"Abkündigung" of the Leica R

[veraikon]

Before you stumble about the funny word "Abkündigung" . It is originally an expression in the language of the german protestant church. "Abkündigung" means the notices the pastor calls from the chancel after the sermon (most notices of death). Profane it also means when a producer/dealer calls the non availabitiy of an item. I don´t know any ambivalent expression in english.

An unsere Geschäftspartner im Fotohandel
Leica R-System


Information 7/2009 Solms, im März 2009
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
wir möchten uns bei Ihnen sehr herzlich für den erfolgreichen Verkauf des Leica R-Systems in den letzten Jahren bedanken. Viele Fotografen weltweit nutzen heute dieses System mit Freude und großem Erfolg. Hierfür vielen Dank.
Heute möchten wir Sie darüber informieren, dass ab sofort keine LEICA R9 und keine R-Objektive mehr erhältlich sind. Eine erneute Produktion erfolgt nicht. Zubehörteile für das Leica R-System, die in der Preisliste veröffentlicht sind, können Sie selbstverständlich solange vorrätig über den Customer Service beziehen.
Wir arbeiten derzeit intensiv daran, auch durch die erlangten Erkenntnisse aus der Entwicklung der LEICA S2, die wir im Spätsommer 2009 auf den Markt bringen werden, einen Generationswechsel
im bisherigen R-System zu ermöglichen. Hierüber werden wir Sie sobald wie möglich auf dem
Laufenden halten.
Wir wünschen Ihnen im gemeinsamen Interesse weiterhin eine sehr erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen aus Solms
Leica Camera AG
Vertrieb Deutschland
i.V. Tim Pullmann i.A. Marc Schermuly

[DeeCee3]

For those of us not conversant in German, a translation would be helpful.

dc3

[GMcD]

To our business partners in the photo trade Leica R-system Information 7/2009 Solms, in March 2009 Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to thank you you very cordially for the successful sale of the Leica of R-system in the last years. Many photographers world-wide use today this system with joy and large success. For this thank you. Today we would like to inform you about the fact that immediately no LEICA R9 and no more R-objectives is available. A renewed production does not take place. Accessories for the Leica R-system, which are published in the price list, can refer you naturally so long available over the Customer service. We work at present intensively on it, also by the attained realizations from the development of the LEICA S2, which we will bring in the late summer to 2009 on the market, a change of generations to make possible in the past R-system. Concerning this we become you as soon as possible on that Current ones hold. We wish you in the common interest further a very successful co-operation. Yours sincerely from Solms Leica Camera AG Germany drove out i.V. Tim Pullmann on behalf Marc Schermuly

[GMcD]

Only a google translation, I am afraid, but it seem s the R9 and lenses are no longer in production.

Graham

[ewoq]

short:

- leica r9 and r lenses are no longer available
- there won`t be any production in future
- spare parts and accessories are still available
- further information about a new r-system later

[Olsen]

Simply: There will be no R9 and no more R-lenses produced. The R-system is, in reality, discontinued. Sad. Optically, it was the best SLR system around. Quite a few here are daydreaming about, say, Nikon making a full frame M-camera. It would be far easier for Nikon to make a full frame 'Nikon R9'. That would be quite a camera system, actually.

[jarski]

sounds worrying, but better wait till real confirmation.

thinking about Leica supporting three different camera systems, especially these days, it must be very expensive (and "normal" DSLR market being more crowded than ever of big players like Sony, Canon and Nikon etc).

wonder what would happen to used R-lens prices in longer term, when this system have disappeared from markets. decline or hike ?

[BillBingham2]

Should have done that several years back. I was underwhelmed with the stuff after the SL2, but that's me.

B2 (;->

[Ronald_H]

There is some ambivalence here (I speak German).

They indeed say no more R9 and lenses, BUT they are talking about a generation change, related to the S2. But how? Do they want to have R users upgrade to the S2 system? Unlikely IMHO.

