Pentax boss openly praises Leica D-Lux 4 on blog

Causes a bit of a fuss

26 January 2009 19:53 GMT / By Verity Burns

In a rather interesting move away from the norm, the president of Pentax Imaging (USA) has taken to his blog to sing the praises of a competitor's camera.

Ned Bunnell talks about his purchase of the Leica D-Lux 4, apparently a "new companion" for his 42-year-old Leica M4, and the answer to his need for a "compact camera with SLR-like image quality and sharp optics".

Referring to it as a "little gem" and rattling off a list of its good points, the photography enthusiast says that he is really impressed with the camera.

It's interesting to see a photographer in such a high position within a camera company praise another manufacturer's camera so openly. It certainly shows he is a photographer first, and president of Pentax second - a breath of fresh air to say the least.

Responses to his public praise of the Leica camera have been mixed. Because of this Bunnell has since posted a response describing the fuss caused by the post as a "tempest in a teacup".

He first states that the D-Lux falls into a category Pentax does not participate in, so it cannot be truly considered a "competitor", and concludes by noting that "passion and knowledge [outside of your brand] is not necessarily a bad thing if you are in the business of making cameras".

We couldn't agree more. Have a look at his blog via the link below and let us know what you think.