I am not sure why, but several websites are covering again the article from the Japanese magazine Asahi Camera (June 20th issue) which states that Leica has stopped producing film cameras. As I mentioned two months ago, this statement probably got lost in translation. Here is again the official answer I got from Christian Erhardt (Vice President of Marketing Photographic Division, Leica Camera USA) two months ago:
“Your questions comes timely, in fact just earlier this week I was in our factory where I saw the production of Leica’s M product lines. While we do not have a constant production of certain lenses and cameras, we have the ability to produce batches of those products. For example: Certain exotic lenses & cameras are produced in batches to be able to produce an economically feasible number of products.
In this case the M analog production line is just next to Leica’s M9 production line to which we have shifted our focus to better manage the backlog and reduce the wait for our customers.
As you might be well aware from the past, we have always stated that as long as it makes sense for Leica Camera AG to produce M analog cameras we will do so. At this time we are reaching our targeted numbers for M analog cameras and do well with the offering of Leica M a la Carte cameras. Just recently Leica Camera AG offered a special Leica M7 Hermes Camera. This camera was quickly sold out and is a sought after collectors camera.
At this time I have no indication that the Leica M analog cameras will be taken out of Leica’s product offering.”
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Isn’t it time for us to realize that translated copy doesn’t read right?
Whenever there is a quote that has been translated, I try and get the ‘jist of it’, and leave the rest for later – a press statement written in English.
Leica is backtracking again, in order to protect sales of its film cameras to collectors mostly–just like after their prior CEO, Steven K. Lee, said that the M8 would soon be replaced. That would have caused sales of the M8 to drop drastically as many would rather shoot full frame on Leica (hence the M9). Leica quickly fired him after that statement!
The Lee M8 statement was also an incorrect statement. And he didn’t get fired for it. He turned around the company, made a profit and is the father of the S2 camera. He was most likely let go because his job was done, he wasn’t German and the majority owner wanted to play CEO for awhile. Too bad, since his track record would have gotten all those s2 lenses out the door–with shutters. Amateur Photographer is so amateur in it’s fact collecting perhaps.