If Leica says it's a Leica, it's a Leica
just like that?
no facts to back it up?
I don't see how you can dispute photography's statement. If the
owners of the Leica brand say it's a Leica camera, then that's what
it is. And that's a fact.
I wasn't asking about the label on the camera, if that's what you are implying.
I'm asking for more indepedant confirmation other than a salesman who clearly has a vested interest in making people think there are actually 2 different lenses and 2 different manuf plants.
I have read a lot about both cams (I own several lx1's, too) but all the engineering sense in me tells me that this is not how manufacturing works.
unless someone has real evidence (a printed or online interview or some data that can be double checked) - I'll just write this off as wishful thinking. but its not how companies build things when they collaborate. it just does not pass the smell test for common sense manufaturing procedures.
I have the repair guide for the lx1 and I've opened mine up a few times - its just the same as any other japanese camera. I could order repair parts from either 'company' and install them just the same. the lens assembly is about $100 (I have a broken lx1 that I bought that way and was going to do a lens replacement myself). its an hour long operation to take it apart and replace the lens and sensor. I have some insight as to what is involved.
once you have seen that there is no 'magic' inside consumer japanese cameras (nothing 'challenging' to have to adjust, nothing requiring you to be any kind of expert at all, no microscopic mechanical things to tune, etc) you'll understand that they are all made on the same line, with the same parts (other than cosmetic color and metal changes here and there) and then they get loaded with 'different' (I wont' say better but I will say different) firmware.
I also don't believe the qc is any different. they are on the same manuf line and are produced IN JAPAN by the same workers. again, this is standard manaufacturing today - in items that profit matters on, you simply do NOT have time to ship across the world (!) and then back again. while that might sound like a plausible reason for why the mark-up is so high, its high because leica choose to mark things up that much - not because their COSTS were that high. the cost of making both is identical.
--
Bryan
(pic stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linux-works ) ~ 
