Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/13

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re[2]: [Leica] Plastic Aspheric Lens Elements
From: Art Sala <artsala@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 19:49:00

- --=PMail:=_0000@@uCV5Ob00sdmDdkxmQawU
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Ken:

I heard that Zeiss is the only lens manufacturer that has the ability
to grind glass aspheric elements.  Then again, I don't know if it matters
(photographically speaking)  whether the aspheric element is ground glass,
moulded plastic or some sandwiched hybrid.  Maybe some other lug lens
guru can give more technical insight.

Cheers, Arturo
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

From: "Ken Iisaka" <kiisaka@ibm.net>
To: Internet Mail::[<leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Plastic Aspheric Lens Elements
Date: 9/12/99 8:47 PM

The Noct-Nikkor was indeed hand ground.  The one and only guy who was
responsible for making the aspherical front element retired years ago,
and
the production ceased several years ago.  It is still listed on Nikon
USA's
catalogue, but it was taken out of the Nikon Japan catalogue about a couple=

of years ago.

Several Japanese publications such as Asahi Camera have stated that Hoya
supplies moulded aspherical elements to Leica.

> Leica uses glass in its ASPH lenses.  They *may* use plastic in their
> 'lower' priced Japanese made zooms, though I am not sure of this.  Nikon
> certainly uses plastic resin elements in some of its aspherica zooms.
 I
> suspect that their 50/1.2 Nocti uses glass.  Not sure about Canon or
Zeiss.
>  I think you can tell by the relative price.  Plastic aspheric elements
are
> designed to produce decent optics at lower prices.  Many of the aspheric
> zooms offered by sigma and other 3rd party lens manufacturers employ
> plastic elements.

- --=PMail:=_0000@@uCV5Ob00sdmDdkxmQawU--