Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Robert Fleischman <RFXMAIL@prodigy.net> wrote: > Elmar: Wasn't this the name of someone's wife? Like maybe Oscar > Barnack's? Or the lens designer? What was his name? Max Berek. > Maybe his wife. Best I can do on that one. Elmar is derived from Elmax, which stands for Ernst Leitz & MAX Berek. Berek designed the 50mm f/3.5 lens used on the Leica 1 and preceding prototypes. It was originally known as the Anastigmat, then in 1925 was renamed the Elmax. When Berek redesigned the lens to reduce costs the result was given the name Elmar. I don't know whether or not the R has any significance. Elmax Reduktion? Or maybe it was chosen simply because it looked or sounded good. - -Dave-