Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/12/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]There is very little consistency in naming lenses. At last, the new 2.8 Elmar 50mm lens is a true Elmar, which is a modified triplet design. Chris At 12:26 PM 12/14/96 -0500, you wrote: >At 10:25 AM 12/14/96 -0500, you wrote: > >>I hope this straightens things up! We really have three distinct optical >>designs here, and ought to have had three different lens names. Leitz/Leica >>confused the issue by carrying over the old name on a new lens (as they did >>on so many other designs as well, though!) >> > >Yes--as you know, their relatively recent practice has been to name lenses >roughly by their speed, rather than by their design, so Summicrons are f2, >Elmarits f2.8, Elmars f4, etc. But then they violate that too--e.g., with >the collapsible 50 mm. f 2.8 Elmar, the name of which is intended, I >suppose, to get the blood pumping in old Leicaphiles by referring to an old >design! I guess they see the names now as just marketing tools reminding us >all of their great tradition. > >Charlie > >Charles E. Love, Jr. >CEL14@CORNELL.EDU > > >