Tsunami survivor’s Y1.2 mil camera: heart-felt gift or PR stunt?

Another company (which I won't name) did the same thing with a few disaster survivors in America, but they donated their products anonymously, with no press, fanfare, or "glitz". They didn't want to be seen as trying to profit in any way from the disaster, apparently Leica has no such concerns.

People are always curious and always will be about the intent of gift giving, whatever the cause. as for why didn't the giver hand over the cash equivalent, there are I think possibly three reasons, 1/ the giver actually thought that the gift itself would somehow help to overcome all those sad memories. 2/ The giver new that a cash donation to whatever charity or government organisation, would be swallowed up in unseen organisation overheads and running costs and the full cash donation would not used for whatever cause 3/ This was an intensional free publicity exercise. Whichever you choose to believe, we will never know, only the giver and his conscience knows the true reason.

Rather strange of people to criticise a company for making a gift - with or without PR value - when there are many, many companies and individuals who give nothing.

Take a wild guess.

Haters be haters. PR stunt or not, they gave her a free camera so that she could continue pursuing her passion.

For the ones complaining why didn't they give her 1.2 million yen or that they could have just donated that money. That's the store price so no they didn't spend 1.2 million yen.

This is certainly not PR stunt. Given the sort of camera the Leica Monochrom is, it does not need this sort of PR, as it is not a camera made for the general public. Leica M cameras represent a niche market, but the Monochrom is a niche camera within that market because it only shoots black and white. That's right: only black and white. In other words, this camera is aimed at professionals, for whom this act of kindness on the part of Leica would have negligible effect as far as deciding to buy or not buy the Monochrom. If somehow there was a surge of desire to own the Monochrom after this, people would be put on a waiting list, as they were when the wildly popular (by Leica standards) Leica M 240 finally hit the market. Making this cameras is a relatively slow process.

This was an act of kindness to help a struggling young photographer. I just hope Leica added free service for this camera, Leica service after the guarantee expires is very expensive.

I am sure this Monochrom will be put to good use. It is a pity that Leica's gift inspired to usual pack of Internet trolls to come out of the woodwork.

Complex thoughts about this. As a really bad amateur photographer, I feel that it is great that Leica gave this young lass a camera so that she can continue her passion. Moreover, not just a camera, but a Leica, something she will cherish for the rest of her life.

On the other hand, although I understand the company's desire to make a bit of marketing/PR mileage out of this gift, perhaps doing the full routine down in Ginza was a poor choice. A press release and perhaps some followup on their website might have been a more subtle approach. Putting this act up in lights has an undertone of cheapening the brand and the act.

They gave this girl a generous gift, something they did not have to do. I will not be criticizing anyone who chooses freely to give charity to another.

This article seems like trying to make something out of nothing. "Some internet commenters" don't like this - well let me tell you, they could give free cameras to everyone who wanted one and "some internet commenters" wouldn't like it. People like to complain, especially when they are anonymous.

Sounds like PR stunt to me.

She must be cute to use her for their PR stunt.

If it's a Leica digital, the small rear screen makes it a lot harder to focus than Nikon, canon, etc. and I don't think this has auto focus. Leicas require real discipline. I remember as a kid when I overflowed the tub, the folks took my squirtgun camera away from me. I guess that's not the same thing......

Of course it is a PR stunt, but what is wrong with that? That is what companies do. And high-end cameras is what Leica makes, so what else should they donate? And who says the company did not make a cash donation previously, so I really don´t understand what the brouhaha is about. What kind of bleak, boring world, free of stunts of any kind, do the protesters want to live in?

The Leica Monochrome is manual focus and it does not have a live view monitor (unlike the Leica M 240). I t focuses with a range finding mechanism, which is why it is called a rangefinder camera. It is not hard to learn to use a rangefinder. Leica's is exceptionally good. Rangefinder cameras were the normal before SLRs and, later, autofocus.

I would not call this a "stunt," no more than I would call a charity concern a "stunt."

i only hope this girl is not bullied.

Give the camera anonymously, without the press release and then it truly shows your concern.

How blinded we are by talk of PR stunts, 'glitzy Ginza' and sticker price.

There's no mention of this on Leica's Japan website. We wouldn't expect Leica to be headquartered in Ueno, and would the company really want to gift this budding photographer a consumer product?

The young woman's dream was to join a photography club at university. However she must stop her education to work in a factory.

Thank you, Leica, and Herbie Yamaguchi, for valuing her, and keeping her dream alive.

One reason I really love using my Canon camera system is its sticker price of 4000 EUR. Every time I expose its 36mm to light I feel like I'm accomplishing something (moreso than taking the same picture with a cellphone for example). Having a really valuable instrument can be very motivating for any artist, photography university or not. Good Job, LEICA.

Damned if you do. Damned if you don't .

Another company (which I won't name) did the same thing with a few disaster survivors in America, but they donated their products anonymously

How do you know which company did it if they did it anonymously?

They didn't want to be seen as trying to profit in any way from the disaster, apparently Leica has no such concerns.

