Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/21

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Subject: Re: Leica Scopes/Eyepieces?
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 19:00:56 -0400

At 02:28 PM 8/21/97 -0400, Tim Andrasek wrote:
>I've just joined the user group and would like to know if Leica ever
>made telescope and/or eyepieces.

Well, the optical shop taken over by Ernst Leitz I was that of Kellner, who
designed the achromatized Ramsden eyepiece which remains a mainstay of
astronomical observation.  For the next century and more, Leitz tried to
avoid manufacturing binoculars or telescopes, even going so far as helping
to establish the Hensoldt works where, today, almost all Zeiss binoculars
are made (!).  But the demands of the German military in the World Wars
were such that Leitz bowed to the winds of change, and have made a fine
series of binoculars since the 1920's.

Today, Leica makes some silly things, like the Geovid binoculars, coupled
with some stunningly good items, like the Televid spotting scope.  

Marc


msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
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