Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/11/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I'm sorry if my point wasn't clear. You snipped out "looks like a con to me," which was, I guess, what I really wanted to say, and Leica has been nearly as guilty as Rollei. When you have a camera that's got a high-grade name on it (including a name like "Schneider" on the lens) that's seemingly identical to another camera with a low grade name on it (without a "Schneider" on the lens), you have to wonder, especially when they sell the camera with the prestige name for 2 or 3 times the price of the other one. This list contains some people who will buy anything with a European name on it in preference to anything with an oriental name on it, and it seems to me they are getting deceived here. Does anyone believe that the Rollei Pregos have lenses (or anything else) different from their Samsung counterparts (good as they may be)? One note for clarification: I don't care if a product labeled "Leica" is made somewhere other than Germany, though there are others here who obviously do. What I care about is the quality, and that I'm not getting ripped off. I'm getting ripped off if I buy a camera labeled "Leica" or "Rollei" at a premium price that's identical to a cheaper one (though of course the cheaper one, and the Leica/Rollei, might be good). BTW, you are right--the Leica Mini is made by Panasonic, and the first one at least was sold under that name in other countries, though not in the U.S.A. The Minilux is Japanese too, although I have not heard of its being sold anywhere under another name at a lower price. At 09:53 PM 11/19/96 -0800, you wrote: >>I guess I have to point out that Rollei Pregos are made by Samsung, a Korean >>firm not exactly noted for the best quality. While Rollei claims the lenses >>are Schneider (except for the first Prego), it just so happens that the >>"Schneider" lenses have exactly the same focal length and speed as does the >>no-name lens in the parallel Samsung model. > >Yes, they're made by Samsung. Leica Minis are made by Panasonic (or is >it Minolta?). Samsung makes a lot of things, some high quality >some cheap. Same for Panasonic. The Leica Minis work beautifully, >the small experience I had with the Pregos indicated they did >also. > >These are not the eternal cameras a Leica M or R are supposed to be. >They're plastic PnS cameras with an excellent lens that happen to >take a very fine picture. That's all that matters in what I use them >for. > >Godfrey > Charles E. Love, Jr. CEL14@CORNELL.EDU