So much negativity. I don't get this attitude. The company did something nice. Why can't people leave it at that? I am sure the recipient is grateful for the gift. Why can't people respect that and the generosity of the Leica chairperson?

At least Leica's money actually reached the disaster area. That is a lot more than can be said for the billions of yen donated to the disaster area and collected in taxes managed by the Japanese government.

Fact 1: she loves photography; Fact 2: Black and white photography is the photographer-artist's preference because it teaches you a lot more about light, shadow, the difference in B/W between colours like red and green or blue and yellow, and how coloured filters work to affect or enhance those differences. I started with an Ansco box camera in the early '60s and progressed through three SLRs and now two DSLRs, and I'm still shooting almost as much B/W as colour. Some of it even gets published. So, GOOD ON LEICA! Message to girl: Now, work with it, shoot, learn, shoot, learn; become good enough to have your work published, it's want we all want for you.

The camera’s hefty price tag seemed to grab the attention of many who wondered if the company could have helped out far more victims with a cash donation rather than a high-end camera to one 18 year-old girl.

Leica didn't buy the camera, then give it to her. They just gave her one off their stock shelves. It was probably documented in their accounting books as a promotional expense so in that respect it really was a PR event.

I can't get as cynical as those who are worried about the camera being too expensive or if it was just a PR stunt. I can see a girl who has lost friends and an opportunity to attend college and pursue her dreams. The company heard about her dissapointment and gave her something to help her to continue her love of photography, it's simple. Just what would any company do when giving a gift, but give a very good example of their work rather than some cheap throwaway model. If they did then people would call them cheap and make sarcastic remarks: "Gee you really went all out, you sure you can afford to be so generous?" I'm happy for the girl, I hope her success in the future dims the pain of all she lost.

ppl need things to do, and need to have dreams goals and projects.

not just supplies, food, water, prefab houses, but something to make life liveable too.

giving disaster survivors a special thing is really nice, especially something like a special camera to high school kids, I would imagine they were thrilled to get it.

That said, anonymously and no fanfare might have seemed a little more tasteful, and also, they make nice cameras that aren't 1.2 million Y,

Why not give several 5 or 10 mahn cameras to several schools in the region instead?

Does it really matter? It's a gift.

Why should anyone get to dictate how or what is given? If the gift was a burden, that would be different, but it seems that this girl would have appreciated the gesture.

For those of you that are bothered by this gesture, challenge yourself to do better than Leica. If you already have, then kudos for you.

What about the bike Harley Davidson rebuilt and returned to its Tohoku owner after it washed up on a California coast? Was that PR? C'mon, what happened to just being nice! It's not like Leica needs the money...

"Andreas Kaufmann, Leica board of directors chairman, heard about the girl’s wish and decided to give her one of his company’s cameras" - "the gift-giving ceremony at the company’s headquarters"

M. Kaufmann decided to give a gift, the girl was invited to the company offices and the camera was presented.

Anyone who would denigrate Leica, the 18 year old, the retail cost or the location of the gift giving has no idea what it is to lose a home, family, pets and peace of mind.

If, in some small way, anyone can reach out to so many who have suffered so much then praise them and act in a similar fashion. The internet is full of self serving cynics and none of them give anything to anyone except a disturbing impression of vulgarity and sadistic judgment. Cheers M. Kaufmann and gods bless this young lady. It's not a camera, it's compassion and we all need that.

Especially when one knows that the M Monochrom camera is really special (Black and White photographic artist only) version, one understands the depth and the meaning of Leica's gift. It's a very restrictive tool, this restriction allowing the necessary freedom for the full artistic expression to develop.

Why can't it be a heartfelt gift AND a PR stunt? The company obviously wanted to give the camera, so they did. Using this for some additional PR doesn't cost the girl anything, nor does it take away from the camera she received. In fact, because of the PR, it appears she got a free trip to Tokyo on top of the camera.

Strangerland: Exactly! It is not the first time a company does this, and what is there to complain about. It is a win-win for both sides. And I find an article about a donation which mentions the manufacturer a lot less annoying than an advertising campaign. In this case, it was actually informative.

All those mentioning the word "cynical" have already said the same things I would have said. Leica doesn't NEED any publicity. Making this young girl's dream come true was a wonderful gesture. Some "jealousies" running around this article maybe ?

Not a PR stunt. Funashi is a PR stunt.

Dear All,

my Name is Andreas Kaufmann, I'm the chairman of the supervisory board of Leica Camera, Germany. Please let me clarify a few things. I presented the camera and the lens to the Girl from the Tohoku Region, it was my personal decision to do so to honour the efforts of the brave people in this region after the Tsunami. I learned via Herbie Yamaguchi last October from the girl, their project and her wish to become a photographer.

Leica Camera only provided the place, it was considered to be a private event, as I've mentioned in my short speech. I sometimes donate privately to photographers when I fell the need to do so. I'm very thankful to what photography and especially Leica can do in this complicated world, and we all should do our best to help photographers or photographers-to-become. They Play a very important role in our todays world.

AK