Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/07/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I don't have Rogliatti at hand for the details (I'm currently at the house and the book is at the office) but my memory is that Leitz contracted with a Swiss computer firm immediately after WW II to develop the computer-assisted design of lenses. Certainly, by the time the 35mm and 50mm Summilux designs were done in the early 1960's, the bulk of the lens design work was computer-aided. Another factor here is the death of Max Berek in the early 1950's: he was the last of the real seat-of-the-pants designers (as Bertele was at Zeiss, Steinheil, and Wild and Sauer and Richter were at Zeiss). When Berek died -- unexpectedly -- I suspect Leitz was forced to turn more to computers to fill the gap. Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!