"They are a camera maker on par with Leica, Rollei, Zeiss, Hasselblad, etc., and were making cameras LONG before you were even a gleam in your mother's eye. These digicams are rebrands, yes, but so are a lot of manufacturers. "

Yes, they were were all great large, medium and 35mm format mfg's - the very best! However, they have NOT carried that forward into the digital age. Leica = Panasonic, Minox = Vivitar, etc.

It's important for consumers to be aware that they are NOT buying a designed, engineered nor manufactured German camera. Indeed, these companies remain in the world of film and simply paste their names on digital cameras for a few extra dollars of profit.

Brand loyalty is a partnership that both consumer and manufacturer must participate in. These mfg's do not, but still expect the consumer to "participate" by chipping bigger $$$'s for another company's product.

Why anyone would remain loyal to a company who particpates in this manner is simply blinded by reminisces of days gone-bye.