Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well - the answer is - obvious. All the best! Raimo photos at http://personal.inet.fi/private/raimo.korhonen - -----Alkuperäinen viesti----- Lähettäjä: Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net> Vastaanottaja: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Päivä: 22. elokuuta 2000 16:58 Aihe: Re: [Leica] Why Minolta? >Do any of you experts actually use modern Minolta lenses? (I do) Or are >you the sort of people who look out the window and conclude that the Earth >is flat because it is obvious? > > >Dan C. > >At 10:20 AM 22-08-00 -0700, Dan Post wrote: >>Axel- >>I thinkthe question is a bit more involved than a simple "no'- just in my >>opinion. Not wanting to start a flame war, I will say that in part I agree >>with you. MInolta chooses to sell to a much broader market. They make and >>sell lenses that are servicable to a large portion of the market, and while >>they are probably indistinguishable from the issue from Canon, Nikon, and >>Pentax, they serve the purpose for which they were designed- and built. >>I am sure that when they make the lenses for Leica- and I have had a couple >>of them, that the materials, and quality control standards are those of >>Leicas, and that Minolta 'raises the bar' so to speak, higher than they do >>for their own products. They also have to charge more. I am sure that many >>of the modern lens makers- from Cosina, to whatever, could and would make >>lenses of the same quality as Leica if the market would support it, but >>Leica has firmly entrenched itself in the 'quality' high end lens market, >>and it would be quite costly, and probably not cost effective for say, >>Cosina, to make its lenses to Leica standards. They are satisfied, for >>example to have a 'runner up' status, and sell a lot of their Heliars and >>Skopars at a lower price- all the while knowing they don't quite match >>Leica's quality, but being good enough to draw the audiance they do attract! >>I see a Hologon on sale for $8000, and while it might be what a narrow >>market will buy, I can see that Cosina with a $400 Heliar will make a lot >>more money, and sell many more lenses at that price. It goes without saying >>that they probably could copy the Hologon, and make it to the same standards >>as Zeiss, but then, they would be competing with Zeiss head on and would >>likely sell very few lenses. In a way- they 'Know Their Place'! And they >>continue to sell relatively large numbers of Heliars to the Hoi-polloi like >>myself, because with it gets down to an 8x10, or a web photo- the difference >>between the $8000 lens and the $400 lens is not all that apparent. >>Sure, I appreciate a fine single malt (trying to stay on topic here!!!) but >>there are time, like when I have a taste for a Scotch Collins ( Oh, I can >>hear the moans!), or as we call it here- a pink lemonade- that I use a >>blend. It' >>s cheaper, and serves the purpose as well or better than mixing a single >>malt (Heresy- burn him! burn him!) >>So- In short.... Minolta probably COULD build a lens of Leica calibre, but >>NO they don't, since it wouldn't be practical for the vast majority of their >>market. >>Dan ( Humming "If I Only Had a Brain" while I type!) Post >> > > Does Minolta match the high optical knowledge and quality of Leica? >>> >>> No. 'Nuff said. >>> >>> Axel >>> >> >> >>