[Leica] Old R lenses retrofitted with a ROM strip

[Pascal <cyberdog@ibm.net>]

On 20-02-1998 05:43 dbledsoe wrote:

>Something I found interesting (maybe everyone else knew this but I didn't)
>is the 180/3.4 is stamped made in Canada even though it is a brand new
>current Leica ROM lens.  Or at least I thought it was a current lens.
>Perhaps Leica had a stock of them that they retrofitted with ROM contacts?
>The serial number 3637674 is possibly an older number from a few years ago?
>Does anyone out there have a brand new Solms lens (doesn't matter what lens
>it is just that it is made in Solms) that they can tell me their serial
>number for comparison purposes?  The packaging is the same as other current
>Solms lenses I have seen in the recent past.

I noticed the same thing in Belgium with the Fisheye-Elmarit-R 16mm 
f/2.8. A shop in Brussels has an old one, the barrel of which says "Leitz 
Wetzlar", and a "new" one with ROM strip, with the same inscription the 
lens barrel!
I find it hard to believe the "new" one is that new as the name "Leitz 
Wetzlar" was dropped in the eighties and replaced by "Leica". So it must 
be old, unused, stock that has been retrofitted with a ROM strip. I am 
not sure whether this was done by the shop, the Belgian importer, or 
Leica Solms itself. I am inclined to believe that is old stock of the 
Belgian importer. The fisheye is a not-too-much sought-after lens, so 
that would explain things. But I find it unacceptable that you pay the 
same price for such "new" lens as for a really new lens. The lens is 
optically the same, but it just doesn't feel right if you understand what 
I mean :-)

Pascal

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