Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]OOPS! I hate to be corrected, but I made a mistake in my last posting on Leitz' use of lens coatings -- and I found the correct information in the appendix to my new book. OUCH! I hate to have to rebut my own posting! I'm as bad as Braxton Bragg, fighting with myself. Leitz began using lens coatings -- a drip process producing soft coatings - -- in October, 1941, at around 581,501. Leitz began coating ALL production lenses -- again, with a soft coating -- in late 1945 at lens number 598,201. Leitz began using the Zeiss vacuum-coating process sometime between 1955 and 1961, whenever the Zeiss patent expired. Thus, the lens you asked about might well be authentic. As to the use of Stoltz apertures (the so-called European scale of f/1.1, f/1.5, f/2.2, f/3, f/4.5, f/6.3, f/9, f/11, und so weiter), Leitz consistently used these until the introduction of the 1.5/85 Summarex in 1941, which was marked with the International or Zeiss scale (f/1, f/1.4, f/2.0, and so forth). The International scale was universal on Leitz lenses by 1960. Marc At 12:01 AM 8/12/97 -0400, you wrote: >At 10:27 PM 8/11/97 +0100, Douglas McLernon wrote: >>Willams of Hove Cameras, a firm that I have found to very reliable, sold me >>a "user" f/3.5 Elmar - which I requested - along with the provision that >>the lens be " post war" sold me a REAL user - no problems with the quality >>- just the description- No. 593738. Ben's list (admittedly wrong as there >>were no M series list before 1953) lists this number as 1943 - any >>thoughts? >> >>When did Leitz change to the modern f/2-2.8-4-5.6-8 etc. rather than the >>F/3.5-4.5,6.3,9,12.5 stops and are they what we consider "half stops or >>are they translatable into the modern system? > > >Doug > >There is some controversey about the dating sequence of Leitz lenses from >1940 to 1950. The conventional assignment sets out that 593738 dates from >1943, one of 539 made that year. Laney states that coating commenced at >581501, but this doesn't seem correct. > >The initial M production dates from 1954, in which year 1000 M3's were made. > >Marc > > >Marc James Small >Cha Robh Bas Fir, Gun Ghras Fir! >FAX: +540/343-7315 > > msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!