Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/08/27

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Subject: [Leica] Leica branded lenses
From: msmall at aya.yale.edu (Marc James Small)
Date: Sat Aug 27 10:31:25 2005
References: <BF35363A.24255%telyt@earthlink.net>

At 09:36 PM 8/26/05 -0700, Frank Filippone wrote:
>Zeiss did make certain Contax RTS lenses.  They also "contracted" the
>manufacture to Yashica as well for certain designs.  It is an old story.
>
>What obstacles do you think there is?  It is not a design issue: for pete's
>sake, Tamron, Sigma, lots of others were and are able to license or reverse
>engineer the mounts and electronic connections.  It is not a quality
>manufacture issue... What is left?
>
>Are you referring to a possible customer acceptance issue?  Zeiss has never
>been strong in 35mm since the Contax RF camera of the 60's and before.

Frank

Zeiss has had almost no interest in producing photographic lenses since the
end of the War.  From 1948 until 1995, they had their hands full producing
scientific, industrial, medical, and military optical systems of all sorts,
from lab microscopes to submarine periscopes.  It was only after the
collapse of the Eastern Block that the military orders dried up and Zeiss
became a little less hostile towards the production of camera lenses.

Still, it is not a major part of their corporate strategy.  Zeiss is, after
all, owned by a charitable foundation which also controls companies
producing camera shutters, optical and consumer specialty glasses,
eyeglasses, and a whole lot more.  (The carafe on my Braun coffee pot, for
instance, comes from the Schott glassworks in Mainz, though a replacement
would now come from the Schott glassworks in Mexico City.)  

Leica is simply small potatoes compared to Zeiss and has no other lines on
which to rest its corporate spreadsheet.  I believe that the total equity
structure is around $10 million or so at the present share price.  Zeiss is
immensely larger and more diverse.

Marc

msmall@aya.yale.edu 
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In reply to: Message from telyt at earthlink.net (Doug Herr) ([Leica] Leica branded lenses)
Message from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone) ([Leica] Leica branded lenses)