Rumor: Panasonic to acquire part of Leica

Leonard Goh | Feb 16, 2009

(Credit: Panasonic and Leica)

Well, this is definitely no April Fool's joke like the one about Nikon acquiring Canon that was reported last year. There are speculations online that Panasonic has expressed interest in acquiring part of Leica, presumably for its Lumix digital cameras division.

Photography blog 1001noisycameras mentioned that there is a rumor on the Web saying the Japanese electronics giant is looking at the possibilities of buying over Leica's photography parts and technology. Note that these two companies have been collaborating for years, since the first Lumix camera was unveiled in 2001. Panasonic provided the electronics wizardry, while Leica chipped in with its sought-after optics. This combination has proved to be successful as Lumix cameras are now one of the more popular camera marques in the market.

Technically, if Panasonic buys a portion of Leica, that should be a good thing, right? This means both companies have easy access to each other's blueprints. In other words, Panasonic can secure Leica for its optics in future Lumix cameras, while Leica can incorporate Panasonic's imaging technology in its cameras. This sounds like a win-win situation, but Leica fanboys may feel alienated and the Japanese firm may have to find a way to retain this group of shutterbugs.

For now this is only a rumor, and we will definitely update the information when we get more news.

Filed under: Digital Cameras
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