Innovating cameras versus fashion accessories: Fuji and Leica

Today’s product announcements by Leica and Fuji (Fujifilm for the purists) makes for a fascinating study in diverging product development strategies.  In what is clearly the result of Leica CEO Herr Dr. Andreas Kaufmann’s passion for fashion, Leica’s latest M9 product announcement is replete with the language of the well dressed:

• “a new interpretation of the characteristic features”
• “fine Nappa leather”
• “stylish shoulder holster”
• “the exclusive and rugged character of the camera”
• “camera’s trim, which uses leather typically reserved for the interiors of Audi’s premium automobiles”
• “The Leica logo has also been restyled. The logogram is elaborately hand-engraved in pure resin, inlayed with white enamel and subsequently sealed with a clear varnish and polished.”

The fact that the M9 is also a camera is almost incidental to the announcement.

Now, a few phrases from Fuji’s announcement of its new camera, the FinePix X100, a digital rangefinder.

• “is aimed at the professional photographer or keen enthusiast looking for exceptional quality pictures from a compact camera”
• “The priority for this model is picture quality“
• “the FinePix X100 offers a number of technical developments that will set this camera apart from other contenders”
• “The new Hybrid Viewfinder offers users expanded freedom in the composition and enjoyment of photography in a range of challenging shooting conditions.”
• “When shooting HD movies“
• “The adoption of the non-collapsible lens structure with minimized lens length not only contributes to the compact size but also eliminates telescoping of the lens when the power is on.”
• “The camera controls have been carefully thought out to give the photographer simple and speedy access to aperture, shutter speed, ISO etc, to allow maximum creative expression with minimum hassle.”

Yep.  That’s a camera product announcement.

To be fair, Leica’s latest spin on the M9 is just that: spin.  The M9’s product launch announcement in September, 2009 contained the real “meat.”  But that’s the point: in between substantive product announcements of products that actually add value to the photographic process, Leica fills the air with product releases that belong in Vogue or Vanity Fair.

Just as an aside, the X100 looks to be a dead-on competitor to Leica’s X1.  So, given Herr Dr. Kaufmann’s passion for fashion, what do you think will be Leica’s competitive response to the X100?  Probably a faux ostrich leather cover for the X1.

Herr Dr. Kaufman, when I want the latest in European fashion, I will consult the houses in Paris or Milan; I will not be calling on Solms.  It now appears that when I want the latest in photographic innovation, I will consult the firms in Tokyo.

(PS – Oh, and Herr Dr. Kaufman, please take me off the list of Hermes M7’s.  My wife has a Birkin Bag and according to her the leather can’t quite hold up to actual use as covering for a camera body.)

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And then there’s the nadir of brand development: the simple application of one’s logo to a product without adding any  value.  Like the new “red dot” Panasonics also announced today by Leica.  Here are my thoughts.