anymore. Everything is stored, displayed, and presented in digital such as blogs, facebook, etc. i would think in these type of worlds a 6mp camera would be much more than enough. We downsize for web contents anyway..

 

What I dont agree is that some still consider photographs as an art, needs to be printed and presented in a classical way. Not all likes to facebook, I know I dont.. And Im not old either to not like facebook due to age matters (no offense intended).

 

Leica with the investment from blackstone would definitely want to expand their portfolio. The aps-c sized interchangeable camera is still yet to come and I feel they will come with different segments too.

 

A possible rebrand of the m4/3 from panasonic may well be possible.

 

Just as digital sensors have developed in leaps and bounds .... I would not forget the fact that digital displays are equally rapidly developing but lag some way behind.....

 

The possibility of an affordable 50+" flat screen that matches the M9's 5200x3400 native resolution is not that far in the future ... and I can see this being the display medium of choice for all photography just as it is for moving images....

 

That brings the Leica M philosophy back into the frame as a real contender....

[Shade]

Yes a digital display that is good enough to match prints would be great. And viable too in the near future. But I think the digital age of cameras has peaked and honestly, there is nothing left to desire.

 

We all have much more than enough resolutions, we have enough lowlight capabilities, and what else could we want? Integration with short time video is also a nice addition albeit not something I would use.

 

The only problem is, people will soon realize that the media available today no longer requires high resolution picstures or suoersharp prints etc. I must admit that I myself have been browsing and viewing pictures through my blackberry, which is no more than 1200x900 native pixels, and everything I see is pleasing enough for mre.

 

The second hand market in my country for cameras are also showing a sign that no one is upgradeing their cameras that much anymore. As I said above, there is nothing left to be desired. The additional perks that camera manufacturers are releasing are just add-ons and imho gimmicks to please a marginal amount of customers.

 

Whilst I believe everything is headed to digital, as a part time wedding photographer myself, I personally find a printed work is always much better, especially when I can incorporate materials into my work such as crystals, fabric, and much more. It gives a more romantic sense into it.

 

By the way, all these rants are just my personally opinion.

[Jeff S]

 

If I understand his statements, I have trouble believing the prediction that there will be a lot more Ms at significantly lower prices (for new cameras, not used)...unless the M line is going to be divided into different segments.

 

To quote my initial post, I haven't yet read any comments addressing this point on the M line specifically. Does anyone anticipate more and significantly less expensive Ms as Puts predicts?

 

Jeff

[stephan_w]

To quote my initial post, I haven't yet read any comments addressing this point on the M line specifically. Does anyone anticipate more and significantly less expensive Ms as Puts predicts?

 

They will have to fill the gap between the M-line and the cheaper cameras as the X1. The strategy is clear, they want to profit from the strong brand and for this they have to expand the sales to cheaper products. On the other hand, this doesn't mean we will see cheaper M-bodies. I think in the consumer category, a manual focussing camera will not sell good enough. The people want the prestige of an M, but not the effort of manual focussing.

 

What I think we will see is a camera similar to the X1, with, maybe, interchangable lenses, but AF like the Fujis. Something hybrid and cheap to build in larger quantities. If they keep an APS-C sensor, there will be an option to use M-lenses.

 

Btw, I don't think that high-end cameras will be obsolete in some time. There are always people who wants more quality, more prestige and more possibilities than the mass market. We are still buying books, aren't we?

 

I-xxx are a nice to have, but there is still demand for the "real thing".

[ho_co]

Jeff, that's not the way I read the article.

 

We've many times rehashed the fact that an M camera can't be built for much less than the current crop.

 

Puts says something has to come into the lineup between the M and the X, and that the M will have a much smaller percentage of the business in future. I don't see anything suggesting a less expensive M.

[lct]

Or he presumes as well as i did that the future mirrorless Leica with have an M mount as well.

[pierovitch]

Or he presumes as well as i did that the future mirrorless Leica with have an M mount as well.

 

even if it is a re-branded Ricoh module with an iPhone dock.

[250swb]

The merging with Olympus would make sense. Leica make the best lenses in the world, Olympus make the next best lenses in the world. They have market share in an area Leica want to be in. Both companies need the same leg up to the next level. They can do it together.

 

Steve

[stevelap]

Probably not a good idea at the moment......... Olympus have 'issues'

[vonheim]

Olympus lacks the resources to buy Leica. Aside from the current turmoil, they have a heavy debt load. I like the m4/3 Pen cameras -- they sort of remind me of Leicas -- but I can't see how the two product lines could be rationally melded. Besides, Leica's relationship with Panasonic would make the picture even more confusing.

 

I agree. I don't think the Olympus buying Leica scenario is very likely, either.

 

However, Blackstone may be in position to acquire another camera manufacturer and merge the two companies (it doesn't have to be Olympus). Financially, it may also be a way to acquire manufacturing capabilities for the Leica brand at a beneficial cost. Perhaps the ability to design and manufacture their own sensors, too?

 

Who knows? From what I understand of Mr. Puts' article I think we will see more product lines from Leica. At least one other line with interchangeable lenses. Further we may see an expansion of some product lines (i.e. the current X1).

 

I would not be surprised if M9 got an extended life as a new EVIL could be introduced before a new M10. I am certain the M9 still has good demand and profits, and is viable as a new camera purchase for another two years. There are more people wanting M lenses than M cameras to start with, and eventually they migrate over to a Leica body of some kind.

 

What this would mean for co-branded products (Leica/Panasonic lenses), and Leica-branded products manufactured by Panasonic, would depend on whether or not the new Leica products is in direct competition with these or not. And certainly how profitable these endeavors are.

 

One thing I am quite certain about is that a reasonably priced EVIL from Leica would fit very nicely in their product line-up (live view, EVF, AF, etc.). It would take M-lenses with an adapter and provide many new customers a smooth way into the Leica brand for bodies in addition to the expensive lenses so many craves. M and S products would remain lower volume and higher priced. For any luxury brand you must maintain some high cost items as niche products.

 

This is, of course, all pure speculation based on rumors, blogs, and other internet sources:) However, it is just as fun to speculate on this as to predict Liverpool's chances for next year's Champions League

 

Anyways, as with Liverpool, I am hopeful and optimistic about the future of Leica!

 

Cheers,

 

Knut

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Shade]

I'm a liverpool fan too!

[treeplanter]

Probably not a good idea at the moment......... Olympus have 'issues'

 

You got it.

 

I was reading on some business website the other day that there's a good chance that Olympus could go out of business. It's medical division would be bought by somebody else, but the camera business would go away. The company, apparently, is in deep trouble.

 

JIm B.