Troubador, can you get your German Kowa contact to clear up the focus wheel material question with regards to the BD? Seems strange to me that they would use metal for one and plastic for the other but end up with an almost indistinguishable product.
I have asked the question and expect an answer on Tuesday but it would really not be very strange at all if the 'family resemblance' of a silver focus wheel was maintained across different product ranges while the materials used to achieve this are changed according to the price point that the products are sold at.
Lee