Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/12/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 10:25 AM 12/14/96 -0500, you wrote: >I hope this straightens things up! We really have three distinct optical >designs here, and ought to have had three different lens names. Leitz/Leica >confused the issue by carrying over the old name on a new lens (as they did >on so many other designs as well, though!) > Yes--as you know, their relatively recent practice has been to name lenses roughly by their speed, rather than by their design, so Summicrons are f2, Elmarits f2.8, Elmars f4, etc. But then they violate that too--e.g., with the collapsible 50 mm. f 2.8 Elmar, the name of which is intended, I suppose, to get the blood pumping in old Leicaphiles by referring to an old design! I guess they see the names now as just marketing tools reminding us all of their great tradition. Charlie Charles E. Love, Jr. CEL14@CORNELL.EDU