Thread: Camera Advice
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  #27  
Old 01-07-2009, 05:13 PM
Stoney Stoney is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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Leica has always farmed out the electronics

Quote:
Originally Posted by MTI View Post
Is that a misqoute? Panasonics have Leica zoom optics, and Leica uses Panasonic sensors, but I hadn't heard that Panasonic builds cameras for the folks in Wetzlar. Is Panasonic building the C-Lux, etc cameras?
Before Panasonic, Minolta made all Leica R series electronics. Glass by the Germans and Brain by the Japanese.

Leica R-3, 4, 5 were Minolta XD-700 series brains
Leica CLE Rangfinder was Milolta CL as well (they let Minolta rebrand Wetzlar glass as Minolta).
All the Leica M series after the M4 had Minolta metering system, with Leica mechanicals (assembled in Sigapore and Portugal of all things).

Come to think about it Nikon hasn't assembled a camera in Japan for 8 years, Thailand, Malasia and noe Vietnam since the labor cost is mere sheckles on the yen.
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