A growing trend in digital cameras, even ones with interchangeable lenses like the [URL="http://dpnow.com/8291.html"]Nikon J1[/URL] and [URL="http://dpnow.com/8272.html"]Pentax Q[/URL], is the removal of a mechanical exposure shutter. Instead, these cameras rely entirely on the sensor operating as an electronic shutter. This makes the design and manufacture of a camera considerably simpler as shutter mechanisms are very delicate and require a lot of precision to make.

As far as I know, the only camera manufacturer that actually makes cameras in Europe is Leica. There may be some specialist low volume manufacturers (yes, even lower volume and more specialised than Leica), but in terms of commercial end-user volumes I can't think of anyone else.

When European camera manufacturing started to decline in the 1960s, the void was filled by the Japanese, who were able to successfully master the two challenges of designing and making intricate precision mechanisms like shutters and embrace the science and engineering of optics.

Japanese manufacturers now dominate the camera world, although much camera production is now farmed out to manufacturing sites outside of Japna, like China, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other low labour cost countries. Standards remain very high thanks to the Japanese management of these factories - I know - I have seen it for myself.

So I have started to wonder if we might see an eventual resurgence in camera and even lens production here in Europe and over in the US? Currently, camera manufacturing is very labour intensive, so that continues to count against the west. And at the design stage I suspect we don't have the necessary expertise any more to design and engineer conventional cameras. But with solid state camera that have very few, if any, complex moving parts, automated production might mean cameras could be produced in the West once again - one day.