[Leica] leica selling inferior lenses out of the box?

[Kyle Cassidy <KCassidy@asc.upenn.edu>]

Seth posted a somewhat frightening story with a happy ending:

>Years ago I bought a new Leitz lens from [...] a solid Leica dealer, took 
>it to Marty Forscher at Professional Camera Repair in NYC to check out.
Marty 
>said "the lens is a very good specimen, within spec, but with your contacts

>at Leitz NY I think you can get a 'better' one". Took it back to the dealer

>who sent it back to Hudson Street (that's how long ago it was) and Vince 
>Fochtman hand-picked a fabulous specimen for me. Still have it. You can't
do 
>that with the big discounters or with a website.   

i take this to mean that there is a great variation in tolerence in new
leica lenses? "within spec" is apparantly wide enough anyway that by looking
at it an expert can tell the top of the heap from the bottom of the heap.
i've heard this is true with jupiter lenses, but how can someone such as
myself (not an expert in leica lenses) keep from getting a klunker when
buying brand new leitz glass? you mention marty forscher "checked out" the
lens was this with machines? or is there a cabbalistic secret where you can
hold it up to the light and say "ooh, spherical abbhoration!" or "serial
number ends in a 2, this is one of their novelty distortion lenses." that we
can learn. and finally, if one does buy a lens from the bottom of the pile,
has it checked out and it's found to be "not as good" will leitz replace the
lens, or are you stuck with it?

thanks,

kc
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