Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/04/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The story that the Nikkor 50mm f1.4 was designed shortly after the war by teams of women using abacusses - is that in fact true, or is it another urban myth? David Scollard ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rei Shinozuka" <shino@panix.com> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org> Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 8:29 AM Subject: Re: [Leica] Computer at Leica >i second frank: good research. > > by the time of the second noctilux came out in 1976, midland was > presumably was using newer systems. wonder what followed those > computers after retirement in 1970. > > -rei > > p.s. i studied computer science and until this morning i'd never > heard of konrad zuse, though a little googling shows what a shameful > bit of ignorance this is. > > > On Apr26 06:44, Frank Filippone wrote: >> Fascinating.... The Z5 ran using relays for computation. Vacuum tubes >> were >> considered too unreliable at 50% downtime. >> >> I guess this is definitive.. the Nocti was designed using a computer, as >> the >> Computer use was "common" at Leica in the 50's, we can assume it was >> really >> common in the 60's. >> >> Frank Filippone >> red735i@earthlink.net >> >> Since there exists a recent thread concerning the Noctilux and whether it >> was already done using ray-tracing on electronic computer: The answer is >> yes. >> >> Leica introduced its first computer in 1952, a Zuse Z5: >> http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/%7Ezuse/Konrad_Zuse/en/rechner_z5.html >> >> It was featuring a CPU clock speed of 40 Hz! Weight: 2 tons. The >> dual range 2/50 Summicron, the Elmar 2.8/50 and the Summilux >> 1.4/50 (first version) were all computed on the Z5. >> >> On a German discussion board I found some additional information: >> >> In Midland, the first computer was an IBM 604, purchased in 1954. They >> consumed 150.000 punch cards per month (about 10 cards were needed >> to compute a single lens surface). From 1958, an IBM 650 took over, >> which was leased at IBM in Toronto. In the same year, Wetzlar purchased >> a British Elliott 402F for its ray tracing. The same machine was >> then obtained for Midland as well and the Wetzlar one remained in >> use until 1970. It is obvious that the Noctilux was developed using >> this Elliot computer. >> >> Best regards, >> Holger >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > -- > Rei Shinozuka shino@panix.com > Ridgewood, New Jersey > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information