Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/03/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 05:59 AM 3/26/2008, Marty Deveney wrote: > >I tend to regard Zeiss Ikon as a part of Zeiss, as all the components >of the Foundation are today. This was certainly what Zeiss argued in >their court case against Zeiss Jena. Zeiss agencies sometimes >assembled lenses and made components (I didn't specify elements) in >the country of sale. I have better knowledge of this practice for >microscopy and technical products than for camera lenses. This >practice dates back to the 19th century when B&L, Kraus and others >made Anastigmats, sold under a variety of brands. Hensoldt was >another company that Zeiss obtained some components from, but the CZ >Foundation eventually bought them too. They even made a nice little >RF camera at one stage, manufactured by ISO in Italy. This is absolutely false and is not at all what the Zeiss Foundation ever argued in any of the various Court cases -- read the records if you doubt it! The Zeiss Foundation owned a number of companies. One of these was the Zeiss lens works. Another was the Schott und Genossen glass works. Yet another was the Gauthier shutter company. And then there was the Deckel shutter company. And the Leitz wooden woodworking-tool works (believe me: this company existed, and Zeiss owned it, and the tools are reportedly magnificent, albeit I do not do woodworking). And then there was Zeiss Ikon. And Voigtl?nder. All were separate companies controlled by a common Foundation. For that matter, the Zeiss Foundation never owned ALL of Zeiss Ikon: about 10% or more of it was in outside hands up to the ending of camera production. A friend of mine, a researcher, was at the Zeiss Archives at Oberkochen twenty years back. He asked the archivist about their records of Zeiss Ikon. The archivist nodded slowly and remarked, "ah, yes. One of our former customers." Me? I'm about to go downstairs and have some eggs cooked in coddlers made at the Jenaer Glasswerke, the original Schott works in Jena. We've got to keep it in the family, after all! Marc msmall@aya.yale.edu Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!