What is the deal with all of these special issue Ms? Is the marketing department at Leica so devoid of ideas that all they can come up with is unusual body colors, engravings etc. How much additional revenue do they create? Wouldn't the company be better served devoting that time and effort into new product, or don't I get it? Do collectors really rule the roost?

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@home.com), November 07, 2001

Answers

The vast majority of Leica M cameras sold are standard edition models. The very small number of special edition bodies with commemorative or styling details is a way for the company to satisfy an existing demand for those who value styling and special editions. It doesn't cost that much to do it, it returns some modicom of additional profit to the company, and the buyers of these special editions like them.

What's the big deal? Every camera manufacturer of note has done special edition models which diverge in mostly cosmetic ways from the standard run.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), November 07, 2001.

Right now Leica can use all the extra profit it can get.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), November 07, 2001.

"BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELISABETH II". Ever heard that one? (I have nothing against her.) Do you think she actually appointed certain teas to be sold? Or certain cigars? Etc etc. Do you think she actually (or even always) drinks (maybe only) those brands, smokes those brands? Those companies gave that monarchy expensive presents thereof. And cameras too, as did Sweden, as did Germany, etc. Should we buy all these items, just because they, too, have inherited them???

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 07, 2001.

A few special additions are fine but really, how many becomes too many? Are we at the end of the line as far as product innovation goes? What would you like to see as the next M accesory? BTW What was the name of that pink one?

-- Brooks (bvonarx@home.com), November 07, 2001.

So what are you looking for, Brooks? What kind of innovation is appealing to you?

The M appeals to me as a simple, high quality camera. I use very little in way of accessories other than a flash, lenses, and much more occasionally rapidwinder, filters, cable release, etc. I don't need much else.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), November 07, 2001.

I completly agree with you as far as the product goes. My question should have been prefaced as a buisness question. IMHO, with out some buisness innovation the M on your camera will soon stand for Minolta.

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@home.com), November 07, 2001.

Well, yes ... I wouldn't characterize the question as a "Leica M Innovation" issue at all, or make disparaging hints at "specials" indicating a lack of innovation.

From a business point of view, Leica needs to do more things in the digital world that photography is rapidly becoming. You can see this happening with the new cameras that are being readied for announcment from their work with Mitsubishi. They are not so much innovators as finishers .... they produce the quality peaks in their products, not the newest features. That's why people buy Leica: established value and performance, not major innovation. Canon and Nikon are much more associated with innovation products.

Whether the M in my Leica becomes "Minolta" is very dubious, but heck, I own the dang things already and they will likely outlive me anyway even as it is. As long as they perform the tasks for which i bought them with the excellence they show, what label is on them is totally inconsequential.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), November 07, 2001.

I think it would be cool if you could select the rangefinder patch location. E.g. you could leave it at center for one shot, but move it around at will.

This would get rid of the need to focus on center and recompose (and guess what how to adjust the focus).

That would be a pretty neat innovation in my book.

-- Will Woodford (woodford@sgi.com), November 07, 2001.

I think it would be cool if you could select the rangefinder patch location. E.g. you could leave it at center for one shot, but move it around at will.

This would get rid of the need to focus on center and recompose (and guess what how to adjust the focus).

That would certainly be a neat innovation ... And I have no idea how you would do that with an optical/mechanical rangefinder device.

On the other hand, I have a Canon EOS camera with multi-spot focus sensors, I can move the 'hot' one around easily ... but I find it much faster and easier to manage locking the sensitivity to the center one, locking in the focus and reframing when I need precision. Leads me to wonder just what real value the multispot stuff provides...

Godfrey

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), November 07, 2001.

Well, I guess they make special edition models because people have bought them in the past. And I guess they need/want the money. Geez, it's such a bummer to keep hearing how you people think Leica Camera is circling the drain.

Personally, I could care less about the digital revolution, but I must be a dinosaur. Anyway, in addition to all the good that the world needs now, I pray I can scroung up enough $$ to get my drean Leica kit (all brand new) including a 28 Summicron, a 35 Summilux, a 50 Suimmilux, a Tri-Elmar, and a 0.85 TLL before Leica goes under. Then Leica could go down the drain, the world could go digital, and I'd just shoot with my beautimus Leica kit unitl I became extinct. Will I be able to get my beloved Delta 400 for the next 30-40 years?!?

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), November 07, 2001.

I am perhaps one of the few suckers who actually buys these limited edition things to use. And I like it!

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), November 07, 2001.

"BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELISABETH II". Ever heard that one? (I have nothing against her.) Do you think she actually appointed certain teas to be sold?

Well, actually the answer is that she (or the particular member of the royal family in question) does actually use and like the product. In fact, she/they like it so much that they give the company in question the right to say this. No one ever pretends they only use that company and no other. But, it is not all marketing nonsense, after all the Royal Family gets little/nothing from it. They lend their names to (largely British) companies as their patriotic duty, but it is not particularly dishonest, since they do not give it out to anyone who pays them, but only to things that they do genuinely like - unlike many celebrity endorsements.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), November 09, 2001.