Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/11

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Once More Into The Breach, Dear Hearts
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 18:11:26 -0400

At 05:17 PM 5/11/98 -0400, Carl Socolow wrote:
>I have an Army surplus enlarger modeled almost identically
>after the Omega D2 and manufactured by Belfort Instruments. It came with
>three lenses, one of which is a Tessar 4.5/135 inscribed Carl Zeiss Jena
>around the front element. On the back retaining ring it says "Lens made
>in Germany (East)". I always found it interesting that the U.S. Military
>would purchase Iron Curtain manufactured lenses for equipment that the
>Signal Corps was using for everything from PR to intelligence
>photography.

Zeiss perceived itself to be one entity whether in East Germany or West
Germany until 1951 or so.  That is, if you ordered a lens from Zeiss at
Oberkochen (the West German guys), they would place the order either
internally, if it was in stock, or with Jena (the East German guys) if not.
 In 1951, the litigation started, and all bets were off.  Zeiss almost went
postal when Franke & Heidecke ordered the lenses for the 2.8B Rolleiflex
from Jena, a mistake that this esteemed Braunschweig firm never repeated!

Do I have the serial number on this gem of an enlarging lens?

Marc


msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!