Or do they mean an R type camera based on the S2 will become available? Maybe with backwards compatibility related to the existing R system? Maybe AF film or even a dSLR?

We live in interesting times.

[DeeCee3]

Hmmm. The Leica S2, you don't suppose, would be a dSLR? I'm not in the habit of keeping up with the latest gossip from Solms but could it be? Nobody ever expected an M8, now did they?

dc3

[joachim]

Originally Posted by Ronald_H

There is some ambivalence here (I speak German).

The indeed say no more R9 and lenses, BUT they are talking about a generation change, related to the S2. But how? Do they want to have R users upgrade to the S2 system? Unlikely IMHO.

Or do they mean an R type camera based on the S2 will become available? Maybe with backwards compatibility related to the existing R system? Maybe AF film or even a dSLR?

We live in interesting times.

Hi,

I am a native German. The sentence "Wir arbeiten derzeit intensiv daran, auch durch die erlangten Erkenntnisse aus der Entwicklung der LEICA S2, die wir im Spätsommer 2009 auf den Markt bringen werden, einen Generationswechsel
im bisherigen R-System zu ermöglichen." is just sick- sorry I can't translate that.

Makes you wonder whether the entire thing is a hoax. If not, I could imagine an adapter to fit S2 lenses to R-bodies.

[martin s]

Agreed, this sentence doesn't make too much sense.

"Wir arbeiten derzeit intensiv daran, auch durch die erlangten Erkenntnisse aus der Entwicklung der LEICA S2, die wir im Spätsommer 2009 auf den Markt bringen werden, einen Generationswechsel
im bisherigen R-System zu ermöglichen."

We're currently working hard on making a new generation within the present R System possible (also by using the knowledge from the Leica S2 development, which we're going to release late summer '09)

[historicist]

Strange, as a (admittedly not very good) non-native German speaker that sentence is quite clear to me, though it doesn't translate elegantly into English. Though sometimes things are easier when you are a non-native speaker and don't notice the elegance or otherwise of the phrasing

My attempt:

At the moment we are working intensively to make a new generation of the R-System possible, using the insights gained through the development of the Leica S2.

edit: we'll, obviously it's harder than I thought, my first attempt was completey wrong.

[cfritze]

Some good translators here on the forum, and of course native german speakers. I think the gist of the message has been successfully decoded. I had to grin at joachim's comment - no question that sentence is sick. It's a german language version of the worst excesses in PR-/business-/obfuscation-speak. And the german language really lends itself to this sort of encapsulation within an encapsulation structure. Anyone ever read Mark Twain's "The Awful German Language"?

(I've got a good user condition but presently unusued Leica R summicron 50mm, anyone need?)

[joachim]

Originally Posted by historicist

Strange, as a (admittedly not very good) non-native German speaker that sentence is quite clear to me, though it doesn't translate elegantly into English. Though sometimes things are easier when you are a non-native speaker and don't notice the elegance or otherwise of the phrasing

My attempt:

At the moment we are working intensively to make a new generation of the R-System possible, using the insights gained through the development of the Leica S2.

edit: we'll, obviously it's harder than I thought, my first attempt was completey wrong.

Nops - you missed the "im bisherigen", which implies that it is not a new R-system but stays within what is the just discontinued one. As I wrote the sentence is sick

[joachim]

Originally Posted by cfritze

Some good translators here on the forum, and of course native german speakers. I think the gist of the message has been successfully decoded. I had to grin at joachim's comment - no question that sentence is sick. It's a german language version of the worst excesses in PR-/business-/obfuscation-speak. And the german language really lends itself to this sort of encapsulation within an encapsulation structure. Anyone ever read Mark Twain's "The Awful German Language"?

There is a reason why Leicas and Rolleis got invented in Germany. The English language just misses these important features, which are important to train the brains of the young Germans

Concerning Mark Twain, it is http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/j...in.german.html

[historicist]

you it should have been:

... to make a new generation of the current R-system possible, using ...

?

