Re: [Leica] Leitz and Leica Glass

[LEICAMAN56@aol.com]

Dear LUGgers,

It looks like I have stirred up another classic debate on the LUG.  In my
original response on the filter question, I was stating what I thought was a
well known fact - that Leica buys their glass from outside suppliers, esp.
Schott which is a part of Zeiss.  
I also stated that Leica would make small batches of glass in the Leitz Glass
Research Lab for production use.  I know this for a fact.  I have been present
in the lab on two seperate occasions to witness a glass pour of what was
termed "Noctilux" glass.  We were told this was a low volume production glass
to be used in certain specialty lenses such as the Noctilux.  When we were
told this, we asked again to double check and we were told in no uncertain
terms that this glass being poured was actually used in production lenses
after several months of curing in small ovens to gradually bring the
temperature down to ambiant room temperature.  This is done to make sure the
glass is not stressed or flawed which would make it unacceptable for use.  My
guides at this time were Eberhard Kuhne, whom some of you may remember from
his days in California and Karl Hans Welcker, lately retired from the Leica
Academy.
I have also seen glass being cut, ground and polished both in the old factory
in Wetzlar and in Solms.  I have also seen lens elements being coated in the
Solms factory.  So even though they do not melt their own glass in Solms, they
are certainly manufacturing the lens elements from leading glass companies
such as Schott.  This is certainly more honest than some of the Japanese
manufacturers who have their lenses made by OEM's outside of their own well
known name companies.
Only after you have witnessed the painstaking care Leitz and now Leica take to
make sure their products are made from the highest quality components, etc.,
do you realize why they are so good.

Bill Rosauer