Re: [Leica] Noctilux (from Canada or Germany?)

[Stephen Gandy <Stephen@CameraQuest.com>]

According to Elcan about a year ago, all Leica Lens production had already been
moved to Germany.

If your new Nocts are Canadian, it would seem either production was moved back to
Canada, or it is old production just being sold (more likely in my opinion).
Check with Elcan, they actually answer email !

Stephen Gandy

"Dr. Joseph Yao" wrote:

> Horace,
>
> All the Noctilux, up to the ones I received two weeks ago, are still
> Canadian, although they all had the Leica Solms issued 'Test Certificate'.
> I have never seen a German Noctilux.  Has any LUGgers?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Joseph
>
> on 26/2/01 8:57 PM, Dr H L Lau at shllau@hkusua.hku.hk wrote:
>
> > After the ELCAN plant was sold to Raytheon in 1998, it was believed that the
> > production of
> > the 75mm Summilux and the Noctilux would be moved to Solms; Stephan Gandy on
> > his
> > website also stated this "expectation".  So far the "new" German-made 75mm
> > Summilux has
> > appeared (order no. changed from 11815 to 11810, same optical design, but a
> > slightly
> > different mechanical design in the helicoid resulting in some 40g reduction in
> > weight).
> > But the German-made Noctilux has yet to come, at least as far as a
> > newly-shipped-in-from-Solms Noctilux (which my friend bought from the
> > respectable Dr
> > Joseph Yao a couple of weeks ago) went -- it was "made in Canada".  My
> > Noctilux bought
> > last year (serial no. 3814xxx, which includes the signed Test Certificate
> > introduced in late
> > 2000) was also made in Canada.
> > One speculation was that Leica is just selling the unsold stock from ELCAN.
> > This is an
> > interesting topic to follow, especially now when all Leica M lenses are
> > supposedly made in
> > Germany.  The recent thread on LUG concerning the 35-75 mm f/2.8
> > Vario-Elmarit-R ASPH
> > also shed light on the technical "problems" Leica has faced with. The dealers
> > that I know in
> > Hong Kong, Japan and Germany also maintain that the Noctilux is being made in
> > Germany.
> > This added to the "mystery" of where the Noctilux is currently produced (those
> > who couldn't
> > care less of the country of manufacture can save their time and stop reading
> > on).
> > When I enquired ELCAN of any currently produced lenses for still-picture
> > photography, their
> > answer is that the Noctilux is still being made there!  I enclose their e-mail
> > reply in the
> > following.  The big question now is not WHERE anymore, but WHY?
> >
> > Horace Lau