Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/09

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: Konica facts
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Wed, 09 May 2001 14:46:31 -0400
References: <20010509144007.4D0B0165F6@imail.ision.nl> <4.1.20010509093020.04107100@xsj02.sjs.agilent.com>

At 11:03 AM 5/9/2001 -0700, Stephen Gandy wrote:
>IF this was Konica's intention to make the Hexar RF incompatible with the
Leica
>M lenses, why wouldn't Konica advertise it in order to promote Konica M lens
>sales ?? -- sales which I'm told are pretty dismal.
>
>Konica wouldn't be the 1st big company to make a major screw up, nor the
last.
>
>While a number of people on the LUG have questioned the Hexar M's
compatibility
>with M lenses, I don't recall any posting of problems of Konica M lenses with
>Leica M bodies.   At this point, I don't know of an evidence which
suggests the
>Konica M back focus specs are not the same as Leica's.
>
>Without further data on individual Hexar bodies and lenses, or an official
>Konica tech release on the subject,  it seems to me that the issue remains in
>doubt.

Stephen

No one, save you, has mentioned anything about Konica's motives in making
the back-focus of their cameras different than the Leica M norm.  But the
Leica M standard has been known since 1953, and it would be surprising if
Konica fell afoul of the problems which haunted Canon and others in the LTM
realm, where manufacturers were unwilling to acknowledge that the pitch of
the LTM is in inches while the width is metric.  

But the problem does exist, as well documented on the LUG and elsewhere.  I
have great trouble believing Konica is using sloppy standards far lower
than the rest of the Japanese camera industry, as you have suggested.  But
I don't have an alternate explanation as to why the disparity exists.

But, if Erwin says it is there, it is there.  He is too careful a
researcher, and too cautious a human being, to have posted his findings
unless he was certain of them.

Marc

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

Replies: Reply from Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net> (Re: [Leica] Re: Konica facts)
Reply from Stephen Gandy <Stephen@CameraQuest.com> (Re: [Leica] Re: Konica facts)
In reply to: Message from Erwin Puts <imxputs@ision.nl> ([Leica] Konica facts)
Message from Jim Brick <jim_brick@agilent.com> ([Leica] Re: Konica facts)