Re: [Leica] R35mm f2 ROM woes, an update and question

[ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>]

Pete Meyers wrote:

<<<<<<<Am I being tooooooo picky to expect that the front and rear elements
of a new lens should be free of obvious spot marks or bumps????? Would you
accept such a lens?>>>>>>>>>>

Jim Brick wrote:
<<<<<you are not being too picky. Would you accept a BMW, Mercedes, RR,
Ferrari, etc, with a glitch in the paint? NO!>>>>>>

Hi Guys,

Pete you're not too picky, that's for sure.

Jim,  Right on the mark!!!!!!

I have all these many years of buying and using Leica cameras and lenses
never questioned, it never occurred to me to question that what I took out
of the box was as perfect as was possible to engineer and manufacture.

After all is this not the epitome of the photography world equipment world?

Considering we are buying the Mercedes, RR, Ferrari the finest money can
buy, why would we have to question the quality control! It seems that's
"The way it was!  Today?"

Now, one cannot base questioning quality control on the results of two
lenses. However we on the LUG have read the anguish of far more Leica
devotees to "glitches" than I had ever expected, nor have I ever heard in
40 years as a Leica user in the field.

Glitches, or whatever one wants to call them, shouldn't be accepted as a
"syndrome of the new world order of manufacturing" simply because items are
made faster and machines come online to produce.  Leica has always stood
above that on a production level of the highest quality. 

With the cameras in higher demand than ever before, obviously from their
sales results in this past 16 months, the necessity to produce more
_______shouldn't_______ lead to a lessening of quality of any nature.  If
anything, "quality control must be enhanced" to avoid the aggravating
little zits on the surface of a lens or camera body. 

If it were a perfect world there wouldn't be this concern, nor the anguish
of Pete twice in a row.

The Leica image is not an easy one to acquire and should not be taken
lightly by the top folks in Solms, possibly egged on by the "bean counting"
staff and profit hungry share holders.

What they must keep in mind is a small dedicated group as we have in the
LUG, are without question a group of folks whom they could well heed as a
free around the world assessors of what is coming out of Solms! 

When we come across "a lessening of Leica quality" and make mention of it,
someone in Solms should be jumping pretty high as they can't afford
negative comments about their world class image. If they don't, the profits
wont get any better.

We know they monitor this site, be terribly stupid on their part not to.
But how much action is taken due to what we are saying is another question.
We should all be as diligent of examining what we purchase in the same
fashion as Pete, reporting the good, bad and ugly we find.

It's important that we make praise when deserved, jump hard & fast when it
isn't.  I feel we have a very good balance at the moment as the good 
comments come more than negative. But let us not sit back and be silent if
Leica perfection isn't there.

so endth the lesson for today! :)

ted