[Leica] Zeiss Wide Angle 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Jan,

it is really surprising how often "Made in Germany" still turns up as a 
sign of quality in the translations I work on (perhaps the German word 
Pr?dikat says it more succinctly).

The days when "Sheffield Steel", Solingen Steel", Toledo Steel" and all 
those other labels were used to denote a particular quality are long 
gone - along with the former poor reputation (founded on absolutely 
nothing in many cases) of "Made in Japan" that was rampant in the 50's 
and 60's.

Germany is really no better than other countries in a lot of industrial 
segments, and has totally missed the boat (or hasn't even found out 
where the pier is) in many others. German heavy industry is still the 
inflexible behemoth that it was 50 years ago, much too much of the credo 
"Why change - we always did it that way before" (haben wir immer so 
gemacht) and a management attitude that generally refuses to accept 
innovation.

The UK, where I hail from, managed to make the transition form an 
industrial economy to an economy based on service providers - Germany 
missed the boat here too, but is tentatively creeping towards the water.

Having lived here in Hannover for around 36 years now, I have seen the 
changes, but all have been only gradual and Germany no longer has the 
industrial power it used to wield and made the reputation of "Made in 
Germany". The whole idea of Quality Assurance was unknown here in the 
later 70's early 80's and only caught on with the advent of management 
and business consulting agencies that popped up like mushrooms overnight 
about 20 years ago.

Add to this that the Leica pretense of "Made in Germany" is often based 
on the EU ruling that this brand mark may be used on products 
manufactured elsewhere and only "Assembled in Germany" - a trick that 
transformed predominantly Portuguese Leica R cameras into German ones.

In my opinion, if it's excellent and does what I want it to, I couldn't 
care a tinker's toss about where it was made.

Sch?ne Gr??e
Douglas

On 27.02.2010 15:42, Jan Decher wrote:
> Not again please, Mark!
> As a German your "worship" of everything manufactured in Germany is really
> embarrasing to me.
>
> The whole thing with Leica Germany being so much better than anything made
> in Japan is really bogus. Of course Leica likes to foster and feed this
> myth. That's how they get  people to buy M9s for $7000 which will be
> outdated digital technology in 2 years just like any other digital camera.
> And then this whole hoax with the compeletely unaffordable S2 and 
> abolishing
> the entire R line that many here came to love and rely on!
>
> Perhaps it was true in 1955 but not today. The chrome finish on my 1999
> Leica M6 is mediocre at the best - no comparison to my 1950s IIIf and 4/135
> Elmar etc.
>
>   You know what those $3000 you shell out for a Summicron 2/35 pay for,
> Mark?   5-6 weeks of annual paid vacation and full health and retirement
> benefits for engineers and workers at the Solms factory!  That's why 
> Germans
> working in Germany actually have time&  money to travel and use their
> cameras. Something we can only dream off here in the US!
> So there. I meant to say this for a long time on this list.
>
> Lasst Euch nicht verarschen, Leute!
> Jan
>
>
>