Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Giorgio Ferrari wrote: > Excuse me, Horst, but I have some problems to accept your point of view. > The Voigtländer name dead in the late '50. > Well, Cosina took the Voigtländer name to cover the Cosina name over their > previous products, expecially for the reflex products. About the rangefinder > products, they have modified their SLR bodies to make two rangefinder > cameras (Bessa L and Bessa R). > I'm with you: this fact is not so good for the Voigtländer name. But is not > a scandal! They have made a lot of new good lenses (with Voigtländer name), > as good as (or better than) old Leica lenses. > > Georgio, I think you misunderstood this part of my mail. I said, I believe, > the lenses are pretty good, especially for the price Cosina is charging. What > I said was, I dont agree, the way each of the lenses are named. by this I > mean: Scopar and Nocton and so on. Except for the Nocton , none of the > Cosina_Voigtlander lenses correspond to the correct focal lengt of the > original Voigtlander lenses. I still believe, this is a sign of ignorance. > However, i would'nt go so far as to call it a scandal. Now to the body. Again I think you misunderstood. I said 2 things, first, I said roughly: "Naming the body after Voigtlander may not be such a smart move, because of reliability problems of some Voigtlander cameras. Second, I mentioned the misnaming of a 35 mmbody. Bessa was only used on the 6x9 Voigtlander cameras. By the way I can not believe, that the Voigtlander name was supposed to be dead in the 1950s. I bought my first Vitomatic IIa in 1961 or 1962. This was still a original Voigtlander camera. If you really want to know the exact story about the history of Voigtlander, read Marc Smalls Emails. You will learn the proper history about this firm. Regards, Horst Schmidt. > > I don't know if you know this: in the early '50, Enzo Ferrari built his > racing team with Alfa Romeo cars. Only two years later Enzo Ferrari made his > first car for the races. Is this a scandal for you? > > Cosina has made the same; I'm sure that in the next years Cosina will make a > new camera, totally new, with the Voigtländer name. > > And this fact will be a new life for the rangefinder market. > > Giorgio Ferrari > > > 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.