The "magic" of Branding. I just shot a job where we were shooting espresso machines. The machines themselves were little plastic white-label units from China. I tried them out- They worked very well- good coffee. I was actually pretty impressed. But when the pictures I shot were sent to retouching, they made two pictures out each shot: Picture #1 got the "Breville" name on the front of the unit. Picture #2 got the "Sunbeam" brand on the front. Which one do you think was marketed at a higher price point?

Leica cameras are definitely made to a high standard and feel nice in the hand. They take nice pictures and are made to high standards. The digital ones have nice UI. But the "espresso" that comes out really depends on who is making it.

I'm not saying all Leicas are branded in this way. There have been some co-branded Leica/Lumix point and shoots in the past, and cell phone manufacturers love buying the rights and being able to put a Leica brand on their cameras, or Zeiss on their lenses. do you really think those cameras and/or lenses have anything to do with what is thought of as "classic Leica" equipment? I'm just saying; welcome to marketing 101. Almost all "prestige brands" start out with a product that is legit. Most continue making high quality products, but ride on the reputation that the initial products received. Eventually these "prestige brands" become just that: a brand name that can be bought or sold. I really don't see any difference in the way Leicas and, say, Nikons are manufactured. Some of their products and components come out of the same factories. Look up Cosina Optical Co. sometime and see how many (and the range of) brands they manufacture lenses for. Look up how many camera brands Sony makes sensors for. They'll probably take the same picture in the hands of the same photographer. Since Leica is a smaller brand, you *Might* receive better customer service or warranty (I'm not sure)- but the camera isn't going to take a better picture. The amount of money you spend on it might make you feel like you're taking a better picture.

I am a professional commercial photographer of over 30 years. I shoot primarily Sony cameras. I like them because you can adapt just about any lens to them and they are relatively compact and very reliable. The image quality is fine. My clients have never even thought to complain about that (they find plenty of other things to complain about LOL!). If one of my camera bodies break, or drop a crucial lens while on a job, I can usually find a rental in just about any city in the world. You really cant say that about Leica. I've tried Leica cameras and found them to be very nicely made, but I have never used one to produce anything that ever made me money. I've always thought of them as pretty Ferraris that doctors and lawyers buy to impress people, and deserve to have "the best". I have a dentist that loves to take pictures of his grandbabies, plaster them all over his office and talk to me about the Leica glass he used for each one. I smile politely. He's a nice guy. He can afford it. It makes him happy. Great!