Interview with Leica about future cameras
Stefan Daniel, Global Director, Leica
In June Leica opened the third part of the Leitz-Park in its hometown of Wetzlar. Situated next to its headquarters, the third park of Leitz-Park contains the ‘World of Leica’ featuring a museum, the Leica archives, and Leica Galerie; the new head office of Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH (formerly CW Sonderoptic GmbH); a four-star hotel; and an office building that will house the new Ernst Leitz Werkstätten where exclusive Leica watches are assembled by hand.
On the occasion of the opening we spoke with Stefan Daniel, Global Director, Business Unit Photo at Leica.
TEXT: ERIK DERYCKE, EISA Expert Group Manager Photography
The latest buildings in Leitz-Park in Wetzlar.
You are responsible for product development at Leica Camera AG. Does that mean that you decide which products Leica will develop?
I do not decide that alone. My team and I make suggestions and set out the course; but we have with Dr. Kaufmann (the chairman of Leica) someone who takes an active part in the discussion. Of course, it also depends heavily on technical factors, market developments, and customer wishes. We try to bring all of that together and then define the products.
In 2008-2009, when it became clear that Leica was moving into calmer waters, we set ourselves the task of completing our product portfolio. In the mid-2000s, we only had the M camera and a few compact cameras. The Leica R system was outdated and so there were many blanks on our roadmap. Since them we have filled them in, step by step.
What role do your customers play in product development?
Leica is a brand to which almost every customer has an emotional bond and a strong loyalty. That's why we get a lot of customer feedback — when they want a feature or when they do not like it. We also have a very good relationship with the moderators of the Leica Forum. On the other hand, we also conduct market research, invite customers to show them prototypes - of course under strict confidentiality - and test whether an idea is popular or not. One example is the M10, where we introduced a feature like the thinner body. It was not technically easy for us to realize, but we were amazed that customers wanted it so much. It confirmed that we had made a good decision.
The youngest member of the Leica family is the small retro-style Leica CL, unveiled in November 2017. How was this camera received?
The CL gets very good reviews everywhere and we see that the camera is not only used by amateur photographers, but also by professional users, especially when they need a camera that is small, light and unobtrusive. Yesterday I spoke with a photographer who used them in the Amazon forest and brought back pictures that he could not have made with a traditional DSLR camera.
The Leica SL seems the counterpart to the CL: it is big, modern and has a full-frame sensor. How does the SL fit in the portfolio?
The Leica SL plays the role of the workhorse: it is a particularly fast and powerful camera, with lenses covering a wide range of focal lengths. The SL is essentially the more modern alternative to a full-frame DSLR. I think we play a pioneering role here and that our esteemed competitors will sooner or later move into this field as well. The SL system is still in its early days for us. The lens portfolio is being continuously expanded.
Do you also see room for a smaller mirrorless full-frame camera, for example with the dimensions of an M?
I do not want to claim that we have filled in every blank so far. We are always looking at alternative concepts, but I cannot say more about that for the time being. The recent rumours about a so-called CM however are totally unfounded.
The M series still is the Leica flagship; how will the M evolve?
In January of last year, we introduced the M10. The camera was received very well, as we had expected, especially because of its more compact size, thinner body, but also the traditional operation with fewer buttons. M is now as before our most important product line and we will continue to develop it. From time to time we also do very special things, like the Edition Zagato on the basis of the M10.
Leica M10 Zagato Edition
Are these limited editions purchased by collectors or photographers?
We have both. And with the collectors there are also different groups. Some are brand enthusiasts who buy this because they find it beautiful or because it is rare. Others buy it in the hope that the price will go up. And then there are those who simply say: I want to take pictures with an extraordinary camera and use it as their daily camera. However, we are talking about an edition of 250 copies; the number of customers is rather small.
Leica S (Type 007)
In recent years, other manufacturers have presented relatively affordable medium format cameras, which means they no longer are limited to professional users. Is this a development that you also investigate for your S System?
At the moment we have the Leica S (Type 007) on the market, and the S System will continue to evolve. We have interesting plans and will stay active in this segment. The Leica S lenses are among the best available for medium format, and we will continue along this path quite consistently. I cannot disclose more at the moment.
Do you still see a future for compact cameras?
We see the market going in two directions. Everything in the entry-level segment has fallen victim to smartphone photography. However, high-quality compact cameras, especially those with a large image sensor, are very stable overall in the market. These include our D-Lux, V-Lux and the new C-Lux we will introduce tonight. Fortunately, we can say that we are not affected by the general decline.
Talking about smartphones: Leica cooperates Huawei. How does that work – do you make the lenses for their cameras?
The entire Leitz Park would be too small to produce the amount of lenses that are needed for smartphones! Therefore, the production does not take place here, but at the usual manufacturers in China. We do work together in several fields. There are topics such as the optimization of camera modules, the interaction of lens and sensor, the coating with anti-reflection coatings, the colour matching, and the use of the photo functions. Basically, we share our expertise in making a good photograph.
Does Leica also learn from Huawei, for example in the field of artificial intelligence?
It really is an exchange of knowledge in both directions. When it comes to processors, speed of electronics, etc., we benefit from Huawei. Our cooperation goes way beyond pure branding - name in exchange for money.
Leica Sofort instant camera
You also have a partnership with Fujifilm for the Sofort instant camera. How successful is this camera?
We are very pleased with the success of Sofort, which has exceeded our expectations by far. We find that a Sofort lot is being bought by people who want to give a camera as a gift, who want to give their sons or daughters a Leica. We also made a special edition there with Jean Pigozzi. We are reaching new target groups, and thus the Sofort opens new doors for us.
Fujifilm has since also introduced an instax square with square picture format; it seems logical that a Sofort square will follow as well?
That's certainly interesting (laughs).
2 Kommentarer
Logga in för att kommentera
I vilket fall verkar Leica hålla M-serien för traditionalisterna och med de andra serierna försöker de locka en nyare och bredare kundgrupp. Det har dock visat sig mer framgångsrikt med lite retro (Q och CL) än mer futuristisk design (SL och TL).