If so I just left it out because I thought it was redundant, since to say 'a new generation of the R-system' implies that it will still be the same R system, in the same way that a 'new generation of Nikon F' would mean a F2, F3 or F4 etc., not some crazy new camera.

Though one of the disadvantages of being a native speaker of English is that because things are always so obvious often I make mistakes without noticing , so someone else might read the sentence differently.

As for how well Leica can write in German, or the relative merits of German over English ....

[navilluspm]

Originally Posted by cfritze

(I've got a good user condition but presently unusued Leica R summicron 50mm, anyone need?)

If you are giving it away, I'll take it and pay shipping. I would have to buy an adapter for my Rebel XTI, but why not?

[bidnez]

That´s cute! I got my first R camera in the mail today; an R3 with Summicron in very fine shape. Well; it´s just as good looking now as it was before I read this. :-)

[veraikon]

Originally Posted by joachim

Makes you wonder whether the entire thing is a hoax.

Sorry but it is no hoax ! It is the Leica dealer information 7/2009 published in March 2009. This dealer information is a "normal newsletter" The letter was published in LuF. The LuF member is trustworth.
Source:
http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-...ion-7_2009.pdf
(you must be registered to download the pdf)

Indeed the sentence :
"Wir arbeiten derzeit intensiv daran, auch durch die erlangten Erkenntnisse aus der Entwicklung der LEICA S2, die wir im Spätsommer 2009 auf den Markt bringen werden, einen Generationswechsel
im bisherigen R-System zu ermöglichen."
is difficult to translate . In my eyes it is a typical germanism contracting two sentences.
Main sentence is:
"Wir arbeiten derzeit intensiv daran einen Generationswechsel
im bisherigen R-System zu ermöglichen.
=> "We are currently working hard to make change a of generation
in the current R-system possible".
Second sentence is
"Der Generationswechsel wird durch die erlangten Erkenntnisse aus der Entwicklung der LEICA S2, die wir im Spätsommer 2009 auf den Markt bringen werden ermöglicht"
"The generational change is enabled by the know how gained from the development of the LEICA S2, which we will bring on market in the late summer of 2009."

" Hierüber werden wir Sie sobald wie möglich auf dem Laufenden halten."
We will inform you as soon as possible

Short version of the letter:
There will be a R-System (compatible with the current) on base of the new S2. We cannot tell you any date.
We clear our warehouses for the new stock. Dealer do as we do...

In my opinion this info-letter is a very bad example for communication.

[joachim]

Hi Veraikon,

thanks for clarifying your source. I had assumed Leica was capable of a better mastery of the German language than what is shown in their note.

[sevo]

Originally Posted by veraikon

Short version of the letter:
There will be a R-System (compatible with the current) on base of the new S2. We cannot tell you any date.
We clear our warehouses for the new stock. Dealer do as we do...

"Wir arbeiten intensiv daran ... zu ermöglichen" is "we try to make it possible to" - which is nowhere like "there will be". There is absolutely no commitment on actually creating a R series followup, even if they succeed in preserving the technical possibility to do so (which they after all only claim to attempt - a rather weak commitment).

Honestly, I would not expect it. Having a SLR series was important for Leica while and as long as even every point and shoot user considered 35mm SLRs as the reference format. Most of that psychological relevance has been lost now, and having two incompatible SLR series just to enhance market visibility is quite useless, and probably more expensive than Leica can afford and justify...

Sevo

[Roger Hicks]

I recall hearing Dr. Kaufmann say at photokina (at the S2 launch) that there will be an R10, 'just don't push us on when'. This release fits perfectly with that statement.

Cheers,

R.

[Rob-F]

Originally Posted by ewoq

short:

- leica r9 and r lenses are no longer available
- there won`t be any production in future
- spare parts and accessories are still available
- further information about a new r-system later

Even shorter:

Der Leica R KAPUT

[Al Kaplan]

I'll try printing it out and getting my ex to look at it, but she might not understand it either. I still have to change the film in her Minolta X700 ;-)