Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Georgio, Cosina took the Voigtlander name, to cover the just ordinary name, they had for their previous products marketed under their own name. Now for the lenses, this is probably a good move, even so I do object to the way they name the new lenses. It has nothing at all to do with the Voigtlander naming conventions It either shows ignorance or the attitude, the customers are ignorant too, as long as there is the Voigtlander name. its Ok, They don't know any better anyway.. Having said this, I admit, the new lenses are pretty good for the price, and I am still toying with the idea, of buing a 15mm lens on my next trip, if I can get it for aduty free price. However, naming the cameras after Voigtlander cameras ( the name Bessa was never used for a 35 mm Voigtlander 35 mm camera), I believe, was not really such a good move. Voigtlander cameras where never the most reliable cameras on the market, in fact, they where not at all suitable for constant rough use. I owed and still owe quite a range of Voigtlander cameras 35 mm, 2 1/4 sq. and 6x9. including a couple of Prominents. The lenses are very good, but the bodies are not up to the rough and tough treatment. Voigtlander cameras , in my opinion, where tourist cameras. They where shiny, looked good and had a lot of advanced features. But you had to treat then gently. I have a couple of Vitomatic IIAs, One with a Colour Scopar and one with an Ultron lens. Two, most fabulous cameras, but not as reliable as they could be. Until I bought my first M3. I had , and still have now for nostalgic reason, what I think is the most reliable and rugged screw mount Leica ever, a post war 3C wit ha Summitar lens. This thing fitted in to my pocket, it fitted in to my briefcase or it got dragged along, just like it was on an old strap. I had it in for an oil change, after I had it for 10 years, because it started to get a bit noisy . The repair guy told me, he had to replace the ball bearings, because the balls had disintegrated, but the speeds where still 80 percent correct. Despite the rough treatment and despite of its manufacturing date, (Chrome was hard to get for manufacturing and it was only thinly applied) there are hardly any marks on no rust to be seen. And this on a 50 year old camera. My Voigtlander Vito B's and Vitomatics, all show some rust mark on the light meter housing. If Cosina is trying to improve their image by using the Voigtlander name, then they should stick to marking the lenses with this name, and not the cameras. Regards, Horst Schmidt. Giorgio Ferrari wrote: > > Well, they didn't. When the direct male Voigtländer line died out, a > > family trust was established. This trust sold the company to the Schering > > drug company in 1925. When Schering was going through some fiscal woes in > > the early 1950's, they, in turn, sold the Voigtländer concern to the Zeiss > > foundation. In 1965, Zeiss merged Voigtländer into Zeiss Ikon. When the > > Zeiss foundation decided to halt camera production by Z-I-V, most of the > > remnants of Voigtländer were sold to Rolleiflex Fototechnic. And, when > > Rollei went bankrupt in 1980, the Voigtländer assets were retained by > > Rollei save for the name. > > > > And that is the name which is currently licensed to Cosina (and to > others). > > > > Marc > > Well, Marc. > No news under the sun. The Contax name was licensed to Kyocera and the > Voigtländer name was licensed to Cosina. Were is the problem? Maybe the new > Contax cameras are the same of the old rangefinder cameras? Cosina lenses > are good lenses, excellent lenses for the price. I've no repulsion when I > put them onto my Leica cameras. > > Too much poison, onto the LUG, around the Cosina/Voigtländer name; without > reason. > > Giorgio Ferrari