Quote Originally Posted by Anbesol
A bit confused, how are you going to call Pentax and Olympus 'name brand', then leave out Sony? They are essentially the continuation of Minolta, and don't know how they wouldn't be 'name brand'. How is Zeiss for 'name brand'? ;)
Not that I'm saying Sony or their brand name is bad, just their reputation isn't as "long-standing" as the other four... and Minolta. Eventually, I guess Sony's name will be just as good.

Think of the following scenario:

You are going to get a pair of new shoes, and walk into the local department store. After trying out several pairs which don't fit, too bright, unattractive design, etc., a clerk comes up and says that he has 2 choices of pairs which are at huge discount price. Both are your shoe size, both are good-looking, both are priced the same, both are comfortable... but one pair is a Nike and the other is some strange name you've never heard of (not a counterfeit, though!). Which of these two pairs would be your first instinct to grab for?

The Nike of course. That brand is long-standing and has built a reputation of quality. Even though the other may be just as good or better, they aren't well-known for that. Say, 10 years later both may be as popular. It is only a matter of time.

ZEISS is name-brand, think for how many years they've been in the business. The first year they started making lenses they probably weren't as popular, the 2nd year a bit more, 3rd year much more, etc..