I subscribe to an on-line newsletter and thought that the comments made below might make for an interesting discussion.
Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Newsletter 40 Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 11:10:06 +0100 Newsletter 40 In my recent test of the Contax N1 I noted the current trend of camera manufacturers (analogue and especially digital) to emulate the car industry in the method of component assembly. We all know that in the car industry there is a global sharing of major parts and that car manufacturers are becoming more and more keen buyers of components, smart assembly and even smarter brand marketing. A jaguar shares many parts with Ford, in A RollsRoyce a BMW engine purrs, in a Volvo we find Volkswagen diesels and if you buy a Mazda how much Ford is in there. The new engine in the Mini Cooper is a joint production of BMW and Ford, etc. We as consumers know this, accept it and are being informed by the companies about these details. But in the photo industry there is much secrecy, while the trend is the same. The shutter in the G2 and the Hexar RF are the same, almost all shutters of the type from 30 seconds to 1/8000 are identical and we find this one in a Sigma SA-9, the Contax N1 and many others. The Af mechanism, the metering system, and more components are shared or even bought from the same manufacturer in Malaysia or Korea. The most blatant example of sharing is the case of the 4 megapixel cameras that share the same lens under the name of Zeiss and Canon. Again, this is no secret, and no problem. But when asked to make a comment, the official Zeiss quote is: Zeiss shares in Japan the same production line with Canon and builds collectively the identical lens! Now what? Is the Canon lens a Zeiss design or the other way around? Or is it a Canon design, that happens to be admired by Zeiss, or is it just a marketing act. The user buys the Sony with the Zeiss branded lens, which is a Canon design and production. Again, no problem: I admire Canon lenses and if Leica would no longer be available, I would be happy to go Canon. My point is that the consumer has a right to be informed correctly. If the lens in question is a Canon lens, that just gets a Zeiss front ring, we are entitled to be told this. Just as the new Leica 2,8/15mm is a full-blown Schneider lens. We know it and Leica does not hide it. The new lens that came with the N1 (the vario-sonnar) is evasively designated by Zeiss as being built according to Zeiss quality parameters, but it does not state that it is a Zeiss design, built in Japan. No it is a lens built in Japan, that gets the Zeiss approval. If we also remember that in digital cameras the same chips are being used, we see that many digital cameras are internally identical, but branded differently. Like computers they are smart assemblies of widely shared components. It may be a short time and we can forget about any individualism in technique and approach in cameras, and can we buy whatever is cheapest and most advanced in specs as we do now with computers. A sad thought, but the camera industry is heading for a car/computer consumer product and no longer for a strong design with individual engineering as in the better segments of audio and some cameras, like the M6. Erwin - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
