• Members 107 posts
    Dec. 2, 2023, 6:30 p.m.

    I have once more read Erwin Puts on the details of pursuing mechanical and optical perfection in developing Leica optics. ISBN 978-94-91089-12-1,

    Most interesting details, starting with the improved triplets that became the quadruplet Elmar and moving on through the Hektor to how the summicrons were improved while discussing how to measure performance. A useful summary of lens design and production even if one does not use leitz products.

    p.

  • Members 245 posts
    Dec. 2, 2023, 6:45 p.m.

    Can you say more? - After trying many ISBN search engines, only one came up with anything (And that was just title and author!) Incidentally, what’s a ‘labelling stunt’?

  • Members 107 posts
    Dec. 3, 2023, 9:01 a.m.

    Ad labelling stunts, see my thread below. A phenomenon that can have similarities was when Ford tried to flog one of their their entirely ordinary cars as a "Jaguar", with a bog standard diesel engine and not a heron-top overhead valve petrol one. They had bought the rights to the name. I thought it strange that Leitz would put their name on watches without any experience in manufacturing such. I was too polite to mention minolta, sigma and panasonic although their contributions do stand up to critical examination.

    The 382page Puts Book is named "Leica lens Saga" and according to the Colophon page was published as a limited edition in september 2016 by Puts and imX . I boughty it from Puts at the time, but assue that well stocked antiquariats like Lindemanns might be able to provide a copy.

  • Members 107 posts
    Aug. 11, 2024, 6:08 p.m.

    I keep replying to my own threads. This time to praise Leitz technology even if they have labelled with Leica a lens that was not made in Wetzlar. The 11mm to something Lmount (small image cicle) Zoom is remarkably free from haze even with stong sunlight on the side of the sunshade. i have not yet dropped it often enough or had it out in driving rain, so its robustness remains unknown. M3 and 50mm summicrons survived regular challenges, so it has quite an example to follow.

    p.