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ON LEICA. MY THOUGHTS. I wanted to share a little rant I had via email this morning re: the legendary maker of amazing cameras and lenses, Leica. Let me first say: I am a huge Leica fan. I’ve spent many an hour drooling over their website and pining for the day when I could someday afford a Leica (…more on that later). My former boss, a great photographer from the East Coast old school,  introduced me to the wonder and mystique that is Leica, and I’ve been hooked ever since. For those unfamiliar with what that means, let me put it this way: Many people these days are infatuated with Apple products. I’m right there with you. We love the simplicity, precision, amazing industrial design, and just plain cachet of any/all Apple products. Well, multiply that by about 50 years, apply it to a worldwide brand of camera and you get Leica. A grand old company that basically invented 35mm photography and the modern optical lens, Leica is in a category all its own. Leica (Leitz) lenses are renowned for their clarity, resolution, sharpness, contrast and durability. Some of the greatest images ever made were made on Leicas. Alright, enough intro. If you don’t believe me, do your homework. Leica is(was) a juggernaut in the world of photography. To the point though: I wish Leica would figure out a way to price their stuff more competitively. I would never want them to have to sacrifice on quality, but I believe if they hit the sweet spot in the market, their sales would sky-rocket. As soon as anyone truly experiences a Leica, it’s over. There’s no going back. It’s a whole other level. And yet…that’s exactly what it is…a whole other level for most people—even pros. Anybody can get a STATE OF THE ART Canon or Nikon—with a couple really great lenses—for around $10,000. The equivalent non-digital Leica will cost you about $20k. A quick example: this lens, a 70-180mm f/2.8 Vario Apo Elmarit R Manual Focus is $7500. Sure, it’s no-doubt an extraordinarily great lens. But come on, I could get the only slightly-less-extraordinary Canon 70-200mm IS, auto-focus and image stabilized lens for about $1700. I honestly don’t know how they are going to capture the next generation of buyers. I mean, at this point, they are basically setting themselves up as the camera for wealthy retirees (certainly no offense intended to any Leica owners out there). I don’t know of ONE young working photographer that shoots with Leica. But I know a BUNCH that would snap up a whole digital R setup in a heartbeat if they were equivalent in technology and even close to being reasonably priced. But they are neither. It’s very frustrating. There’s no question about their optics. Legendary for sure. But I think if they don’t hit a homerun with the rumored fully digital “R10” or whatever they end up calling it, they will be done for in the professional digital world. They’ll just have to keep selling their great pro-sumer/consumer level integrated-lens cameras and point-and-shoots (which is frankly sad) and sell pro-level film gear to hobbyists and enthusiasts, and remain an ultra-niche. Which sucks.

ON LEICA. MY THOUGHTS. I wanted to share a little rant I had via email this morning re: the legendary maker of amazing cameras and lenses, Leica. Let me first say: I am a huge Leica fan. I’ve spent many an hour drooling over their website and pining for the day when I could someday afford a Leica (…more on that later). My former boss, a great photographer from the East Coast old school,  introduced me to the wonder and mystique that is Leica, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

For those unfamiliar with what that means, let me put it this way: Many people these days are infatuated with Apple products. I’m right there with you. We love the simplicity, precision, amazing industrial design, and just plain cachet of any/all Apple products. Well, multiply that by about 50 years, apply it to a worldwide brand of camera and you get Leica. A grand old company that basically invented 35mm photography and the modern optical lens, Leica is in a category all its own. Leica (Leitz) lenses are renowned for their clarity, resolution, sharpness, contrast and durability. Some of the greatest images ever made were made on Leicas.

Alright, enough intro. If you don’t believe me, do your homework. Leica is(was) a juggernaut in the world of photography. To the point though: I wish Leica would figure out a way to price their stuff more competitively. I would never want them to have to sacrifice on quality, but I believe if they hit the sweet spot in the market, their sales would sky-rocket. As soon as anyone truly experiences a Leica, it’s over. There’s no going back. It’s a whole other level. And yet…that’s exactly what it is…a whole other level for most people—even pros.

Anybody can get a STATE OF THE ART Canon or Nikon—with a couple really great lenses—for around $10,000. The equivalent non-digital Leica will cost you about $20k. A quick example: this lens, a 70-180mm f/2.8 Vario Apo Elmarit R Manual Focus is $7500. Sure, it’s no-doubt an extraordinarily great lens. But come on, I could get the only slightly-less-extraordinary Canon 70-200mm IS, auto-focus and image stabilized lens for about $1700.

I honestly don’t know how they are going to capture the next generation of buyers. I mean, at this point, they are basically setting themselves up as the camera for wealthy retirees (certainly no offense intended to any Leica owners out there). I don’t know of ONE young working photographer that shoots with Leica. But I know a BUNCH that would snap up a whole digital R setup in a heartbeat if they were equivalent in technology and even close to being reasonably priced. But they are neither. It’s very frustrating. There’s no question about their optics. Legendary for sure. But I think if they don’t hit a homerun with the rumored fully digital “R10” or whatever they end up calling it, they will be done for in the professional digital world. They’ll just have to keep selling their great pro-sumer/consumer level integrated-lens cameras and point-and-shoots (which is frankly sad) and sell pro-level film gear to hobbyists and enthusiasts, and remain an ultra-niche. Which sucks.

1/29/08, 1:42pm SHORT URL: http://tmblr.co/ZJ8Wby1VLaO FILED UNDER: #left  #photography  #Leica