[Leica] Zeiss Ikon

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

On 10/2/04 5:31 PM, "Douglas M. Sharp" <DouglasMSharp@netscape.net> typed:

> My news on this,straight from the Zeiss rep at the Photokina, if
> anything got lost in translation from German it's my fault. "for
> internal reasons at Zeiss we are talking about a price of 1500 or
> sometimes 1800 euros selling price, we will be able to give you a more
> exact price close to the release date"
> Hasselblad rep, "we expect it may be well under 2000 euros" and
> "probably just over half the price of a Leica M7" this would correspond
> to Stephen Gandys info of around 60% of the cost of the Leica.
> The Ringfoto rep spoke of the R2A/R3A as both being priced lower than
> the present R2.
> As all the people were questioned, and answered, in German this means
> the price includes 16%
> value added tax (VAT)
> 
> The camera is, according to Zeiss information, a true Zeiss product,
> designed in Germany around the technology supplied by Cosina and
> conceived some time in late 2002, Zeiss planned a long base RF from the
> start, which explains the main differences between the form of the ZI
> and Voigtl?nder models. The rangefinder construction was modified to
> automatically display the frames and to use a frame selector lever too.
> The RF base forced the designers to relocate the rewind crank in the
> baseplate.The dimensions are, except for a couple of millimeters
> difference in the depth of the camera, identical to those of the Leica
> M6. The weight is
> 500g, about 60g less than an M6. TTL-flash was not planned for this
> model, the finish will definitely be
> chrome and possibly, depending on the success of the camera extended to
> include black paint. the body is
> an aluminium/magnesium alloy casting, a material which lends itself to
> paint jobs but can cause difficulties in a plating process.
> 
> The trademark Zeiss Ikon was re-activated and re-registered by
> Carl Zeiss around 1 year ago (see European Patent Office files), the
> Ikon trademark having been used previously by Ikon AG a manufacturer of
> locks and security equipment. Whether Ikon AG had to give the go ahead
> on this? the Zeiss rep just didn't know.
> 
> As far as I can tell and remember this is pretty much all the detailed
> info that the Photokina staff
> at RingFoto, Zeiss, Hasselblad and Voigtl?nder gave me. All direct, no
> hedging, no rumours and no
> "I'm not really allowed to tell you this but...."
> The Zeiss staff were honestly excited and very confident about their new
> system, and convinced that it is a match for anything Leica may come up
> with.
> In an aside a Zeiss bod told me  "If it IS worse than the Leica we have the
> foundation upon which we can build and improve. What are Leica going to
> improve if we're better?"
> Douglas
> 
> Mark Rabiner schrieb:
> 
>> 
>> How much is this Zeiss thing and how much is it a Cosina thing?
>> Erwin sure seems to think Zeiss has It's name on the line and it's THEIR
>> deal with the 400 lines issue. A bridge too far - he should know I think 
>> he
>> lives next to it.
>> But first out we were told this was Cosina having bought the Zeiss Ikon 
>> name
>> just like with the Voigtl?nder name.
>> Which is it?
>> Or how to these two lines blur?
>> 
Thanks Doug!.. Answers my questions  better than I could have wildly
dreamed.
And could only have been done on the LUG.

So in effect we really could have here

Zeiss takes on Leitz.
The battle of the gods.

Which is green and which is red?

A little imagination is always needed.


Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland Oregon
http://rabinergroup.com/