The Zeiss attack - what does it mean for Leica?

[mike_elek]

Since Carl Zeiss AG never made cameras, this is new territory for them.

[majid]

Well, Leica seems to have found a "student" who can afford an "à la carte" M7, but the others are definitely not blue-collar. And anybody who thinks the Oberkochen-made 85mm Sonnar won't cut into Apo-Summicron sales because of 5mm is not paying attention. The 15mm f/2.8 looks plenty fast, but seems as large as a Noctilux.<p>

 

<center><img src="http://www.leica-camera.com/imperia/md/images/leica/alacarte/typen/8_392x300.jpg"></center>

[mike_elek]

> What Ford did for Jaguar was to bring it mediocrity.

 

You're right. I'm sure it was much more fun watching your Jaguar be towed to the garage ... again.

[pensacolaphoto]

Well Mike, I have never owned a Jaguar, so I can't say ;-)

I do own a 1977 Mercedes Benz 450SL, and it has proven to be relatively reliable.

[pensacolaphoto]

I am not worrying about Leitz's future. After Hurricane Ivan I have other issues on my mind. Things come and go, and it is quite possible that Leitz will close shop one day, but so will others. Until this happens (or does not) we might as well continue enjoying the beautiful cameras and lenses Leitz and others have produced.

[samuel_dilworth]

It is undeniable that the Jaguar brand has lost a lot of prestige since Ford took over.

Many companies that produce luxury products are unable to resist the temptation to

increase short-term profits by introducing a low-end product range. Of course this

ultimately cheapens the brand and makes it less appealing to those with serious

money to spend. After a while, the company starts losing money, the bean-counters

are called in, workforce moral falls, product quality takes a nose-dive, and the

brand's value drops further. If a scapegoat can't be found, Bush can always be blamed

for the weak dollar, or if the company is taken over, Blair can take the blame for

"selling" it. (At this point Richard Branson or a group of employees might make a

publicity-grabbing "bid", which is always oh-so-close to saving the company, but

tragically, marginally too low.) The company is forced to play safe with its product

mix and sooner or later the brand is nearly worthless, a pale shadow of its glorious

past. All this has happened or is happening to Jaguar: consider that Jaguar was once

an icon of British motorsport prowess, and then a manufacturer of fine motorcars for

country dwellers and the well-to-do. Now the once-proud company is reduced to

supplying an odd car to Westminster, selling cheap unexceptional cars to

<em>Sun</em>-reading bums, and being stoically praised in the tabloid press as a

"worthy alternative" to BMW.<p>

 

I fear the decline of prestigious brands is largely a result of hyper-pragmatic

management that completely fails to understand the brand's cachet. This is possibly a

result of increasingly pragmatic customers. For example, a lot of people nowadays

don't care if their car's dashboard is made of walnut burl or plastic, as long as it has

air-conditioning and 18,000 mile service intervals. However, that is emphatically

<em>not</em> the case with customers who spend 60k on a car or 4k on a camera,

and that is what Jaguar (under Ford) failed to recognise and Leica obviously does

realise. Additionally, with the internet it is no longer possible to hide information

from the buying public. For example, we are already informed that the 15 and 85 mm

ZM lenses are to be made in Germany, while the others will be made in Japan. Every

piece of plastic in a Leica product is ruthlessly criticised on forums like this one.<p>

 

As to the new camera: I think it highly unlikely that it will even approach Leica quality

levels. Today's Leica M cameras are so good because seething outrage would ensue if

they were made to a price point. But I think it impossible that a camera as well-made

as a Leica M would get out of the boardroom door of any modern company (including

Leica if the weight of history were not quite so firmly resting on its slim shoulders).

The lenses, on the other hand, are probably going to be optically superb and better

made than the CV lenses. But I bet they'll be far from cheap!

[Alex_Es]

Right, ISO dial manually activated, not frames. Such is life. I

wrote last at about 5 a.m. It is now 13:20. A thought hit me.

 

What does the Z.I. remind you of?

 

It reminds me of the Minolta CLE. Is this sort of the reborn CLE

that has been part of the photographic fantasy life here in Japan?

 

If the build quality is at least up to CLE standards then it should

be a very fine camera.

 

Though I wish you could set the frames manually...

[db1]

For me, the ZI means I can get into a Leica-like camera for what will probably be a cheaper price and still have world famous, top quality glass to use.

 

If the time comes that I find myself needing/wanting a 35mm rangefinder, I will most likely choose the ZI because I currently shoot with a Hasselblad.

[Uhooru]

"You're right. I'm sure it was much more fun watching your Jaguar be towed to the garage ... again."

 

Pish tush, I knew and know people who had/have perfectly running pre- bland Jaguars. They even drove them now and again. You really ought to not rely on urban legends for your facts. Misinformation probably disseminated by BMW dealers. But in any event enjoy your ford/cosina/rangefinder that you will pay much more for than the real thing that it is..A CV Bessa in disguise for probably a lot more money.

[john_r._fulton_jr.]

In Formula 1 racing Jaguar is being out-performed by Ferrari, Honda,

Renault, BMW, and Mercedes. Doesn't that sound about right? (Well, yes,

they are beating Toyota by one point).

[marbing]

For Alex and Lucien:

The frame lines are automatically set depending on the mounted lens BUT you can also manually set the them independent of the mounted lens.

[lucien1]

Meryl,

 

> BUT you can also manually set the them independent of the mounted lens.

 

Nope. It's only a lever on the front to activate the frames like on any Leica M.

 

Lucien

[brien_m]

Lucien- from the site:

 

Viewfinder: 0.74X magnification. Bright range- and viewfinder with bright line frames activated by used lens type. Displayed frames 28/85 mm. 35 mm, 50 mm. Separate frame selector lever for manual frame selection independent of mounted lens. Automatic parallax compensation. Diopter correction lenses -4 to +2 diopters. Standard setting at -1 diopter

[lucien1]

Yes. It's the lever on the front (left)

 

Like on any Leica M.

 

The frames will not stay once you let the lever go.

 

Lucien

[ryanjoseph]

(> What Ford did for Jaguar was to bring it mediocrity.

You're right. I'm sure it was much more fun watching your Jaguar be towed to the garage ... again.)

 

Actualy. FORD stand for.

Fix

Or

Repair

Daily

[chip l.]

What seems to be missing from Leica, Zeiss, or Cosina is a 24 or 25mm f/2 lens. If digital

is the future such a lens makes sense. Otherwise there are many of us I think that would

welcome such a lens.