Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 13-04-1998 03:35 Eric Welch wrote: >Not with Minolta any more, except for those two lenses (note: 16 FY and 24) they contribute to. >There is no similarity to any other Minolta lens and Leica lens. Eric, The Fisheye 16mm that is presently sold comes from "old" stock from the Leitz Wetzlar days (BTW this inscription is still on the lens barrel). There are no "new" Fisheyes. The old ones are retrofitted with ROM strips. This was confirmed by Leica customer service. Supplies are still available as this lens is rarely asked for. I am not sure what the situation for the 24mm is. I suspect the situation might be the same, in that this lens is no longer newly produced but taken from existing stocks. I guess that we might see real "Leica" replacements for these two "old" Minolta-design lenses once stocks will run out. Somehow it bothers me to pay top Leica prices for lenses if they are not real "German" lenses, that is engineered and manufactured in Germany. Why would I pay e.g. two times as much for a Leica 16mm Fisheye (which says "made in Japan" and is just a Minolta with Leitz Wetzlar engravings + R bayonet and ROM strip, it is not even designed by Leica!) compared to a state-of-the-art Nikon AF Fisheye 16mm? The fact that the Leica lens is excellent does not take away the fact that you paid too much just for the pleasure of having "Leica" on it. If the two lenses come from Japan and if the only difference between the Minolta and Leitz Fisheye is the lens bayonet, then I am prepared to pay a small additional sum of money for the "rarety" of the lens and the fact that there were some additional works to do (like changing the lens bayonet), but there it stops. Maybe it's irrational, but it feels "wrong" to do otherwise. :-) Pascal - -------------------------------------------------------- t h i n k d i f f e r e n t a p p l e c o m p u t e r - -------------------------------------------------------- <<< PGP public key available on request >>>