Given that electronics compose the majority functioning components for digital camers (auto-focus, sensors, etc.) being an electronics ( read commodity ) mfr. makes little difference.
And let’s not forget that both Canon and Nikon started by pirating German designs.
Unless you’re a collector, it’s about finished images not cameras, except as tools.
If you are talking about raw image quality, most modern digital cameras of the same class (compacts or dslrs) produce similar images, with only slight differences in color that can be adjusted.
What makes cameras good or bad is not so much how great images they make ( they all make great images), but how usable they are. Most amateurs overlook this important characteristic. A camera should be ergonomic, highly responsive, ready when you need it ...and most importantly , easy to adjust. The most important parameters people adjust most often are white balance, image resolution and ISO speed. These should NOT be buried deep inside menus, but should be located externally on easy to reach buttons. This is why pro cameras have so many buttons on the outside. Pros do not have time to fiddle around with menus when they are on location shooting something important.